Background
The commercial alternative poultry and ratite industries are comprised of alternative poultry including specialty supply managed and non supply managed chicken namely Taiwanese (TC) and TC chicken crosses, Hong Kong Golden, Blue legged chicken and Silkies, chickens raised with alternative production systems (free run, free range and organic layers, free range broilers and organic chickens), wild turkey, quail, pheasants, squabs, partridges, waterfowl (ducks and geese), and farmed ratites (emus and ostriches). The alternative poultry and ratite industries have the potential to become significant contributors to the provincial economy. However, the alternative poultry and ratite sector is faced with a number of constraints limiting their growth, one of which is the lack of research support, technology transfer and communication.
Mandate
The purpose of the Program will be to foster strong and competitive alternative poultry and ratite industries in the province through education and research at the University, and to support the industry and its needs.
UBC/BCMAL Agreement:
In 2005, the University of British Columbia and the BC Ministry
of Agriculture and Land signed an agreement for the establishment
of the Specialty Bird Research Program (SBRP). The purpose
of the SBRP is to assist the BC specialty bird industry to
be competitive, to overcome constraints to growth, and to
be sustainable by facilitating, funding and coordinating
research in the areas of economics and marketing, biology
and genetics, environment, production management, and food
science.
Publications
Market
Study on The British Columbia Ratite, Waterfowl and
Game Bird Industries.
2002. Avian Research Centre, University of British
Columbia.
Improving efficiency of squab production
Hoekstra, KA, "Capillariasis in Pigeons". University of British Columbia Avian Research Centre Technical Report No. A001 (2001) (Graduate student project)
Kermode, D., K.M.. Cheng, and S. Paulson. "Marketing Opportunities For B.C. Squab". Technical Bulletin, B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. (1996).
Aggrey, S.E. & K.M. Cheng. "Genetic covariance between parental effects on growth in pigeon squabs." J Heredity 86:70-72 (1995) (Graduate student paper)
Aggrey, S.E. & K.M. Cheng. "Genetic and post-hatch parental influences on growth of pigeon squabs." Journal of Heredity 84:184-187 (1993) (Graduate student paper)
Aggrey, S.E. & K.M. Cheng. "Heritability estimates and genetic correlations for body weight traits in squab pigeons". Génétique Sélection Évolution 24(6): 553-559 (1992) (Graduate student paper)
Waldie, G.A., J.M. Olomu, K.M. Cheng, & J. Sim. "Effects of two feeding systems, two protein levels, and different dietary energy sources and levels on performance of squabbing pigeons". Poultry Science 70:1206-1212 (1991).
Partridge tinamou breeding stock development
Fronteddu, M & K. M. Cheng. "Optimizing hatchability of partridge tinamou eggs". Technical report submitted to the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Foods. (2000)
Benun, A. & K M Cheng. "Emu And tinamou microsatellite loci amplified by ostrich specific primers". Technical report submitted to the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Foods. (2000)
Wai, M. L. & K M Cheng. "A restaurant survey of market acceptability of the partridge tinamou in Vancouver". Technical report submitted to the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Foods. (1999)
Kermode, D. "The production of non-traditional poultry in British Columbia and the introduction of a new poultry species: partridge tinamou". MSc Thesis, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (1997)
Aggrey, S.E., C.R. Nichols, & K.M. Cheng. "The partridge tinamou for commercial meat production: A preliminary evaluation." Proceedings of the 19th World's Poultry Congress, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Vol. 1, p.360. 1992 (Graduate student paper)
Japanese quail breeding
Cheng, KM. "Japanese quail breeding: Where are we heading?" Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Quail Production, Lavras, Brazil, April 11-12, 2002. Pp. 133-146 (Keynote Speaker)
Pang, S.W.Y., C. Ritland, J.E. Carlson, and K.M. Cheng. "Japanese quail microsatellite loci amplified with chicken-specific primers." Animal Genetics 30:195-199 (1999).(Graduate student paper)
Hoekstra, K.A., G.K. Iwama, C.R. Nichols, D.V. Godin, and K.M. Cheng. "Increased heat shock protein expression after stress in Japanese quail." Stress 2:265-272 (1998).(Graduate student paper)
Nol, E., K.M. Cheng, & C.R. Nichols. "Heritability and phenotypic correlations of behaviour and dominance rank of Japanese quail. Animal Behaviour 52:813-820. (1996)
Aggrey, S.E., C.Y. Lin, & K.M. Cheng. "Size of breeding populations required for selection programs." Theoretical & Applied Genetics 91:553-556 (1995). (Graduate student paper)
Sano, A, T. Okamoto, K.M. Cheng, S. Takahashi, A. Nakamura, & M. Kimura. "Genetic differentiation among laboratory quail populations." Japanese Poultry Science 32:177-193 (1995)
Aggrey, S.E. & K.M. Cheng. "Genetic (co)variance for growth traits in Japanese quail estimated by an animal model." Poultry Science 73:1822-1828 (1994).(Graduate student paper)
Aggrey, S.E., C.R. Nichols, & K.M. Cheng. "Multiphasic analysis of egg production characteristics of the Japanese quail." Poultry Science 72:2185-2192 (1993). (Graduate student paper)
Wang, Z.P., K.M. Cheng, G.M. Brown, & S.F. Pang. "Characteristics of [125I] iodomelatonin-binding sites in quail testes at mid-light and mid-dark". Neuroscience Lett. 146:195-198 (1992)
Cheng, K.M., M. Kimura, & S. Fujii. "Genetic variability in strains of Japanese quail selected for heavy body weight". Journal of Heredity 83:31-35 (1992).
Waterfowl breeding
Stunden, C.E., C.K. Bluhm, K.M. Cheng and R. Rajamahendran. "Factors affecting reproductive performance in captive mallard ducks" Theriogenology 52:435 446. (1999)(Graduate student paper)
Cunningham, J.A and K.M. Cheng. "Biases in sperm utilisation in the mallard; no evidence for selection by females based on sperm genotype. Proc Royal Society London B 266:905-910 (1999)
Calogeros, A.E., K.M. Cheng, and C.K. Bluhm. "The effect of parent age, hatch date, and egg size on post-hatch development of captive wild mallards." Proceedings of the American Ornithologists' Union Annual Meeting. (Boise, Idaho, August 13-17, 1996.) Abstract #401.(Graduate student paper)
Ratite research
Fronteddu, M. "Emu oil and other emu products." University of British Columbia Avian Research Centre Resource Document No. A002 (2001)
Benun, A. "A study of genetic variations in ostrich breeding flocks using microsatellite DNA markers". MSc Thesis, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (1999)
Ausio, J., J.T. Soley, W. Burger, J.D. Lewis, D. Barreda, and K.M. Cheng. "The histidine rich protamine from the ostrich and tinamou sperm. A link between reptile and bird protamines" Biochemistry 38:180-184 (1998).
