Our Facilities

Welcome to Mooanalytica, a research group, an integral part of Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Computer Science. Our research group have access to cutting-edge research facilities that boasts state-of-the-art resources dedicated to animal care, experimentation, and advanced computational capabilities.

Our Research Focus
At Mooanalytica, we are committed to conducting pioneering research across various domains, including animal behavior, nutrition, and the intricate dynamics between humans and animals. We utilize modern methodologies such as sensor technology, real-time monitoring, extensive data analysis, and self-learning algorithms to explore the intricate link between animal well-being and health.

Cutting-Edge Equipment
Our research facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art high-grade instruments, including high-speed cameras (3D, 4D, thermal cameras), neural signal functional near-infrared imaging for studying stress and sleep patterns in dairy cows, sheep, and emotional states, as well as digital bioacoustic vocalization analysis for sound data acquisition.

Ruminant Animal Centre (RAC)
Our Ruminant Animal Centre serves as both a teaching and research hub for ruminant animal production, which encompasses animals with four-compartment stomachs designed for breaking down fibrous materials like grass. Within the RAC, you will find a dedicated classroom, a cutting-edge research laboratory, and a computerized diet center tailored for our animals’ specific dietary needs.

Poultry Facilities  – Our research facilities encompass a diverse range of areas, including meat production for broiler chickens and turkeys. We have dedicated spaces for broiler meat production, with four rooms capable of holding 624 broilers each. Additionally, our turkey meat production facilities consist of four rooms, accommodating 288 turkeys each. We also focus on metabolism and digestibility research, offering 10 portable cage units per room, totaling 16 units, with a capacity of 480 birds per room. Furthermore, our controlled environment rooms provide an optimal setting for both laying hens and broiler research, with two rooms housing 288 birds each. In the realm of egg production, we have conventional and colony cage production facilities, as well as a multi-use room with a capacity of 400 laying hens. Lastly, our hatchery boasts two incubation rooms with a combined capacity of 8,640 eggs and four single-stage incubators per room.  https://aprinstitute.ca/

The Sheep Barn – Our state-of-the-art Sheep Barn includes a heated lambing area, an enclosed handling system, and hay storage. Within the Faculty of Agriculture, we maintain a flock of 100 purebred ewes, featuring Rideau Arcotts, Texels, and Karakuls, forming the basis of our research endeavors.

Advanced Computing Facilities – Mooanalytica’s computational resources are top-notch, encompassing an array of servers, cloud processing capabilities, big data storage and processing, high-speed CPUs, and memory-bound processes on large memory machines. These resources empower us to conduct cutting-edge research and data analysis.