Understanding and improving the feeding value of rye for broiler chickens (PhD Funded project)

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Agriculture & Environment
Location:  Newport, Shropshire TF10 8NB
Salary:  As per advert
Post Type:  Full Time
Contract Type: Fixed Term - 36 Months
Closing Date:  23.59 hours GMT on Wednesday 31 January 2024
Reference:  RD-PHD-23-VP-R6-MH

Understanding and improving the feeding value of rye for broiler chickens (PhD project)

Primary supervisor: Professor Vasil Pirgozliev, Department of Agriculture and Environment

Non-academic partner: John Oldacre Foundation

Potential Start Date: April 2024

Project Title: Understanding and improving the feeding value of rye for broiler chickens

Project description:

The cost of feed accounts for about 70 % of total poultry production expenses. There is an annual rise in the price of dietary ingredients and in addition animal production is predicted to double until 2050, thus further increasing the competition for raw feed materials. The poultry industry is constantly reconsidering how best to allocate its resources for economically viable and sustainable poultry production. Thus, it is necessary to find adequate substitutes for traditional feed sources, e.g. wheat and maize, to satisfy the nutritional needs of poultry. Rye (Secale cereale L.), one of the most relevant cereal crops in Central Europe, is also grown in the UK. Compared to wheat, hybrid rye is more resistant to diseases, requires lower nitrogen input and delivers nitrogen and agrochemical savings without compromising yields. Due to the relatively high non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) content, rye was traditionally used in a very small amounts, about 20%, in broiler diets compared to wheat, which can be the only cereal in diets. However, modern hybrid rye varieties have been developed with a lower content of NSPs. In addition, dietary NSP degrading enzyme supplementation reduces the negative effects of NSPs on poultry performance. Locally sourced ingredients are becoming more prevalent, challenging some of the traditional enzyme strategies in regards to substrate presence and ultimately, optimal efficacy. Partial substitution of wheat with rye in broiler diets may be a more sustainable approach in dietary formulations, bringing environmental and economic benefits, thus research on the incorporation of rye in broiler diets is required. The aim of this PhD is to evaluate the feeding value of rye cultivar samples for broiler chickens. Diets containing rye will be fed to broiler chickens to assess the impact on health, welfare and growth performance. The project will involve a series of in vivo poultry experiments and supporting downstream analysis, including laboratory based and statistical data analysis.

The National Institute of Poultry Husbandry at Harper Adams University is a purpose-built research facility designed to conduct high impact research investigating solutions towards improving poultry production, nutrition, health and welfare; whilst safeguarding animal, human and environmental health. 

The candidate is expected to have a good knowledge of animal science, nutrition, physiology and biochemistry. It is desirable that the candidate has good practical abilities with handling and managing poultry, however, technical support and training will be provided. 

The studentship covers the current Home Student (UK, Ireland, Isle of Man & Channel Isles) tuition fees plus a yearly stipend (currently £18,622 per year) with an expected small increase each academic year. International applicants would need to be able to fund the difference between Home and Overseas fees (currently £10,890 for the 2023/24 academic year) and will be required to provide evidence of available funds upon application. In addition, the first year’s fee will need to be paid in full before Visa documentation can be issued.

The expected start date for the studentship is April 2024. The student will be registered for a PhD at Harper Adams University and based at Harper Adams University, Edgmond, Shropshire, UK.  

Harper Adams University is one of the premier UK Higher Education institutions focused on the land-based and food supply chain sector. With around 2,800 undergraduate students, plus those completing postgraduate, research and CPD programmes, Harper Adams University is the UK's largest single provider of higher education for these subjects.  Programmes fall into eleven broad subject areas – but none operate in isolation. Community and collaboration are key at Harper Adams, meaning everyone, including staff, students and industry partners, benefits from a close network of knowledge and opportunity exchange. Situated in Shropshire, the campus and the surrounding area provide an excellent working and living environment for staff and students alike.

Harper Adams is consistently positioned highly in a range of national ratings, performance measures and league tables. The University has been the highest performing modern university in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide for the last four years, climbing to 17th place in the overall league table. In the 2020 guide Harper Adams was named Modern University of the Year and runner-up University of the Year. In the 2019 Whatuni? Student Choice Awards, based on student reviews, Harper Adams won the Student Support category for the fifth time – the only university to have taken the title since the awards began - and won the category for best job prospects for a fourth year running. In the 2020 QS World Rankings for Agriculture and Forestry published in March 2020, Harper Adams was ranked first in the UK for academic reputation and second in the world for its reputation with employers.

Harper Adams University is internationally recognised for the quality of its research, as evidenced by the Research Excellence Framework 2022. In order to maintain and uphold the high standards of our research, we continue to undertake initiatives to ensure that integrity, ethics and excellence are at the core of our research activities and fully embedded in our research culture.