Day 5: Iowa State by Ruca

 Did you know that the state of Iowa produces 15 billion eggs every year? We learned this fact at the Iowa State University Poultry Unit. At this destination our group got to visit the turkey barn and egg laying barn, and we were given a presentation to get a deeper dive into understanding the industry.

While the turkeys were not present at the time of our viewing, we were still fortunate enough to tour the facility and observe the way they operate the farm. Which included showing us the unique design of the feeders, watering system, and bedding kept in the barn. They also explained how experiments can be run on raising the turkeys to learn more about them to find the best practices in the industry.

We also got to tour the egg laying barn where we saw caged laying hens and free-range birds. At this facility one of the things they are observing is the efficiency of cage free hens. The barn, freshly made in 2020 consisted of 4 cage free areas and 6 caged areas all well designed!

  

During this trip Dr. Richard Gates and Dr. Maro Ibaburu taught us many things in this facility ranging from production to biosecurity and even international production practices. One of the things they explained to the our group that we found intriguing was they described that many farms including the Iowa State University Farm are planning to create enriched colonies for the birds. Meaning they will provide things such as more space, perches and nesting areas so that they can display a more natural behavior.

Our group was grateful for the unique experience visiting the unit and getting a very educational lesson on the poultry industry. 

Some fun facts we took home from this stop were:

• some countries do not refrigerate their eggs.
• chicken manure makes good fertilizer.
• 70% of eggs come from caged birds.
• the average American eats 280 eggs a year.
• one hen will produce approximately 300 eggs a year.
• at this research facility, in order to enter the chicken barn a farmer or visitor must shower every time as to not spread disease.