Why Use Modelling in Poultry Research?
UK – Rob Gous, Emeritus Professor at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa gave the 32nd Gordon Memorial Lecture at the annual meeting of the UK Branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA) in the city of Chester yesterday, 14 April. Jackie Linden reports.In his presentation, Dr Gous [pictured above] explained the appeal of using a modelling approach in directing poultry research.
He explained: “Using a model is so much more enriching than a pure literature search for developing research.
“And you’ll never run out of ideas.”
Dr Gous illustrated these ideas by presenting an overview of his work since the 1970s, starting with the Reading Model for estimating the amino acid requirements of poultry, through pioneering work on the importance of light on chicken maturity to tackling issues of today such as feed intake in broiler breeders.
He was invited to make his presentation by the Gordon Memorial Trust and awarded the medal, which commemorates the achievements of Dr Robert Fraser Gordon who, during his career dedicated to poultry research, set up the Animal Health Trust, a research station devoted to poultry diseases in the UK in the 1940s.