Waste to wealth, turning chicken feathers to biodegradable plastic.

Chicken feathers are one of those materials that is still basically waste," said Yiqi Yang, a researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and one of the authors of the new research. 

 Feathers are mostly made of keratin, the protein that's responsible for the strength of wool, hair, fingernails, and hooves, he added. So they "should be useful as a material."

 Past efforts to create plastic from feathers resulted in products that didn’t hold up mechanically or weren't completely water-resistant, said Yang’s University of Nebraska colleague Narenda Reddy, who also worked on the project. feathers have found another use in construction of buildings. 

Feathers may already be used in feed in some parts of the world, and work has also been carried out on turning them into fuel and, more surprisingly, computer chips, but for an industry that is already held up as being the most sustainable meat producer, finding a good new use for a waste material simply raises the sector’s environmental credential further.Read 

 Disposal of feathers often involves a cost, but turning a waste product into a valuable commodity has benefits that are also economic.The feathers are not only getting a second life, but are substituting materials that currently take a lot of energy to produce, using non-sustainable raw materials. 

 Feathers may not seem to be any more resistant than furze but, in the same way that feathers protect chickens from the cold, they can keep people’s homes warm, and as much as 30 percent of the foam used to make regular insulation boards could be substituted with treated feathers. To make the new plastic, the researchers started with chicken and turkey feathers that had been cleaned and pulverized into a fine dust. 

They then added chemicals that made the keratin molecules join together to form long chains -- a process called polymerization. The plastic they made was stronger than similar materials made from starch or soy proteins, and it stood up to water. Moreover, high temperature treatment of the feathers at the start of the process would blast out any possible contamination, such as from bird flu, according to Reddy. 

 The new material is a thermoplastic. "We can use heat and melt it to make different products," said Reddy. Heating it to a modest -- for industrial manufacturing -- 170 degrees Celsius allows the plastic to be molded into some desired shape, and it can be melted and remolded many times. Unlike most thermoplastics, which are petroleum-based, chicken-feather plastic uses no fossil fuels, the researchers said. 

 The feather-based plastic could be used for all kinds of products, from plastic cups and plates to furniture. In addition to making use of feathers that would otherwise end up in landfills, it is highly biodegradable. Read

Steps to prevent milk fever in dairy cows.

Hypocalcaemia, or milk fever, is a common occurrence in dairy operations. While clinical hypocalcaemia is generally easy to spot and producers often have a treatment plan in place, sub-clinical cases are less easy to detect, especially if blood calcium levels are not routinely measured. The initiation of lactation requires a tremendous increase in the cow’s calcium requirement to meet demands for milk synthesis. About 20 to 30 grams of calcium per day are needed for milk production compared with 8 to 10 grams per day for fetal development just prior to calving. Thus, metabolic adaptations must take place to support the increased need for calcium. If they do not take place soon enough or are of insufficient magnitude, the concentration of calcium in the blood drops below a critical threshold and clinical and sub-clinical hypocalcaemia (milk fever) can result. Milk fever can have lasting effects in the cow’s production cycle, and every effort should be made to reduce its incidence. This article explores management practices, feeding best practices and on-farm tools that can be used to help minimize clinical cases and/or catch sub-clinical cases. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body with the vast majority being found in bone. The remainder (only ~1 percent) is vital for nerve function, muscle contraction and cell signalling. There is internal regulation of blood calcium levels involving parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin and Vitamin D3 (1, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol), known as calcitriol. Regulation involves calcium moving into or out of the skeleton, as well as dietary uptake of calcium from the small intestine. In situations of low blood calcium, PTH is secreted resulting in a greater amount of skeletal calcium that is resorbed and released into the blood. Parathyroid hormone release stimulates renal production of calcitriol, which then increases the absorption of calcium from the small intestine. Read

Africa and investment in poultry sector.

Africa is ready for investment in poultry sector,now is a good time to invest in the poultry sector in Africa, according to Rabobank analyst Nan-Dirk Mulder. Rabobank analyst says Africa is where the best opportunities exist in global poultry sector. Africa is now preparing to take its place on the global stage of poultry production, according to a new report from Rabobank. Poultry markets have been evolving over many years from national businesses to regional ones and now increasingly global, according to the organization’s senior analyst, Nan-Dirk Mulder. Buoyed up by a forecast 60 percent increase in demand over the next two decades, he considers that this trend will continue. Europe, the Americas and Asia have been the focus of most of the investment so far, but Mulder thinks that it is now in Africa where the best opportunities exist for those with the financial resources. As in other regions, it is growth in the middle class and urbanization that are driving the gradual modernization of the poultry sector in Africa. As the population becomes able to afford better diets including animal proteins, they are turning to poultry meat and eggs. Relatively short payback times make poultry meat and eggs attractive enterprises for local farmers, and both start-up and expansion are relatively easy to achieve. Also important in Mulder’s view is the expansion of supermarket chains and quick service restaurants across the continent as these attract new investment. See For African farming to become more efficient and competitive, there needs to be more investment in science and technology to help in its transformation from rural subsistence to wealth creation, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB).Food and agricultural markets in Africa are forecast to grow to US$1 trillion by 2030 Read

Learn how Simmons Foods produces high-protein feed ingredient from wastewater.

Simmons Foods produces a high-protein feed ingredient from dissolved air flotation skimmings from poultry processing to turn a wastewater product into a valuable resource. The PRO*CAL process allows 130 million pounds of material to be recycled into the food chain each year rather than being land applied.

How to make money with poultry waste-water.

The waste in the poultry value chain can be processed into various products to make money. Poultry waste can be sent to a biodigester to produce gas,heat,electricity and fertilizer. The blood and gut can be processed and incorporated to make animal feed. 

The feathers can be processed and made into fashion accessories,decorative pieces and building materials. A food processor has found another use for waste water that is saving overheads and bringing in money. 

 Poultry processor Keystone Foods, Reidsville, North Carolina, uses a rotary press to add value to wastewater by-product by reducing moisture and thus transportation costs. The Keystone Foods facility ships dissolved air flotation by-products to a vendor for composting to make organic soil amendments. By reducing the moisture content of the by-product, shipping costs (and net energy usage) are reduced. The rotary press reduces total solids from around 90 percent to under 35 percent.

Tips for raising healthy antibiotic-free poultry.

The demand for antibiotic-free (ABF) poultry is growing fast, and what was once considered a passing trend has become a well-established, health-conscious requirement for consumers worldwide. However, ABF production presents challenges for meat producers, who are taking distinct approaches to its development, with different results. While some producers still have difficulties in controlling health challenges, others have had success, due to improvements in housing and changes in feeding, management and health programs. There are some key factors to consider in ABF production. Factors to consider in antibiotic-free production. 1) Managing nutrient intake: A common misconception in ABF production is to focus only on controlling intestinal diseases. These are the main health issues when any ABF program is implemented, but the reality is that they are the consequences, not the causes, of the real problem. Excess nutrients, especially protein and fat, may not be well digested and absorbed by the bird. Undigested feed increases microbial proliferation in the ceca, leading to potential infections. Appropriate digestibility is key to broilers’ overall health and can help control microbes and resultant diseases. Factors such as a balanced diet and sufficient water consumption are essential to improve digestibility. A pH between 5 and 7 and water temperature between 16C and 25C are ideal conditions to support the activity of most enzymes. To further strengthen the effect of endogenous enzymes, additives such as phytases and xylanases can be added to feed. Moreover, to guarantee acidic crop, organic acids are a good option. Feed management plays an essential role too. Grain damage and conditions that could increase mold and insect spoilage must be minimized and, at the same time, fat storage conditions should be frequently revised in order to control rancidity within the feed mill. 2) Improve house environment, biosecurity: Proper environmental conditions are the foundations of effective ABF poultry production. Optimum temperature, air velocity, and relative humidity according to the age, phase of production and size of the birds should be considered. Environmental stress, due to heat, cold, very dry or very humid air could affect feed intake and intestinal motility, causing reduced digestibility. Lighting programs may also affect feed intake, motility and digestion. Light intensities lower than 10 lux and 4 to 6 hours of total darkness per day improve feed conversion ratios, indicating slower feed intake and better digestibility. Good house ventilation is key for ABF programs to maintain litter moisture below 30 percent, and to minimize condensation and caking. Flock management is also important to allow the flock more space during the brooding period. This helps avoid excessive stress. 3)Maintain flock health: Preventing coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis are normally the main concerns during ABF production. In cases where no anticoccidial medications are allowed, coccidiosis vaccines and litter management are the principle controls. Cocci vaccination for broilers has been applied in traditional poultry production systems and new ABF programs for years, in many countries. The appropriate feeding regime and use of feed additives, such as the eubiotics category, may help maintain healthy microflora adding to flock health. Control of other intestinal parasites, worms and poultry diseases that affect intestines and immunity is also necessary. Practices including bio-exclusion, limiting visitors, vehicles and equipment that visit other poultry farms, and bio-containment, isolating the houses, controlling insects, rodents and entry of wild birds and other animals to the houses, can help prevent new infections. Continue

How drones are changing agriculture.

Drones aren’t new technology by any means. Now, however, thanks to robust investments and a somewhat more relaxed regulatory environment, it appears their time has arrived—especially in agriculture. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—better known as drones—have been used commercially since the early 1980s. Today, however, practical applications for drones are expanding faster than ever in a variety of industries, thanks to robust investments and the relaxing of some regulations governing their use. Responding to the rapidly evolving technology, companies are creating new business and operating models for UAVs. Drone technology will give the agriculture industry a high-technology makeover, with planning and strategy based on real-time data gathering and processing. PwC estimates the market for drone-powered solutions in agriculture at $32.4 billion. Following are six ways aerial and ground-based drones will be used throughout the crop cycle: 1) Soil and field analysis: Drones can be instrumental at the start of the crop cycle. They produce precise 3-D maps for early soil analysis, useful in planning seed planting patterns. After planting, drone-driven soil analysis provides data for irrigation and nitrogen-level management. Read