In this episode of Unplucked, host Andy Vance sits down with Dr. Randy Mitchell, VP of Nutrition at Perdue Farms and a newly named Fellow of the Poultry Science Association, to examine how one of America’s most recognized poultry brands turns values into daily practice. Dr. Mitchell traces his path from a North Georgia farm to corporate leadership and explains how Perdue’s family-owned culture shapes decisions that reach from feed mills to grower barns. The conversation looks closely at two defining shifts for the company, the move to all-vegetarian feed and the transition to no antibiotics ever, and unpacks the research, cross-functional coordination, and grower engagement needed to make those commitments work at scale.
Listeners get a practical view of formulation under new constraints, including how broader access to plant proteins, synthetic amino acids, and feed-grade vegetable oils helped close performance and cost gaps. Dr. Mitchell discusses why the hardest work was not removing in-feed antibiotics but redesigning hatchery and farm programs to protect chick quality, litter condition, and overall flock health. He shares how Perdue evaluates tradeoffs, from bird welfare to customer expectations, and how the company weighs the real "cost of being Perdue" while staying competitive on throughput and efficiency.
CREDITS
Host - Andy Vance
Producer - Lyndsey Johnson
Audio Editor & Engineer - Michael Lunt
LEGAL
The information provided in this episode of Unplucked is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. While we discuss scientific research, public health, and industry practices, this podcast does not substitute for advice from qualified industry and scientific professionals. The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of The Poultry Science Association, their respective affiliates, or employees.
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22:19
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22:19
How are AI & Robotics different?
Artificial intelligence and robotics are not the same tool, and understanding the difference changes how you plan, budget, and deploy technology in poultry science. In this episode, host Andy Vance talks with Georgia Tech’s Walker Bynes about where fixed automation ends and flexible robotics begins, and how AI fits in as the decision layer rather than the machine itself. Walker explains why most plants still rely on purpose-built machines for single tasks, and how the next wave aims for adaptable systems that can be reprogrammed to handle new jobs as conditions change in the house, the lab, or the plant.
The conversation breaks down embodied AI in plain language. Listeners hear how vision and language models help robots perceive space, generate action plans, and learn from complex sensor data, and why the quality of inputs, clear guardrails, and human oversight are essential for safety and reliability. In the lab, AI and automation act as a force multiplier by removing repetitive work and surfacing better experiment plans, while researchers stay in control of the science. Looking ahead, Walker sketches a practical roadmap that includes domain-specific models trained on poultry data, flexible robots that can be upskilled with software, and interdisciplinary teams that pair engineers with poultry experts to turn promising ideas into daily routines that save time and improve outcomes.
CREDITS
Host - Andy Vance
Producer - Lyndsey Johnson
Audio Editor & Engineer - Michael Lunt
LEGAL
The information provided in this episode of Unplucked is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. While we discuss scientific research, public health, and industry practices, this podcast does not substitute for advice from qualified industry and scientific professionals. The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of The Poultry Science Association, their respective affiliates, or employees.
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32:32
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32:32
Broiler House Management
Moisture control sits at the center of good broiler management. In this episode of Unplucked, host Andy Vance talks with Dr. Brian Fairchild of the University of Georgia about the house as a living system and how small environmental choices cascade into flock health, welfare, and costs. Dr. Fairchild explains why design and day-to-day execution both matter, how ventilation strategies should change with the season, and why chasing ammonia with more fan time often backfires by driving energy use without fixing the root problem. He walks through practical ways to keep a steady moisture balance, from programming controllers against real outdoor and indoor conditions to avoiding early morning evaporative cooling that only saturates the air.
The conversation expands into the decisions producers face on lighting, energy, and water. Dr. Fairchild outlines how LED technology lowered power bills and why aging bulbs with uneven spectra can undermine dimming programs if replacements are not chosen carefully. He shares a simple framework for water management that starts with peak flow capacity, then looks at quality through the lens of equipment reliability, because leaky or worn drinkers can create wet floors long before bird performance suffers. Listeners also get an inside look at innovations with staying power, including variable-speed fans that move the right amount of air at lower cost and newer plastic evaporative pads that tolerate poor water quality and can be cleaned effectively. Throughout, Dr. Fairchild ties research to the barn, showing how field trials, extension newsletters, and producer feedback turn ideas into routines that protect margins and keep birds comfortable.
CREDITS
Host - Andy Vance
Producer - Lyndsey Johnson
Audio Editor & Engineer - Michael Lunt
LEGAL
The information provided in this episode of Unplucked is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. While we discuss scientific research, public health, and industry practices, this podcast does not substitute for advice from qualified industry and scientific professionals. The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of The Poultry Science Association, their respective affiliates, or employees.
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34:07
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34:07
Hatchability
Hatchability has quietly slipped in the United States over the last decade, and the cost shows up everywhere from breeder houses to the balance sheet. In this episode of Unplucked, host Andy Vance talks with industry veteran Doug Ward about why there is no single fix and why the biggest wins often come from getting the basics right. The discussion explores how older hatchery infrastructure, changing genetics, and uneven incubation can cloud what looks like a fertility problem. It also explains why male management matters just as much as hen nutrition, how litter quality and ventilation drive foot health and mating behavior, and where shell quality and egg handling intersect with new, high-throughput collection systems to make or break a hatch.
Listeners will come away with a practical checklist for improving results. Focus on feed quality on breeders rather than shaving pennies, keep a rigorous biosecurity program, ventilate for dry litter, invest in hatchery QA and breakouts so teams can manage what they measure, and maintain equipment so it performs to design. The episode also looks ahead at tools that could shift the curve, from precision sorting and pullet uniformity to AI-assisted chick sexing and targeted microbial strategies that support both performance and food safety.
CREDITS
Host - Andy Vance
Producer - Lyndsey Johnson
Audio Editor & Engineer - Michael Lunt
LEGAL
The information provided in this episode of Unplucked is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. While we discuss scientific research, public health, and industry practices, this podcast does not substitute for advice from qualified industry and scientific professionals. The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of The Poultry Science Association, their respective affiliates, or employees.
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21:12
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21:12
The Coccidiosis Conundrum: Progress or Plateau?
In this episode of Unplucked, host Andy Vance talks with Dr. Kayla Price of Alltech Canada about what it really takes to make progress against coccidiosis, one of poultry’s most persistent and costly challenges. The conversation cuts through the assumption that a tidy parasite life cycle leads to tidy control. In the barn, multiple pressures collide, from bird behavior to management realities, and the simple model gives way to a complex gut ecosystem that demands better prevention, smarter diagnostics, and tighter collaboration between researchers and producers.
Dr. Price explains how a deeper understanding of the microbiome can reshape control strategies, why host and species specificity matter when moving from lab results to farm decisions, and where genomics, metagenomics, and artificial intelligence can turn fecal samples into practical, point-of-care insights. She offers a clear case for rethinking diagnostics so that earlier detection does not always require opening birds, and for designing tools that fit the pace and constraints of commercial houses.
The episode also explores how to speed innovation without losing rigor. Dr. Price shares lessons on closing communication gaps between academia and industry, aligning projects with funder goals without compromising scientific questions, and writing for journals in ways that help readers understand the why and the how. Her advice is simple and powerful: Invite field perspectives earlier, value negative results as much as positive ones, and build a pipeline that carries ideas from bench to broiler house through honest feedback and continuous iteration.
CREDITS
Host - Andy Vance
Producer - Lyndsey Johnson
Audio Editor & Engineer - Michael Lunt
LEGAL
The information provided in this episode of Unplucked is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. While we discuss scientific research, public health, and industry practices, this podcast does not substitute for advice from qualified industry and scientific professionals. The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of The Poultry Science Association, their respective affiliates, or employees.
Unplucked - Stripped-down, honest discussions about poultry science.
No fluff. No filter. Just real, transparent, and topical conversations about the science, challenges, and breakthroughs shaping the poultry industry. Unplucked goes beyond the headlines and industry jargon to deliver candid discussions with the experts, researchers, and professionals who know poultry best.
Whether it’s debunking myths, tackling tough questions, or exploring the latest innovations, Unplucked brings you the raw, unvarnished truth about poultry science—because the best insights come when we strip things down to what really matters.
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