Poultry News August/September 2025
Putting Sustainable Poultry Production Into Perspective
Rick Kleyn, a researcher in South Africa, published a paper in World’s Poultry Science Journal, on the potential relationship between sustainability and poultry production. Here’s his note to Backyard Poultry readers:
“Small-scale poultry farmers can potentially be the most sustainable poultry producers of all. Most of the criteria for sustainability are met. The birds enjoy an environment where welfare is good, while their owners benefit from the nutrient-dense animal products produced. The environmental footprint of small farmers is low by comparison, and they’re able to use locally sourced feed and even alternative ingredients (such as fly larvae), which further reduces the CO2 demand. Lastly, small-scale poultry producers are, at worst, cost-neutral, but most even make a small profit.”
Quail Egg-Based Supplements in Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies
In the journal Nutrients, a recent paper on quail egg-based supplements and their use in allergic rhinitis was published. Lead researcher, Dr. Michele Antonelli, from Private Practice for Evidence-Based Integrative and Preventive Medicine, in Cavriago, Italy, spoke to Backyard Poultry.
“Our recent paper, ‘Quail Egg- Based Supplements in Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies,’ looked at specialized supplements made from homogenized quail eggs (and zinc), processed in a specific way to preserve their active components. These aren’t your average breakfast eggs; simply eating quail eggs from the homestead, especially if cooked, is unlikely to produce the same effects we observed in clinical trials with these supplements.”
That said, it’s fascinating to see how ingredients derived from small-scale poultry can have potential health applications.
“For your readers with a few birds, it isn’t necessarily a call to start downing more eggs, but it does highlight the hidden value and versatility of what they’re already raising. Just a reminder: When it comes to health, it’s essential that individuals seek proper medical advice before making changes based on supplements or dietary trends, especially those involving allergies or immune responses,” Dr. Antonelli says.
“Our literature review analyzed five clinical studies investigating quail egg-based supplements (QES), combined with zinc, as an integrative treatment for allergic rhinitis. Results showed that QES can improve nasal airflow, reduce common allergy symptoms like congestion and sneezing, and may even decrease the need for standard allergy medications. The supplement works by modulating immune responses and inflammation, and was generally well-tolerated with only mild, rare side effects; however, QES should be avoided in patients with egg allergies.”
In their introduction, the researchers write, “Seasonal respiratory allergies, most commonly manifesting as allergic rhinitis, affect millions of individuals worldwide, causing a range of symptoms that can significantly diminish these individuals’ quality of life.”
To read the full study, visit https://PubMed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/40005039
Clues and cues in a Japanese quail egg: What individual variable parameters can be used to identify the hen that laid it?
In a recent study published in Biosystems Engineering, researchers from the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Russia discuss the relationship between the hen and her eggs. Below is their correspondence to Backyard Poultry:
“The relationship between a laying hen and the egg she’s laid sometimes conceals a simply mystical correlation.
It seems that the mother bird can impart to the egg a “personal signature” of parameters that’ll provide the best conditions for the developing embryo. Apparently, with such ‘foresight,’ she compensates for the possible adjustment that mammals provide to the embryos developing inside their bodies during gestation, through nutrition, behavioral characteristics, and/or pregnancy conditions.
“Our research was conceived as a kind of detective investigation, the purpose of which would be to identify the presence of morphological features of the quail egg that would allow us to establish that it belongs to its mother. As a result, we concluded that such a parameter is the ratio of the surface area to the volume of the egg. This index is extremely important for development of the future chick, including the timing of its incubation, and can serve as an indirect indicator of the level of embryonic metabolism.
“That is, the quail, through some manipulations, manages to give the egg a shape that would ensure evenness of this criterion, regardless of its size.
“What can farmers take from this finding? If you have more than one bird in your backyard and have several eggs laid by them, some of which are supposed to be eaten and the rest put into the incubator, select the ones similar in size for incubation, thereby ensuring the evenness of their embryonic metabolism levels. Or, if the differences in egg sizes are extremely large, perform the mathematical calculations described in the article and, in accordance with them, select eggs of different sizes, but having similar values of this index. We can provide a small program for you to input some simple measurements like egg length or maximum breadth to get your answer and a brief description of what to do with the data you obtain.”
By Valeriy G. Narushin, Michael N. Romanov, and Darren K. Griffin
Kenny Coogan earned a master’s degree in Global Sustainability and co-hosts the Mother Earth News and Friends podcast, which can be enjoyed at MotherEarthNews.com/Podcast. He also hosts and created the television show Florida’s Flora and Fauna with Conservationist Kenny Coogan.
