Small-to-Industry Scale Poultry Management Systems Specialist
100% CE, Department of Animal Science, UC Davis
Position Description: The Specialist in Poultry Management will contribute to the current and future
high-priority State needs for applied research and outreach in management to improve poultry
productivity, and well-being in small, mid- and large scale production systems. The Specialist will also
disseminate knowledge contributing to maintaining the safety of poultry meat and eggs for California
consumers. A Ph.D. or equivalent in an animal science discipline and research experience with poultry is
required. The Department of Animal Science (ANS) and the CA&ES are committed to creating a powerful
team to address emerging concerns in order to ensure that California maintains a sustainable poultry
industry. A recently hired faculty member (Dr. Zhou) in ANS complements this CE position. These two
ANS positions will work closely with the poultry epidemiologist Specialist and poultry Academic Senate
positions under recruitment by the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM); the four positions combined
with other ANS Academic Senate faculty will create the critical mass needed for an outstanding
statewide program covering all aspects of poultry production.
Justification: The poultry industries, consisting of broiler, pullet, egg and turkey sectors, had a combined
California farm-gate value of $981 million in 2010. Chickens alone represent the 14th largest agricultural
commodity in California - a vital industry, integral to the state's food production systems and economy.
UC Davis and UCCE have contributed enormously to the poultry and allied industries' development,
growth, and success and are essential to its continued presence and viability in California. Important
issues facing the poultry industry are animal well-being, environmental impact, education of bird
enthusiasts (particularly as regards biosecurity/food safety of backyard and commercial flocks), and,
very importantly, coordinated communication related to management, including related to biosecurity,
food safety, and zoonotic disease. A mission of the CA Dept of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and UC
DANR is the retention of CA-based food production systems, such as poultry meat and eggs, to feed the
people of the state while also contributing to economic viability. Currently there is an alarming void in
the state’s poultry outreach that we are addressing at UC Davis by developing a faculty cluster of poultry
knowledge; a Poultry Management Specialist with expertise in management systems at all levels and a
focus on management and animal well-being represents an invaluable asset to the economic vitality and
secure food supply of California. The poultry health & food safety epidemiology specialist and the
Senate research poultry position under recruitment in the School of Veterinary Medicine combine with
the strength of the poultry immunologist (Dr. Zhou) recently hired in the Department of Animal Science.
Specifically, Dr. Zhou’s research focuses on identifying the genes and/or signal pathways affecting the
immune response and disease resistance in chickens. The position proposed here is the key piece to
complete a core cluster focused specifically on poultry. The two I&R/AES faculty positions and two CE
positions targeting poultry species create a strong statewide program in food safety, animal well-being,
disease, environmental pathogens, and sustainability of poultry production systems. This team has
significant collaborative opportunities across the campus, including with the California Animal Health
and Food Safety Diagnostic Laboratory, which ensures productive outcomes when addressing these
pressing issues of the CA poultry industries.
Extension: Extension expectations include the development and implementation of a coordinated
educational and applied research program in poultry production, economics, preharvest food safety,
animal well-being, and environmental problems associated with poultry production within the
framework and policies of California. California poultry stakeholders have affirmed significant extension
needs that UC Davis and UCCE need to address: research to find solutions to critical issues facing the
poultry industry (see below under 'research'); provision of credible, relevant, applicable science-based
information to the industry (small-to-industry scale) and regulators; provision of technical advice to
CDFA; continued development/updating of quality assurance programs; participation in industry
meetings; education and outreach to small and specialty producers; leadership in management and
biosecurity (including in novel/alternative poultry production systems). Small scale poultry operations
often are associated with youth involvement (4-H is one such example), providing opportunities for
youth education on all aspects of sustainable agriculture.
Research: Numerous challenges face the poultry industry despite its role in supplying high quality,
reasonably priced food for consumers. The research expertise of this CE Specialist will address poultry
management broadly and may include production (growth or reproduction), behavior, genetics, health,
housing density, disease transmission, or nutrition. These are topical areas pertinent to all poultry
industries. As one example, the U.S. egg industry is under intense pressure from animal protection
organizations to change housing conditions for laying hens. Most (95%) commercial hens in the U.S. are
housed in conventional cages, but pressure is mounting for producers to switch to alternative systems.
California, and California research, will be pivotal with respect to this issue nationwide. For example,
there are a number of important hen health and well-being (as well as potential food safety) problems
seen in organic and cage-free production systems (e.g., salmonella, coccidiosis and ectoparasites,
cannibalism). Environmental issues (land use, runoff, air emissions, and litter disposal being major issues
with such management changes) are also key concerns. These kinds of concerns need to be addressed
by evaluating and changing management strategies. With the passage of Prop. 2, the need for
scientifically informed advice in order to remain in California and adopt Prop. 2 compliant systems is at
an all-time high. Coupled with management aspects (including biosecurity and zoonotics) and concerns
for animal well-being, the coordinated educational and applied research program will encompass
poultry production, food safety, and environmental problems associated with poultry production. In
addition to large-scale poultry systems, California has numerous small, cage-free operations. Managing
cage-free flocks and integrating them into crop and tree production systems provides a possible means
of implementing sustainable agricultural practices (some integrated poultry/crop or tree production
research is ongoing internationally but not within the US—such research would put California at the
forefront of holistic agriculture in the US). The outcomes of such research would be expected to be
presented in ANR publications, scientific peer-reviewed journals targeting broad audiences, including
poultry practitioners, and youth publications.
ANR Continuum: The Poultry Management Specialist will serve as a key conduit to the state producers
and will interface with the team of the newly hired poultry immunologist and the senior animal welfare
researchers within the ANS department as well as the two poultry positions under recruitment in the
SVM. The Environmental Quality Specialists (Meyer, Mitloehner), Biotechnology Specialist (Van
Eenennaam), and the other I&R/AES poultry faculty in ANS (Delany, King, Klasing, Mench, and Millam)
along with colleagues under recruitment in the SVM complete a strong base of resources available to
the specialist. This Specialist will be able to translate basic and applied science to policy and protocols
useful for producers, both large and small, within the state. Perhaps most importantly, this Specialist will
directly address concerns of the California citizenry in terms of sustainable poultry production systems.
It is anticipated that this position will also be a key contact for the ANR master gardeners, who
frequently have to field questions from backyard poultry enthusiasts.
Support: The position will be housed in the ANS Department with office space, administrative support,
IT access, and base support consistent with that of all departmental Specialists in CE.
Other Support: The individual will have funding opportunities via the new UC Davis/Michigan State
University American Egg Board project developed specifically for the purposes of identifying and
furthering funding opportunities for poultry sustainability research from the USDA and other federal
agencies, and USDA initiatives on furthering the competitiveness of US agriculture. There are also
prospects for extensive collaboration and funding via CDFA along with the Pacific Egg and Poultry
Association and the California Poultry Federation.
Location: Locating in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis permits access to resources and
research interactions with faculty in animal science, the SVM and the knowledge base of the Agricultural
Sustainability Institute. The opportunities for synergistic research and to convey that information to the
poultry industries, general public, and California state legislators are without equal.