Peter Ferket

Educational Background:

• B.S. (1981) University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
• M.S. (1983) University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
• Ph.D. (1987) Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Teaching Interests:

• PO 425 Feed Mill Management and Feed Formulation

Extension Interests:

My extension program deals with issues related to nutrition and feeding practices of commercial poultry, with an emphasis on meat-type turkeys and broilers. Educational nutrition programs include the Carolina Poultry Nutrition Conference, Turkey Nutritionist Workshop and Soybeam Meal Symposium held annually in November, and short courses, workshops, and seminars held periodically throughout the state and abroad. Topics include feed formulation technology, quality and nutritional value of ingredients, efficacy of feed additives (coccidiostats, antibiotics, probiotics, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, etc.), and nutritional factors that affect enteric development, health and meat quality. A considerable effort is focused on the conversion of animal and plant by-products (waste) into added-value feed ingredients using technologies such as enzyme hydrolysis, lactic acid fermentation, extrusion, and dehydration. Nutritional and economic value of these new feed ingredients are evaluated.

Research Interests:

My research interests complement my extension activities: applied nutrition research of commercial meat-type poultry and utilization of agricultural co-products as feed ingredients for poultry. Most of my research is done with turkeys and some with broilers in the following areas: 1) nutritional factors that affect immune function, skeletal development, enteric development, growth characteristics, and meat quality; 2) Use of supplemental enzymes to improve feed digestibility and gut health; 3) Study of organic trace minerals, 4) Evaluation of alternatives to anti-coccidials and antibiotics in turkey feeding programs; and 5) Nutritional factors that affect digestive disorders, such as diarrhea and early poult enteritis.

The environmental component of my research relates to the utilization of poultry waste by-products. An automated method of preserving and storing poultry and swine mortalities and other animal by products by phosphorous acid has been developed. These silages are further processed by flash dehydration and extrusion to produce high value feed ingredients for poultry, animal, pet, or aquaculture foods. The nutritional value and feasibility of ingredients produced from other by-product wastes are also evaluated using feeding trials. Much of this research is in support of the Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center.

Teaching Interests:

My teaching focus is to prepare skilled people to work in the feed manufacturing industry or nutritional feed technology. I teach courses in introductory animal nutrition and feed ingredients, feed mill management and feed formulation. My teaching program focuses on the feeds and feeding of poultry, swine, fish, and companion animals. Graduate students in nutrition are taught advanced techniques in feed quality assurance and feed formulation.

Representative Publications:

• Ferket, P.R., C.W. Parks, and J.L. Grimes, 2001. Mannan oligosaccharides as an alternative to antibiotics in turkey nutrition. In Alternatives to Antibiotics in Animal Nutrition. 10th International Symposium on animal Nutrition. Ed. Laszlo Babinszky, Kaposvar, Hungary, October 9, pp 79-123.
• Middleton, T.F., P.R. Ferket, and L.C. Boyd, 2001. The effect of ethoxyquin on the quality of ground poultry carcasses preserved by lactic acid fermentation and phosphoric acid stabilization. Poultry Science 80:1154-1163.
• Middleton, T.F., and P.R. Ferket, 2001. Effect of level of acidification by phosphoric acid, storage temperature, and length of storage on the chemical and biological stability of ground poultry mortality carcasses. Poultry Science 80:1144-1153.
• Odetallah, N.H., P.R. Ferket, J.D. Garlich, and L. Elhadri, 2001. Growth and digestive function of poults surviving the poult enteritis and mortality syndrome. Poultry Science 80:1223-1230.
• Parks, C.W., J.L. Grimes, P.R. Ferket, and A.S. Fairchild, 2001. The effect of mannanoligosaccharides, bambermycins, and virginiamycin on performance of large white male turkeys. Poultry Sci. 80:718-723.
• Middleton, T.F., P.R. Ferket, L.C. Boyd, H.V. Daniels, and M.L. Gallagher, 2001. An evaluation of co-extruded poultry silage and culled jewel sweet potatoes as a feed ingredient for hybrid Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus X O. mossambicus). Aquaculture 198:269-280.
• Ferket, P. R., 2000. Practical nutritional perspective on gut health and development. Proceedings 27th Annual Carolina Poultry Nutrition Conference and Soybean Meal Symposium, November 15-16, Research Triangle Park, NC. Pp. 74-86.
• Kidd, M.T., M.A. Qureshi, P.R. Ferket, and L.N. Thomas, 2000. Turkey hen zinc source affects progeny immunity and disease resistance. J. Applied Poultry Research 9:414-423.
• Veldkamp, T., R. P. Kwakkel, P. R. Ferket, P. C. M. Simons, J. P. T. M. Noordhuizen, and A. Pijpers, 2000. Effect of ambient temperature, arginine to lysine ratio, and electrolyte balance on performance, carcass and blood parameters in commercial male turkeys. Poultry Science 79(11):1608-1616.
• Middleton, T. F., P. R. Ferket, H. V. Daniels, L. C. Boyd, L. F. Stikeleather, and R. J. Hines, 2000. The use of poultry mortalities as an alternative bait for the harvesting of blue crabs Callinectes Sapidus (Rathburn, 1885). Journal of Shellfish Research 19(2):723-729.
• Veldkamp, T., P. R. Ferket, R. P. Kwakkel, C. Nixey, and J. P. T. M. Noordhuizen, 2000. Interaction between ambient temperature and supplementation of synthetic amino acids on performance and carcass parameters in commercial male turkeys. Poultry Science 79:1472-1477.
• Ferket, P. R., 2000. The nutrition of commercial turkeys. Proceedings Multi-State Poultry Feeding and Nutrition Conference and BASF Corporation Technical Symposium, pp 5-24, May 23-25, Indianapolis, IN.