Poultry Education Day

“Poultry Education Day” for School Students



On the 10th of November 2023, The University of Sydney held the egg-citing open day once again whereby students across all parts of NSW local and further way were invited into the world of poultry.

Dr Ron MacAlpine

A Chat with Dr Ron MacAlpine



Dr Ron MacAlpine is a highly respected industry leader and a well-known poultry nutritionist in Australia. It was a pleasure to have a chat with Ron recently.

Associate Professor Groves wearing glasses.

Recent Poultry Health Studies by the PRF Team



Karen Gao’s project is the first analytical epidemiological study of Spotty Liver Disease, which is a major disease problem in free range egg layers. Christine Clark’s project looked at the novel strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis that caused major disruption to the layer industry in NSW in 2018-2020 and also spread to Victoria and Queensland.

Photo of Dr Mehdi Toghyani holding a chicken.

Dr Medhi Toghyani



There is the adage – practice makes perfect. In the case of Dr Mehdi Toghyani, it is the perfect combination of commercial nutrition and nutrition science.  Mehdi’s practical knowledge of nutrition is of great value to the Poultry Research Foundation (PRF) as we strive for producing effective solutions for real-life problems of the poultry industry.

Poultry Research Foundation Logo

Major Challenges Facing the Poultry Industry Over the Next Two Decades and Beyond



The poultry industry is the No.1 supplier of quality animal protein sources for human consumption. It does not matter whether you focus on the ethics of food production or the essence of food production, from a global food security and sustainability point of view, it is essential have a prosperous and advanced poultry industry.

Looking at Nutrient Digestibility Beyond the Traditional View



Any gain in nutrient digestibility in animals can result in big gain in feed efficiency. Feed efficiency gain is a big win for sustainability because there will be less extra ending up in the environment and less land used to grow crops. Indeed, a reduction of feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 3 points, ie., from 1.53 down to 1.50 at market weight, would save the Australian chicken meat industry approximately 56,000 tonnes of feed per year, the monetary value of this alone is staggering even for small country like Australia.

Mrs Joy Gill

Mrs Joy Gill



The ongoing success of the Poultry Research Foundation (PRF) and its 65 years of sustained service to the Australian poultry industry are due to many people. This article profiles one of those dedicated individuals, Mrs Joy Gill.

Melinda Hashimoto Interview



Melinda is a farmer’s daughter from a small beef property (Brahman cross) in Queensland. Having attended university in Rockhampton with a Bachelor of Education she remained in the area and then travelled to Japan spending 5 years teaching there. Upon return to Australia, she completed an MBA at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba. Former career roles include Adviser to Ministers for Agriculture at Federal and State Levels and QLD Department of Trade and Investment.

Poultry@Sydney



In this Edition, we will feature Dr Wendy Muir’s work on the productivity and welfare of long-life laying hens, an interview of the General Manager for Farming at Inghams, Dr Sheridan Alfirevich and the profile of PhD student, Christine Clark. In addition, I would like to talk briefly about our flagship poultry science conference, the Australian Poultry Science Symposium, known as APSS.