Animal Research
Research > OMAFRA Research Programs > OMAFRA Research Stations and Campus Animal Facilities > Animal Research
The University of Guelph has many facilities available for housing animals.
Campus Animal Facilities
- Anatomy Laboratory (OVC)
- Animal & Poultry Science (OAC)
- Animal Research Wing,
- Fish Research Facilities,
- Barn 37 (also OVC)
- Central Animal Facility
- Laboratory for Translational Biomedical Discovery (OVC)
- Equine Sciences (OVC)
- Human Health and Nutritional Sciences (CBS)
- Hagen Aqualab (CBS)
- Isolation Unit
- Microcosm Facility
- Science Complex (Integrative Biology)
OMAFRA Research Stations
-
Campus D’Alfred / Alfred Campus
- Organic Dairy
- Alma Research Station
- Aquaculture
- Arkell Research Station
- Equine, Poultry, Swine
- Elora Research Station
- Beef, Dairy
- Kemptville Campus
- Dairy, Cattle
- New Liskeard Agriculture Research Station
- Beef
- Ridgetown Campus
- Swine
- Ponsonby Livestock Research Station
- Sheep, Dairy
- Ponsonby General Animal Facility
Anatomy Laboratory (OVC)
The Anatomy Laboratory at OVC is a teaching unit, with the function of preparing and presenting cadavers for use in the Biomedical Sciences and DVM programs.
Contacts:
Grant Campbell 519-824-4120 x 54240
Roman Poterski 519-824-4120 x 54240
Jeff Thomason 519-824-4120 x 54934
Jim Petrik 519-824-4120 x 54921
Animal & Poultry Science
Animal Research Wing
The Department of Animal and Poultry Science uses approximately 3,000 sq. ft. of floor space on 2 floors of the animal research wing, with environmentally controlled rooms to house poultry, pigs, fish, rodents and small ruminants (sheep, goats and calves).
Contact:
Heather Bailey 519-824-4120 X 58367
Fish Research facilities
This facility consists of five rooms in ANNU which hold numerous fish tanks and associated equipment for fish nutrition studies.
Contact:
Dr. Dominique Bureau 519-824-4120 X53668
Mashiur Rahman 519-824-4120 X52212
Barn 37
Located on campus, Barn 37 has approximately 27,000 sq. ft. of floor space: 13,000 sq. ft. of animal holding space, with a variety of pen styles and size; 3 pens in a pole barn; a large amount of demonstration space; and 5,000 sq. ft. of feed and bedding storage. Animals housed in the barn include dairy and beef cattle, pigs, sheep, ponies and broiler chickens.
Contact:
OAC (B and C wings)
Heather Bailey 519-824-4120 X 58367
OVC (A wing)
Mr. Neil Blair 519-824-4120 X56625
Ms. Judy Metherel 519-824-4120 X54768
Mr. Rob Leighton 519-824-4120 X56241
Laboratory for Translational Biomedical Discovery (LTBD) (OVC)
Completed in 2007 the focus of this facility is to provide research space and short term accommodation for larger animal models. The building houses surgical facilities, including arthroscopic, laparoscopic and thoroscopic equipment, suitable for all animal species. Radiographic, fluoroscopic and ultrasound diagnostic imaging facilities are also available in the facility.
Rooms are booked for periods of time appropriate to each project. A variety of lockable storage units are available for short term storage of equipment and supplies. Anesthetic equipment, including sophisticated monitoring devices for all species of animals is available, along with species appropriate preparation areas. An intensive care area can be used for studies where intensive monitoring is required. Basic post mortem facilities are available, primarily for specimen collection.
Contact:
Surgeries: Elaine Smith 519-824-4120 x 54060
Housing: Mary Fowler 519-824-4120 x 54304
Equine Sciences (OVC)
Contact: Neil Blair 519-824-4120 x 56625
Human Health and Nutritional Sciences (CBS)
The Human Health and Nutritional Sciences (HHNS) animal holding facility provides housing for rodents used in research projects run by several faculty members from HHNS.
Contact:
Diana Philbrick: 519-824-4120 x 53908
Hagen Aqualab (CBS)
The Hagen Aqualab is a limited access aquatic research facility. Aquatic systems are primarily recirculation with computer control. System sizes range from single computer controlled and monitored tanks to room size multiple tank multiple temperature systems.
Contact:
Facility Manager: Bob Frank, 519-824-4120 x 52714
Director: Jim Ballantyne: X52708
Isolation Unit
The Isolation Facility is a limited access building designed for BSL 2 research with infectious agents on a full spectrum of animals up to a maximum of 250kg.
Mary Fowler: 519-824-4120 x 54304
Tony Cenija: 519-824-4120 x 54428
Microcosm Facility
The microcosm research facility consists of 30 freshwater outdoor microcosms for studies on the effects of substances on aquatic communities.
Contact: Dr. Keith Solomon 519-824-4120 x 58792
Science Complex
The Science Complex animal holding facility consists of several small multi-purpose animal holding rooms adjacent to undergraduate teaching laboratories, supporting the teaching requirements of the College of Biological Science.
Contact:
Peter S. Smith 519-824-4120 X53676
OMAFRA Research Stations
Campus D’Alfred / Alfred Campus
Organic DairyThis modern, naturally ventilated dairy barn has a total capacity of 85 milking cows. The herd consists of approximately 32 dairy cows, 4 dry cows and 26 heifers. Haylage and dry hay is also produced on this site. The facility serves a platform for dairy husbandry courses and provides subjects for research and demonstration projects.
Contact:
Manager: Simon Lachance 613-679-2218 x604
Or Nikki Dignard 613-258-8336 x 337
Alma Research Station
AquacultureThe Alma Aquaculture Research Station (AARS) is an upscale, pre-production research and development facility which undertakes studies relevant to fish producers. It was established in 1987 by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the University of Guelph, to assist the commercial fish farming industry in Ontario. The station offers quarantine facilities for the controlled importation of exotic species or strains of fish, and provides facilities for pilot testing and scale-up research as well as a venue for education, training, industry demonstrations and technical transfer to the private sector.
The station consists of 10 buildings and facilities and 365 fish-rearing units that allow for production and research of a full range of fish, from eggs to broodstock. Since 1993, more than 137 research studies involving rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon, Arctic charr and Nile tilapia have been conducted at Alma. Primary areas of research conducted at the station are breeding and genetics, culture methodology, fish health, welfare and behaviour, nutrition, growth and reproductive physiology and waste management.
Contact:
Aquaculture Coordinator: Richard Moccia 519- 826-3800
Manager: Michael Burke 519- 669-5411
Arkell Research Station
Equine
The Arkell Equine Research Station is a fully functional holding and breeding facility for OMAFRA/U of G research projects. The facility has 2 large horse barns containing 3-stalks, 10-box stalls, 1-breeding shed, 2-isolation stalls, 100 acres of pasture and housing for 40-60 horses (standardbreds and thoroughbreds) and 30 ponies and foals.
Contact:
Equine Coordinator: Dr. Jeff Thomason 519- 824-4120 x 54934
Manager: Brad Rogers 519-830-2933
Poultry
The Arkell Poultry Research Station is a fully functional poultry operation providing data and support for OMAFRA/U of G research projects. The facility consists of a Hatchery (2-14,000 chicken egg incubators, 1-10,000 turkey egg incubator and 2-5000 egg hatchers) Brooder Barn (2400 broilers and roasters plus 6000 pullets), Adult Barn, Special Studies Barn and Turkey Barn (total capacity of up to 8,000 layers and broiler breeders and turkeys) and a Processing Plant for chickens and turkeys.
Contact:
Poultry Coordinator: Dr. Eva Nagy 519-824-4120 x 54783
Manager: Brad Rogers 519- 830-2933
Swine
The Arkell Swine Research Station is a fully functioning hog operation with a closed Yorkshire breeding herd of approximately 300 sows, 85 farrowing crates, 350 weaners, 350 growers and 350 finishers. This research facility provides data collection and support for OMAFRA/U of G research projects.
Contact:
Swine Coordinator: Dr. Kees deLange 519- 824-4120 x 56477
Manager: Brad Rogers 519-830-2933
The Arkell Research Feed Mill has feed storage for approximately 1000 tonnes of product and manufactures all of our research feeds for projects with swine, poultry and other OMAFRA/U of G livestock as requested. Our mill is complete with feed ingredients, grinders, mixers, extruder, bagger, scales, augers, legs and a feed warehouse.
Contact:
Manager: Brad Rogers 519- 830-2933
Elora Research Station
BeefThe animal handling facilities include cattle scales, hydraulic cattle squeezes and a hoof trimming tilt table. Calan Broadbent feeding head gates are used to control feed access for 180 animals in the cow-calf area. 130 acres of experimental pasture provides housing during the summer months. Housing for feedlot animals include a conventional bedded pole barn (built in 2004) with capacity to control feed access for over 200 animals using Insentec Computerized Feed Troughs, a conventional bedded pole barn with capacity to control feed access for 48 animals using Calan headgates and a slatted floor, fully enclosed barn.
Contact:
Beef Coordinator: Richard Moccia 519- 826-3800
Manager: Bev Livingston 519- 822-0110
Dairy
The Elora Dairy Research Centre has a unique combination of tie and free stalls with access to a common parlour, physiology, maternity and biotechnology wings. A separate barn at the station serves as the heifer rearing facility for replacement animals, housing 154 heifers in 26 pens. There are 124 stalls in the tie-stall barn and 48 stalls in the free-stall barn. The maternity barn consists of 12 box stalls, adjacent to which, are 3 calf nurseries each housing 10 animals in individual pens. There also exists in total, 64 tie-stalls between the biotechnology and physiology wings. The parlour is a 16 unit, double eight herringbone design equipped with automatic cow identification, takeoffs, and production recording. Currently the station milks twice daily and has approximately 150 mature cows and 160 replacement heifers. The physiology wing is serviced by a pipeline and the maternity area by a bucket milking system, allowing for collection of colostrum and milk. The EDRC is operated in tandem with the Ponsonby Dairy Research Centre.
Contact:
Dairy Coordinator: Dr. Ken Leslie 519- 824-4120 x 54035
Manager: Bev Livingston 519- 822-0110
Kemptville Campus Dairy
The Kemptville Dairy Unit includes a 32-cow tie-stall dairy barn, an 80-head conventional pole barn, a 20-head calf barn, two 50-head heifer-dry cow barns, beef and ram test stations and approximately 30 hutches . Also, a slatted floor beef feedlot has been converted into a free-stall barn with the capacity to hold 55 cows or 100 beef heifers or steers. The dairy unit has the capability to conduct research in a broad range of areas. Studies over the past few years have focused on applied management studies relating to housing, nutrition and reproduction of a high producing dairy herd.
Contact:
Nick Bray 613-258-8336 x463 or
Pat Remillard 613-258-8336 x418
Ridgetown Campus
SwineThe swine herd consists of 70 sows farrow-to-finish. Twenty sows farrow every two months, producing a total of 1,400 young pigs per year. The Centre conducts studies at a practical level in a broad range of feeding, housing management and marketing areas, with a direct application to the farm. An all-in, all-out management program is followed throughout the farrowing, nursery and growing facilities. Up to seven growing-finishing trials are completed each year.
Contact:
Swine Coordinator: Dr. Kees deLange 519-824-4120 x 56477
Executive Officer: John Brooks 519- 675-1510
Ponsonby Livestock Research Station
SheepThe Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) status of the flock at this research station makes it a very unique resource. The flock is free of most population diseases resulting in one of the highest level of disease free sheep flocks in North America. This facility, with capacity to house approximately 300 sheep, is closed to any animals coming in and once an animal leaves it cannot return. Station facilities include a fully enclosed modern barn, field shelters in well enclosed and secure paddocks, a nearly self sufficient surgery, an isolation facility, a dormitory and a laboratory for sample processing.
Contact:
Manager: Bev Livingston 519- 822-0110
Sheep Coordinator: Dr. Paula Menzies 519- 824-4120 x 54043
Dairy
The Ponsonby Dairy Research Centre is located approximately 8 kms south of Elora and has a capacity of 102 registered Holstein dairy cattle. This includes 54 mature cows housed in tie-stalls and 36 heifers which occupy a seven pen heifer barn. The nursery holds up to 12 calves in individual pens. The tie-stalls are serviced by a pipeline milker equipped with computerized milk meters and automatic takeoffs. The maternity area consists of four box-stalls with pasture mats. The PDRC is operated in tandem with the Elora Dairy Research Centre.
Contact:
Dairy Coordinator: Dr. Ken Leslie 519- 824-4120 x 54035
Manager: Bev Livingston 519- 822-0110
Ponsonby General Animal Facility
The Ponsonby General Animal Facility is a relatively new state-of-the-art research animal housing facility, developed and constructed in the 1990’s and is located at the Ponsonby Research Station, approximately a 15 minute drive from the main campus. This facility is designed to house a variety of production species including swine, calves, young stock, beef cow-calf and feedlot cattle and non-lactating dairy cattle, as well as sheep and goats. Its purpose is to allow researchers to bring in animals either from other research stations or from other outside sources, for temporary housing for specific research projects. The staff is trained to care for a variety of species.
Contact:
Manager: Bev Livingston 519- 822-0110
New Liskeard Agriculture Research Station
BeefThe NLARS beef unit consists of 150 brood cows and their calves housed in newly-constructed facilities. This unit, located on approximately 400 acres in Dymond Township, is predominately used for pastures. The Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) has shown its commitment to beef research by assuming ownership of the herd through the purchase of successive calf crops.
The NLARS herd is grouped into 2 calving seasons. Calves in the winter group are born in confinement in February/March and are weaned in September. Calves in the summer group are born on pasture in June/July and are weaned in January.
Current breeding studies are focused on improving estrus synchronization methods in order to unlock the potential for widespread artificial insemination (AI) in beef production.
The beef program is a partner in a major project which is evaluating various factors which affect meat quality and genomics of beef cattle.
Contact:
Beef Coordinator: Richard Moccia 519-826-3800
John Rowsell 705-647-8525 x221