Poultry

The Government has provided services to grow and support the poultry industry from 1895, almost a decade before the establishment of the Department of Agriculture.

The early focus was on the supply of breeding stock for egg production. This role was strengthened with the purchase of Parafield as the Poultry Research Centre in 1911. At its peak in the 1970s, the research centre was producing over 25,000 chicks per annum to support research programs and for sale to the commercial egg industry.

In later years the focus was on poultry nutrition and animal welfare with the research team gaining national recognition for the work.

The research at Parafield was continued when the centre was relocated to the Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1993 as the Pig and Poultry Production Institute, a collaborative arrangement between the University of Adelaide, SARDI and the poultry industry.

Further reading

• Parafield Poultry Station by Errol Polden, first poultry advisory officer to be appointed to a rural area
• History of poultry by Rod Woolford, author and poultry farmer