INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY & PRACTICES TRANSFORMING INDIA’S POULTRY FARMING SECTOR
Bagavathi Muthappan1 , Sudhanya Nath2*, Chidambaranathan Arumugasami3
1MVSc Scholar, Department of Animal Physiology, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal – 132001 Haryana, India
2Additional Veterinary Assistant Surgeon (PhD in Animal Nutrition), F&ARD Department, Block Veterinary Dispensary, Hemgir, Sundargarh – 770013, Odisha, India
3Veterinary Officer, Mobile Veterinary Unit, TN – 1962, Tiruvallur – 602001, Tamil Nadu, India
*Corresponding author Email – sudhanyanath@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Poultry farming has long been a cornerstone of global agriculture, providing a vital source of protein for populations around the globe. However, the challenges faced by the industry are evolving, necessitating a paradigm shift in our approach. Looking at the current and future developments where innovation, technology, and conscientious practices converge to shape a more efficient, humane, and productive industry. Intelligent systems offer real-time tracking to automatically adjust temperature, lighting, ventilation, and feeding. Sensors monitor air quality, movement, vocalizations and other factors to assess bird health and wellbeing. Computer vision and AI can detect injuries, illness and behavioral issues for early intervention. All birds in a flock experience uniform conditions matched to their needs as they grow. Intelligent automation also benefits sustainability. Precision agriculture techniques optimize energy and water usage. Lower disease rates reduce pharmaceutical usage. The economic viability of poultry farming is enhanced through these efficiencies. Implementing advanced systems requires upfront infrastructure costs, including installation of sensors, controllers and analytics software. However, the long-term benefits outweigh the investment. Overall productivity increases while labor, utilities and inventory expenses decrease. In summary, applying smart technology to poultry production optimizes welfare, sustainability and economics. Intelligent monitoring provides unprecedented insight into flock health and behavior, enabling responsive automated adjustments. As this technology matures, the poultry industry can achieve new levels of efficiency. Further research can refine algorithms and explore innovative applications to drive continued progress.
Keywords: Poultry farming, innovations, computer vision, AI, sensors.
INTRODUCTION
The progress in is all sectors of poultry is due to the advancement of technologies in the management, nutrition and health care systems. Therefore, the poultry industry is now in the hands of well leaned and educated groups. They always think differently and adopt any technology available globally for the benefit of profitability. These are not only innovators but also have open mind to accept and adopt any innovations that are useful in modern poultry farming. The new farming systems are called Smart farms, Automated farms, Mechanized farms and Digital farms. This article delineates the central role of computer vision in precision poultry farming, focusing on its applications in non-contact monitoring methods that employ advanced sensors and cameras to enhance farm biosecurity and bird observation without disturbance. Multifaceted advancements such as the utilization of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for behavior analysis and health monitoring, evidenced by the high accuracy sorting of eggs and identification of health concerns within target-dense farm environments. Facing the dual pressures of a growing population and the need for sustainable farming, the poultry sector has embraced non-contact monitoring as a crucial innovation.
REMOTE SENSING
Remote sensing allows visibility in real-time on various factors such as, management within the poultry house, bird performance, bird health and welfare. Not only is it the case that the farmer can keep watch over the status of sheds and birds when they decide to take a look at the computer but importantly the readings from these sensors can be set to provide “alerts” to management if any parameter falls out with the agreed requirements for the specific age of birds 24/7. Sensors can help to streamline the data collection process for both birds and farmers, resulting in precision poultry production. Application of the smart phones helps the farmer to monitor real time environmental contexts such as temperature, humidity, ammonia gas percentage, water level etc. This system is described as an Integrated Solution for Smart Poultry Monitoring Using WSN (wireless Sensor Network) and GPRS Network. For e.g., in poultry, sensors can be used to help estimate body weights and measure the flock uniformity. They can also help in solving labour issues and improve worker retention and food safety when used as a wearable sensor for employees.
MACHINE VISION TECHNOLOGIES
They offer non-intrusive methods to monitor poultry, thereby supporting farm biosecurity and animal welfare. This technique, powered by advanced sensors and cameras, allows for subtle observations of poultry behavior and physiology, enhancing early detection capabilities while remaining non-invasive and maintaining biosecurity. The widespread implementation of computer vision for animal monitoring signifies a dramatic shift from conventional practices, utilizing a blend of learning algorithms to interpret behavior from visual data − a task that hinges on the precise extraction of features.
Fig. 1: A flowchart illustrating the end-to-end process of computer vision-based cybernetics system in poultry management.
INTEGRATING ROBOTICS AND COMPUTER VISION
The integration of robotics and computer vision in poultry processing reveals a landscape of innovative technologies aimed at enhancing efficiency and animal welfare. GRIBBOT, a 3D vision-guided robot was introduced for harvesting of chicken fillets, which represents a significant step toward automating the manual processes currently in place. Concurrently, PoultryBot demonstrates the feasibility of using autonomous robots for tasks such as floor egg collection in commercial poultry houses, despite a need for further refinement in collection mechanisms and navigation systems. In enclosed broiler houses, significant advancements have been made using computer vision and deep learning. A 3D camera-based system was developed utilizing a Kinect camera for broiler weight prediction, achieving an average error of 7.8 %. This technology shows promise for broader applications such as activity analysis and health monitoring.
Fig. 2: Enhancing poultry sector security with computer vision-based robotics.
NEW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN POULTRY FARMING
3D printing prosthetics
One of the more inventive ways in which 3D printing can affect the poultry industry is through life-saving techniques. Reproducing feet, legs and even beaks has already been applied for pet birds. One example includes researchers from the University of Calgary, who created prosthetic feet for Foghorn the rooster after he lost both of his feet, most likely an unfortunate result of severe frostbite. Then there’s Dudley the duck, who received an entire prosthetic leg (including the knee joint) from the combined efforts of a 32-year-old mechanical engineer and architect who worked with Proto3000, a 3D printing company based out of Ontario. Imagine the opportunity for preserving high-value breeding stock such as parents, grandparents or great-grandparents, where continuing the genetic line is critical.
Sensors
Sensors probably represent the easiest of the eight technologies to implement. This is partly due to lower implementation costs, but also because the benefits are immediately recognized. Big Dutchman is one of the top names in modern poultry housing. Its DOL 53 is a sensor designed to measure ammonia, a common problem in many hen houses. Both SKOV and Filipino Poultry use sensors to regulate and control the climate in the house, including ventilation and temperature. Rotem’s sensor is designed for carbon dioxide monitoring, which can reduce the negative effects high carbon dioxide concentrations can have on layers and breeders, resulting in significant cost savings. Greengage has a unique lighting system using sensors and LED bulbs to create a consistent lighting environment that stimulates better growth efficiencies in birds and also reduces costs.
From a wearable sensor perspective, researchers — and even farmers — could gain a lot of insight into the health and well-being of broilers, layers, turkeys and ducks. Fitted with RFID tags, poultry could then be observed in a more natural environment, giving researchers the opportunity to learn from the animals. This information could be evaluated to determine everything from natural behaviors to inefficiencies in diet, greatly increasing the opportunity to help with production efficiencies. Studies conducted at the University of Michigan have used sensors to analyze how chickens use space in their pens in order to better understand how to design non-cage systems for the comfort and well-being of the hens.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
AI technologies have become the backbone of many other technologies. Robots, for example, use AI in the processing plant to improve efficiencies. Through a collaboration of efforts, iPoultry is a high-tech automated processing system first demonstrated at VIV Europe. Automating a procedure such as chicken deboning requires recognition of the shape and size of each chicken and individual adaptation. Artificial intelligence is the perfect technology for this application. Consider that a computer can analyze the difference in density and structure of meat versus bone, thereby making the most precise cut possible. This is a great example of combined technologies: robots perform the work that AI instructs them to do, based on the data that sensors collect. The Gribbot by SINTEF is one such robot that can debone a chicken in two to three seconds, replacing up to 30 human operators! When combined with machine vision, companies like Gainco are also creating processors to achieve high productivity.
INNOVATIONS IN USE OF FEED INGREDIENTS IN POULTRY FARMING
- With the help of transgensis, new transgenic feed are formed which contains more quantity of essential proteins and amino acids for poultry. As well as anti-nutritional factors present in feed like canola meals with low erucic acid, tannins, and glycosinolates are reduced in these transgenic feed. As poultry birds can take limited quantity of feed in which providing right proportion of various nutrients is quite stressful. These transgenic feed is a way out to provide other important nutrients in more quantity in poultry diet now.
- Synbiotics having probiotics and prebiotics are now becoming new substitutes for antibiotics especially for gut bacteria acting antibiotics. Synbiotics helps in improving the survival and activity of beneficial microorganisms in the gut.
- New biotechnological techniques are used to prepare amino acids that are produced in limited quantity in feed ingredients. These are prepared in microorganisms like yeast through their metabolic process. These microorganisms are able to produce these limiting amino acids due to addition of specific genes in their genome. Even tract minerals like zinc, manganese, chromium, selenium, copper, etc. can be produced through these microorganisms.
INNOVATIONS IN THE FIELD OF POULTRY HOUSING
- New automatic control system having automated showers and use of cooling pads in poultry farms which can be clean and disinfected easily becoming a trend in modern farms. For efficient feed distribution new moving chain feeders are used which circulate the whole circuit within few minutes. Flicker free fluid LED light system with multiple light level settings is popular in modern farms.
- For monitoring ammonia and carbon dioxide level in poultry farms special digital air quality monitors are used which give real time reading of these gases in the facility where birds are kept. This helps in preventing the toxicity of these gases that can cause decline in the performance of birds.
- New water system is designed in such a way to keep water uncontaminated by preventing dirt, faeces and other pollutants from entering the automatic drinking system. This helps in prevent wastage of water as well as preventing water borne diseases in flock.
- In layer farming special moving belt system is used for manure collection. Then palletisation of dried manure further stabilizes the material, reducing dust in the farm. This helps in maintaining hygienic conditions in the poultry farm.
- Remote access livestock monitoring system used in poultry farms allows farmers the ability to view their broiler sheds internally from their smartphones, tablets and personal computers, in great detail. This could be helpful in management of farm in recent COVID situation.
AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH FOR ANALYSING AND EVALUATING ENTERIC DISEASES IN POULTRY FARM
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by pathogens, host-pathogen interactions and biochemical pathways are present everywhere such as in blood, breath, faeces, sweat, skin, urine, and vaginal fluids. Their qualitative and quantitative composition is influenced by pathophysiological responses to infections, toxins, or endogenous metabolic pathway perturbations. In poultry, VOCs analysis has been explored to evaluate air quality in sheds, but they have never been monitored to determine if birds were affected by enteric diseases. The enteric disorders represent one of the most important groups of diseases that affect poultry and cause illness, mortality, and economic losses
The detect system was developed to draw and analyse the air samples, giving a response on VOCs present in the air. This system is a device which, using Metal Oxide Semiconductor sensors (MOS), is able to identify and create an odour print of the air mixture analysed. MOS are able to alter their electrical characteristics in presence of different VOCs, thereby providing a diversified electrical signal in response to their concentration in the air mixture. In this way the system is able to recognize the environmental changes of VOCs due to the presence of gut dismicrobism in the poultries. These changes in the intestinal flora or/and in the enzymatic activity can refer to digestive disorders. The system is therefore able to analyse the air in the flock and detect intestinal disorders in poultry farms at early stage, when the pathology is not yet evident. Deeper understanding of these variations should be facilitating the veterinarian in the development of effective disease-control measures to treat.
APPLICATIONS OF PLF IN POULTRY FARMING
Precision farming in poultry production is one such evolutionary step, referring to the use of advanced technologies to increase the efficiency of production processes, improve animal welfare status, and reduce environmental impacts. Precision farming is characterized by the precise management of food, water, and living conditions, and is particularly attentive to the health and well-being of the poultry. Animal welfare is a central component of this approach, acknowledging that healthier and less stressed animals yield greater productivity
Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) aims to change poultry farming through its diverse applications, enhancing efficiency, welfare, and sustainability. Automated monitoring systems, equipped with sensors, ensure real-time data collection on environmental parameters like temperature, humidity and air quality, optimizing conditions for poultry health. Precision livestock farming’s pivotal role in health monitoring employs wearable devices and smart sensors to track individual bird behavior, enabling early detection of health issues and minimizing disease outbreaks. Researchers have also extensively researched PLF opportunities to improve poultry welfare. For example, microphones have been used to determine the weight of broilers through sound analysis. Research is also underway to improve early disease detection through sound analysis, using sneezes, abnormal sounds, and eating sounds.
CURRENT TECHNOLOGY LIMITATIONS
Firstly, the cost and complexity of digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and graphics processing units (GPUs) present substantial barriers. Secondly, establishing a reliable connection between hardware and the computational model on farms is complex, given the need for robust infrastructure to handle data transmission and processing. Lastly, the practical deployment of computer vision technologies in poultry farming is significantly challenged by the environmental factors inherent to such agricultural settings. The presence of dust, for example, can occlude camera lenses and interfere with the image quality being fed into vision algorithms, leading to reduced accuracy in detecting or classifying birds or behaviors. Similarly, variable lighting conditions can dramatically affect image capture; the stark contrast between bright daylight, the shadows of an indoor and light density setting may require algorithms to have dynamic range capabilities and adjustment mechanisms to maintain consistent performance.
To counteract these challenges, computer vision systems in poultry farming must be designed with advanced features such as:
- To cope with the changes in lighting, cameras must have mechanisms that adjust their settings dynamically for optimal image capture.
- Cameras and processing units must be protected and sealed against dust and moisture to ensure longevity and consistent operation.
- Algorithms must be trained on datasets that include the range of environmental conditions expected in a poultry farm to improve their robustness.
These improvements can enhance the reliability and effectiveness of computer vision applications in poultry farming, ensuring that the potential benefits of these technologies can be fully realized in such a complex ecosystem.
CONCLUSION
The advancement in science in every field is fast approaching and specifically its application in poultry production has caught the attention of many learned poultry farmers. The automation has given boost to increase the operational capacity to many folds. A simple example is change over from deep litter to cage system, to present environmentally controlled units and introduction of automated feeding and watering systems. Currently application of computer based technologies in feed formulations, egg and meat production has generated a big data on all operations. Automation can be used to replace manual labor on poultry farms when it comes to repetitive tasks like checking bird welfare, vaccinations and managing litter. However, the latest technologies will change the future farming systems if they are used properly looking in to the economic implications in adopting newer technologies. Future innovations, including voice-activated robotics and virtual reality, promise greater efficiency and sustainability in poultry farming. Continued research and development in flexible, scalable, and ethical solutions merging human expertise with automation will fundamentally transform the sector, contributing to global food security and animal welfare.
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