Karen Schwean-Lardner, University of Saskatchewan

Research

production welfare Affect Aggression Egg production Light spectrum Pullet Wavelength

Latest papers

Blue light during rearing: Does it impact the health and production of leghorn pullets and hens?
Poultry science · 2026 · senior author
No light, no problem: provision of light during simulated transport does not alter broiler chick performance or welfare outcomes.
Poultry science · 2026 · senior author
Effect of photoperiod duration during incubation on hatch traits, growth, and behavior of Leghorn chicks to 21 days of age.
Poultry science · 2026 · senior author

All 23 publications

Latest funding

Innovative and sustainable platform enrichments to advance broiler welfare in Canada
NSERC · 2026 · Principal investigator
$262,000
Aggressive and severe feather pecking in brown and white feathered leghorn pullets - Will blue light during brooding and rearing improve future egg production?
NSERC · 2022 · Principal investigator
$145,722
Impact of simulated environmental conditions (temperature and humidity) on the meat quality, stress physiology, and behaviour of market age turkeys
NSERC · 2021 · Principal investigator
$296,356

All 10 grants and awards

23 publications.

01

Blue light during rearing: Does it impact the health and production of leghorn pullets and hens?

Uhren Z, Shynkaruk T, Adler CAB, Crowe TG, Schwean-Lardner K

Poultry science2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.107385 PMID: 42456320

02

No light, no problem: provision of light during simulated transport does not alter broiler chick performance or welfare outcomes.

McGregor D, Shynkaruk T, Adler CAB, Crowe TG, Schwean-Lardner K

Poultry science2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.107110 PMID: 42176582

03

Effect of photoperiod duration during incubation on hatch traits, growth, and behavior of Leghorn chicks to 21 days of age.

Ferreira Dos Santos CE, Shynkaruk T, Herwig E, Rathgeber B, Crowe TG, Classen HL, Schwean-Lardner K

Poultry science2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.107386 PMID: 42537379

04

Effects of dietary starch-to-lipid ratios and amino acid levels on broilers exposed to cyclic heat stress during the finisher period.

Duhra D, Beaulieu D, Shynkaruk T, de Paula Dorigam JC, Whelan R, Schwean-Lardner K

Poultry science2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2026.106896 PMID: 41955873

05

Determining methionine and cysteine requirements of male and female Ross 708 broilers exposed to heat stress during the finisher period.

Duhra D, Beaulieu D, Shynkaruk T, de Paula Dorigam JC, Whelan R, Schwean-Lardner K

Poultry science2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.106145 PMID: 41349484

06

Nutritional supplementation of ahiflower seed and press cake in laying hens and its effect on production performance, nutrient digestibility, egg quality, and yolk omega-3 fatty acid enrichment during mid- to post-peak production phase.

Ogory RO, Cumberford G, Schwean-Lardner K, Newkirk RW, Adewole D

Poultry science2025

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.105815 PMID: 40957297

07

Maximizing the performance of heat stressed broilers by optimizing starch-to-lipid ratios, digestible amino acid, and metabolizable energy during the finisher phase.

Duhra D, Beaulieu D, Shynkaruk T, Dorigam JCP, Whelan R, Schwean-Lardner K

Poultry science2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.104729 PMID: 39756107

08

Balancing act: Studying the effect of perch space allowance on welfare in Canadian laying strain pullets raised in floor pens with access to a single-tier perch system to 18 wk of age.

Adler CAB, Shynkaruk T, McPhee S, Buchynski K, Herr A, Herwig E, Schwean-Lardner K

Poultry science2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2024.104457 PMID: 39504835

09

Research Note: Effect of light intensity of calcium homeostasis in pullets.

Sadvakassova G, Ghaly M, Chew JA, Poorhemati H, Beaulac K, Shynkaruk T, Widowski T, Schwean-Lardner K, Komarova SV

Poultry science2022

DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2022.101982 PMID: 35841640

10

Light Color and the Commercial Broiler: Effect on Ocular Health and Visual Acuity.

Remonato Franco B, Leis ML, Wong M, Shynkaruk T, Crowe T, Fancher B, French N, Gillingham S, Schwean-Lardner K

Frontiers in physiology2022Senior author

DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.855266 PMID: 35360232

Innovative and sustainable platform enrichments to advance broiler welfare in Canada

Principal investigatorNSERC2026Advantage

Principal investigators: Schwean-Lardner, Karen

Keywords: Animal production and animal primary products; Waste, waste management and recycling

$262,000

Aggressive and severe feather pecking in brown and white feathered leghorn pullets - Will blue light during brooding and rearing improve future egg production?

Principal investigatorNSERC2022Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Schwean-Lardner, Karen KV

Keywords: affect; aggression; egg production; light spectrum; pullet; wavelength

$145,722

Impact of simulated environmental conditions (temperature and humidity) on the meat quality, stress physiology, and behaviour of market age turkeys

Principal investigatorNSERC2021Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Schwean-Lardner, Karen KV

Keywords: behaviour; blood gas; meat quality; stress; transportation; turkey; welfare

$296,356

Development of Chemical-free Egg Shell Surface Decontamination Methods Through Electro Nano-spray

Co-investigatorNSERC2020Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Zhang, Lifeng

$49,500

Effect of LED flicker on the welfare, health, productivity, and condemnation levels in turkey hens reared to 11 weeks

Principal investigatorNSERC2020Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Schwean-Lardner, Karen KV

Keywords: behaviour; carcass scratches; flicker; footpad health; LED; leg health; production; stress; turkey hen; wellbeing

$130,000

Nutritional strategies for mitigating the negative effects of heat stress in broilers

Principal investigatorNSERC2020Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Schwean-Lardner, Karen KV

Keywords: amino acids; broilers; carcass yield; heat stress; methionine; nitrogen retention; nutrition; physiological biomarkers; production; welfare

$220,528

Investigating the influence of a range of exposure conditions during simulated transport on pullet and end-of-cycle hen (EOCH) physiology, welfare and meat quality

Principal investigatorNSERC2016Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Principal investigators: SchweanLardner, Karen

$252,532

The influence of LED lighting on the physiology and behaviour of broiler chickens

Principal investigatorNSERC2016Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Schwean-Lardner, Karen

$196,000

Does infrared beak treatment impact young pullets - behaviour, water consumption and ability to peck?

Principal investigatorNSERC2015Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Principal investigators: SchweanLardner, Karen

$88,032

Assessing methods for on-farm euthanasia of turkeys, chickens, breeders and layers

Co-investigatorNSERC2015Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Principal investigators: Widowski, Tina

$312,760

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Animal and Poultry Science
Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College
Veterinary Pathology
Mechanical Engineering

Co-authors at University of Saskatchewan, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Fiona James

Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College

2 shared papers, latest 2019

Susantha Gomis

Veterinary Pathology

2 shared papers, latest 2019

Deborah Adewole

Animal and Poultry Science

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Trever Crowe

Mechanical Engineering

1 shared papers, latest 2022

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their NSERC grant from 2026

Subject: Prospective PhD student: production Dear Professor Schwean-Lardner, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Blue light during rearing: Does it impact the health and production of leghorn pullets and hens?" (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "Innovative and sustainable platform enrichments to advance broiler welfare in Canada" (2026), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]