Career in Poultry Genetics

[silkiechicken]

I considered poultry science but then realized that for me at least, it would likely entail commercial flocks meaning no personal flock due to biosecurity. Furthermore, because it is such a small field, the opportunities for gainful employment were slim, despite a demand. In other words, from what I saw from looking, there were some jobs, they were select, you had to be good, but the good often did not want to stay, because the hours and job were just not worth the compensation. Commercial poultry is much "rougher" than a backyard hobbiest... So therefore I decided to do my phd in Molecular and Cellular biology, as it would have a greater scope of opportunities in the future. That said, you can't do science for the money anyways, so you do it for the science. And none of it is 9-5... so I best be getting back to the paper being written....

 

[amazondoc]

There are a couple of BYC members that you should talk to -- Tim Adkerson (I forget his user name, but it's something like tadkerson) and David Hancox (blackdotte). They are both poultry geneticists -- David has already written a book on chicken genetics, and Tim is in the process of writing one. David is in Australia, so his knowledge of the American market may be limited, but they should both be able to give you good info.