Iowa State University researchers will join with University of California-Davis scientists to investigate alternative egg production systems to help improve animal welfare and other practices. Project leaders say the study will assess alternative housing systems for laying hens in Iowa, the leading state in US egg production, and in California, where a state law known as Proposition 2 essentially bans cage egg production by 2015.
Co-investigators at Iowa State include Hongwei Xin, director of the Egg Industry Center at Iowa State and professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering and animal science; Byron Brehm-Stecher of the food science and human nutrition department; Maro Ibarburu of the Egg Industry Center; Lie Tang of ag and biosystems engineering; and Suzanne Millman and Darrell Trampel of the veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine department.
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