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Using mobile robots in barn boiler chickens to reduce environmental impact, reduce waste, reduce biosecurity risks, increase quality and animal welfare and increase revenue.
About
Enteric disorders that result from infection by rotavirus, coronavirus enteritis, and parasitic infestation problems and E. coli cause substantial losses to the poultry industry. The most recent vital problems of poultry have been respiratory diseases. In addition to the welfare, health and environmental impact there is a productivity impact due to crop loss due to not identifying issues early enough, spread to other birds and occasionally culling. A data driven approach is necessary to understand the sources of issue, the spread of diseases and have the ability to act early and fast and eventually when more data is available find preventative measures. Ability to collect and analyse data relevant to poultry health would greatly improve the productivity of poultry business (around 5% increase per growth cycle due to loss reduction) and improve the animal welfare, health, reduce hazards to workers and the environment.
We will utilise a small IP rated robot that can collect data of unhealthy or expired animals and isolate or remove them from the proximity of other animals if needed. The product focuses on data collected that can be used to analyse cause and reduce stress and improve health of animals and farmers. It can also measure environmental conditions for early detection of problems and reduction of environmental impact of the growing process. To create a fast and efficient project we leverage over a decade of development in agricultural robotics, sensor and compute technology as well as robust open software for automations.
Key Benefits
-Less crop loss in boiler chickens, about a 5% crop loss reduction.
-Improved animal welfare by creating a less stressful environment that doesn't contain hazards and contaminants
-Less need for antibiotics and other treatments over time
-Less exposure of workers to hazardous environment
Inhalation of poultry house dust can lead to inflammation and respiratory diseases, adversely impacting poultry health as well as the health of farm workers. Poultry farms generate fastidious odours containing dimethylamine, ammonia, ketones, aldehydes, organic acids and other compounds which can have adverse effects on the quality of life and health of farm workers. Reducing worker exposure by autonomous robotic data collection will reduce these risks and improve animal welfare by more continuous monitoring and faster action.
-Upskilling farming
-Reducing environmental impact
Poultry production, manure use and storage are linked to ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions, and therefore have an impact on greenhouse gas emissions as well as animal and human health. Additionally, poultry manure can also contain microorganisms and pharmaceuticals (such as antibiotics) used in poultry production, which can contaminate soil and water, leading to antimicrobial resistance, including multidrug resistance, in microbial pathogens.
Applications
Poultry farms