Spring 2003 Newsletter : Incubation and Fertility Research Group
(WPSA Working Group 6)
The annual IFRG meeting has always been an informal affair, allowing scientists, hatchery managers and aviculturists to gather together to discuss problems of fertility and incubation. The meeting provides an ideal opportunity for a two-way exchange of information between those with the responsibility for furthering our understanding of the biology of the avian egg and those who have to hatch eggs of either poultry or exotic species. The success of this format is demonstrated by continuing growth of the IFRG, with over 70 delegates from 13 countries meeting at St Edmonds Hall, Oxford in September this year. Of the delegates attending the 2002 meeting, 35% represented universities and research institutes, 37% represented the poultry industry, 11% from zoos and captive breeding programmes and 14% from incubator manufacturers.
At the centre of the two-day meeting was a workshop with the theme of 'Practical Aspects of Commercial Incubation'. The workshop consisted of 5 review papers covering different aspects of poultry incubation: egg storage (Fasenko et al, University of Alberta, Canada), design and operation of incubators (Meijerhof, Eurbrid, Holland), hatchery ventilation and environment control (Mauldin & MacKinnon, University of Georgia, USA), hygiene and microbiological control (McMullin, Poultry Health Services, UK) and chick transport and welfare (Mitchell, Roslin Institute, UK). These authors were also invited to contribute written papers to a book that was published to accompany the meeting. The book also included 6 written papers from the 'Back to Basics' workshop held at the 2000 IFRG meeting to provide in one volume papers covering all aspects of fertilisation and incubation of poultry species. The book is available to buy at £15 + post and packaging from the editor Dr D. C. Deeming at the address below.
The mainstays of the IFRG meeting are the submitted oral and poster papers that allow researchers to present their latest studies. A total of 19 submitted papers were presented covering a wide range of topics including lipid composition of spermatozoa, eggshell conductance, thermal conditions within incubators, yolk sac infection, egg turning and the development of chick thermoregulation. One of the strengths of the IFRG meeting has been it's encouragement of young researchers to present work 'in progress' and it is the intention of the IFRG continue in this direction. As in previous years, abstracts from the submitted papers will be published in International Hatchery Practice and Avian and Poultry Biology Reviews.
The invited 2002 Keynote Address to the conference was given by Jean-Pierre Brillard (INRA, France) on 'Practical Aspects of Fertility in Poultry'. Brillard used his paper to discuss the various factors poultry breeders need to consider when trying to maximise fertility using either artificial insemination or natural mating. This paper is has also been included in the published book.
The increasing size of the group has resulted in a change of venue to the University of Lincoln for the 2003 meeting.
Further details can be obtained from;
Dr D. C. Deeming
9 Eagle Drive
Welton
Lincoln LN2 3LP
UK
email charlie@deemingdc.freeserve.co.uk
or by visiting the IFRG website http://193.61.15.84/ifrg/ifrg.htm