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Numerous young chickens gather under warming lights in a spacious indoor farming facility.

Supporting Ontario's Poultry Sector

  1. U of G Homepage
  2. Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance
  3. Sector Partners
  4. Supporting Ontario's Poultry Sector

Research, laboratory services and capacity-building for a productive poultry industry

The Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance helps Ontario’s chicken, egg and turkey farmers thrive by delivering practical, research-backed solutions that improve productivity, sustainability and profitability.

The Alliance provides world-class laboratory testing, specialized training and strategic investments in research to keep the poultry sector future-focused and resilient.

Partners: Working together for a strong, sustainable sector

The Alliance brings together government, academia and industry for a strong, sustainable swine sector. Partners include:

  • Chicken Farmers of Ontario
  • Egg Farmers of Ontario
  • Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission
  • Turkey Farmers of Ontario
  • Egg Farmers of Canada
  • Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC)
  • Agribusinesses, such as those specializing in animal health, nutrition, genetics, feed and ingredients

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Jump to section:

  • Making an impact
  • Ontario Poultry Research Centre
  • Services and resources
  • In the news

Making an impact

Profile photo of Elijah Kiarie

Nutritional strategies for healthy, feed-efficient birds

Dr. Elijah Kiarie

Alliance-funded research is enhancing the chicken immune system through gut health to help Ontario poultry producers raise healthy, efficient birds more sustainably.

Feeding the Future of Profitable Poultry Production
Whole eggs on a conveyer belt

Precision poultry management for competitive farming

Dr. Grégoy Bédécarrats

Bédécarrats and his team are working to prevent early puberty and strengthen hens' skeletons to reduce the risk of injuries and improve bird health, leading to sustainable and competitive farming.

Guiding the Movement to Cage-Free Eggs
Indoors, Clara holds a turkey as both are bathed in purple light

Improving reproductive efficiency for the turkey industry

Clara Ziezold

Alliance-funded research from PhD student Ziezold is helping turkey breeder hens become more productive, supporting a strong local turkey industry from hatcheries to farms.

Lighting Research for Improving Turkey Production
Dr. Sharif is seated at a lab bench, smiling behind a microscope while wearing gloves and a lab coat

Inside U of G’s fight against avian flu

Drs. Shayan Sharif, Rozita Dara, Claire Jardine, Maria Spinato, Lauren Grant, Jane Parmley and others

The Alliance puts U of G researchers in labs and on farms, analyzing bird samples and using AI to forecast outbreaks.

Predict, Prevent, Contain
Dr. Fazel wears a lab coat and gloves, smiling as she reaches into a centrifuge to pull out a test tube

In pursuit of a vaccine to protect birds

Dr. Fatemeh Fazel

Backed by the Alliance and national partners, Fazel, a veterinarian and PhD candidate, is developing a new poultry vaccine that could transform how farmers protect their flocks.

Searching for the Perfect Vaccine for Birds
Keith in the lab with a long, coffin-shaped metal Cleanworks machine, wearing a labcoat and holding a tray of raw eggs

Reducing salmonella on eggs

Dr. Keith Warriner

Warriner and his team have validated and verified a process for inactivating Salmonella on hatchery eggs, addressing a significant source of contamination in the supply chain. This technology is commercialized by Ontario company Clean Works.

Decontamination Technology in Food Safety Magazine
Bédécarrats, wearing a collared shirt and sweater, sits smiling for an interview

Energy-efficient lighting that improves production

Dr. Grégoy Bédécarrats

After discovering that different lighting sources had different effects on laying hens, Bédécarrats collaborated with industry to develop and validate an innovative LED known as AgriLux™, which improves production by several per cent.

The Research and Technology Behind AgriLux™
A farmer's arm is visible holding a laying chicken against his chest

How aviary design impacts pullet and laying hen welfare

Dr. Alexandra Harlander

Aviary design impacts pullet and laying hen welfare. This Canadian Poultry Magazine story explains findings from Harlander’s research into navigation, wing use, ramps and perches. Photo credit: Farm and Food Care

Top Three Design Details for Aviary Design
Close up of a chicken with other chickens blurred in the background

Ontario Poultry Research Centre

Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario (ARIO) provides the places and spaces where research thrives.

Cutting-edge research prevents disease and keeps Ontario's food systems safe - from farm to table.

Explore the Ontario Poultry Research Centre

Additional services and resources

Supporting diagnostics and surveillance

The Animal Health Laboratory at U of G specializes in determining the health of livestock, poultry, horses and pets through a wide array of tests, and in turn provides disease surveillance data for the province of Ontario.

U of G researchers use the Research Isolation Unit for studies. The unit is managed by the U of G Central Animal Facility.

Alliance poultry research in the news

  • Canadian Poultry: Pullet Housing Research: Raise The Roost? (Feb. 26, 2026)
  • Ontario Farmer: Harlander named EFC research chair in poultry welfare (March 10, 2026)
  • Farmtario: Research meets reality: Farmers and scientists find solutions together (Oct. 19, 2025)
  • Ontario Farmer: Ontario announces $10 million for poultry research (Oct. 9, 2025)
  • Global News: U of G researchers attempting to try and create Canada’s first bird flu vaccine (July 18, 2025)
  • CTV News: Two projects at University of Guelph aim to combat avian influenza (June 13, 2025)
  • Farms.com: Scientists at Guelph target avian threat (June 5, 2025)
  • Food Safety Magazine: Study Validates, Verifies Hydroxyl Radical Treatments for Inactivating Salmonella, Avian Pathogens on Poultry Eggs (Apr. 2025)
  • WattPoultry: Understanding climate change could stop avian flu spread (Nov. 2024)
  • Ontario Farmer: Social media posts used to predict avian flu outbreaks and spread (Oct. 2024)
  • Farmtario: Understanding transmission of the avian influenza virus (June 2024)
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