Dr. Natacha Hogan (PhD) and Dr. Chris Eskiw (PhD) with the College of Agriculture and Bioresources are examining how yeast byproducts, when added to the feed of hens, could improve the overall health of the hens and the quality of the eggs they lay.
“This project explores novel strategies to enhance the health and productivity of laying hens through alternative in-feed additives,” said Hogan. “We are looking at ways to maximize the production of beneficial bioactive compounds from yeast that can be put into animal feed to help boost gut health and improve animal performance.”
The project is one of more than 20 at USask to receive funding through the livestock and forage-focused portion of the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF), a provincial and federal government-supported program to provide funding to innovative agricultural research projects. The project also received support from industry partners Saskatchewan Egg Producers and Star Egg.
The research team will first identify the right yeast genome that produces the most beneficial prebiotic molecules for chicken gut health. Eskiw, an expert in yeast genomics, said the key will be exploring which yeast produces the desirable prebiotic byproducts to add to chicken feed.
“The first step on the genetics front is to look at the genetic material within the yeast to find out which ones have the potential of producing high quantities of prebiotic molecules,” he said. “After we identify specific yeast ... we will further identify how to grow those yeast to maximize the production of these helpful molecules before we feed them to chickens.”
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