Biochemistry Course

This course focuses on Biochemistry for poultry professionals.

General course information

  • Residential dates : 2-4 March 2026

  • Université de Montréal - Faculté de médecine vétérinaire at Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada

    • Course Fee: TBD EUR

    • The price covers dinners and two coffee breaks per day during the residential phase. Please note that the fee does not include accommodation, transportation, health insurance, or travel visa costs.

 

Detailed Program

3 days of in-person training.

    • 8 :00 – 9 :00

      Review of essentials about bird physiology and homeostasis

    • 9 :00 – 10 :00

      Sample handling and processing;

      Analytical techniques;

      Reference laboratory vs In house

    • 10 :00 – 10 :15

      BREAK

    • 10 :15 – 12 :00

      Blood: Complete blood count (CBC); Hematocrit, Iron; Vitamin B; Folic acid, ; Hematocrit and Hemoglobin;

      Coagulation: Simple coagulation tests, vit K3  blood clotting time, ACT, PT, Aptt

    • 12 :00 -13 :30

      LUNCH

    • 13 :30-15 :00

      Respiratory system, Blood gases, pCO2, PO2, SO2 Electrolytes (sodium; potassium; chloride; bicarbonate, Acid/base disorders pH, Osmolarity

      Minerals (calcium, ionized calcium, magnesium, phosphate), copper, vitamin D

      Renal (Kidney) Function Tests (creatinine; blood urea nitrogen, uric acid, potassium and phosphorous); Urine sediment

    • 15 :00-15 :15

      BREAK

    • 15 :15-16 :15

      Proteins: Total protein, pre-albumin, albumin

      globulins, AG ratio, protein electrophoresis, acute phase proteins, immunoglobulins: alpha, beta, gamma globulins, passive transfer

    • 16 :15-17 :30

      CASE STUDIES

    • 8 :00 – 9 :00

      Liver: Liver Function Tests /AST/BiLE ACID

      mycotoxins

    • 9 :00 – 10 :00

      Digestive system: Digestion Tests

       (malabsorption; coccidiosis; carotene

    • 10 :00 – 10 :15

      BREAK

    • 10 :15 – 12 :00

      Muscle damage tests; Vitamin E and Selenium; Oxydative process analytes, Fat rancidity, TOC etc. Other antioxydants

      Miscellaneous (Glucose; blood gases ([H+], PCO2, PO2); adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH); corticosterone (stress markers), Creatinine Kinase (CK); T4; Ionophore toxicity

    • 12 :00 -13 :30

      LUNCH

    • 13 :30-15 :00

      Laboratory

      Testing on live birds exposed to:

      a)       two different environmental conditions

      b)     Two different nutrition regimes

    • 15 :00-15 :15

      BREAK

    • 5 :15-16 :15

      Laboratory discussions & case studies

    • 8 :00 – 9 :00

      Serological changes over time, Sampling size and selection depending on situation

      Antigen and Special Tests (Heavy metal assays, etc); iron/hematocrit

    • 9 :00 – 10 :00

      Intoxications: Anti-nutritional factors; Trypsin inhibitors; Antibiotics; Pesticides

    • 10 :00 – 10 :15

      BREAK

    • 10 :15 – 12 :00

      Water and electrolyte imbalance

      Thermal stress; feathering

    • 12 :00 -13 :30

      LUNCH

    • 13 :30-15 :00

      CASE STUDIES: PROBLEM SOLVING

      Respiratory acidosis

      Respiratory alkalosis

      Metabolic acidosis

      Metabolic alkalosis

    • 15 :00-15 :15

      BREAK

    • 15 :15-16 :15

      Therapeutics recapitulation:

      Technical & nutritional management

      Water chemical treatments

      Temporality and kinetics aspects

    • 16 :15-17 :30

      KEY POINTS FOR SUCCESS IN THE FIELD