Performing Department
ANIMAL SCIENCE
Non Technical Summary
Due to an increasing global population, there is a need for sustainably, efficiently, and safely produced and processed protein, such as poultry. Adapting Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) techniques to poultry production and processing systems will further enhance the industry's capability to meet the growing demand. Consumer and retail demands of the poultry industry have resulted in an expansion in a variety of production and feeding systems with differing constraints and knowledge base. The collaborative research efforts outlined as part of the overall multistate project will further expand the concept of PLF, using automated continuous monitoring of animals to allow producers to record and assess in real-time, the health and welfare status of their animals.The broader multi-state poultry research team is comprised of environmental physiologists, behaviorists, animal welfare scientists, nutritionists, engineers, extension scientists, microbiologists, and economists. These collaborators have access to commercial-type, pilot scale, and laboratory-scale facilities with the equipment and expertise necessary to work in the proposed areas of research. Collaboration has been documented in the past with successful outcomes reported. Additionally, this multi-state group has several leading industry experts that are active participants. These industry connections provide valuable input and link researchers with commercial operations/birds/equipment to maximize the relevance and feasibility of research efforts.
Animal Health Component
10%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
40%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
Integrating technological advances into poultry systems. This will include collaborative research on incorporating engineering and technology to enhance system efficiency and sustainability through infrastructure development of blockchain production. <br />
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Establishing and adopting husbandry practices to a changing industry landscape. This collaborative research will encompass a multi-disciplinary approach to create a resilient poultry production system through optimal management of inputs and outputs in an ethically responsible manner.
Project Methods
Engineering and Technology (as part of Objective 1)Studies will establish methods that use novel technologies to enhance poultry production systems by integrating engineering, physiology, and ethology. State-of-the-art sensors, current data acquisition systems, and modern data analysis technologies (e.g., image processing and data mining) will be employed to better understand and improve housing ventilation, acoustic conditions, air quality, and lighting environments. Real-time monitoring systems using electronic and visual sensing systems will be developed to autonomously monitor poultry environmental interactions, bird behavior, and welfare. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to individually identify bird will be used to develop methods for commercial applications. In addition, a new style of perch will be developed such that the antenna will be integrated directly into the perch so that perches at different locations and heights within the cage-free housing system can be instrumented. Hen behavior at different locations (perch, drinker, nest box, feeder, etc.) will be recorded.Wearable sensor technology for laying hens will be developed and evaluated in alternative housing systems. Varying behavioral states will be validated through video recordings and used to correlate individual differences in behavior correlated to parasite infestation. Prototype acoustic sensors will also be used to track the use of space by laying hens housed in alternative housing systems, particularly in free-range and pasture-based systems.Physiological Response to Environment and Welfare (as part of Objective 2)Litter restriction during the middle of layer hen flocks as a means of reducing floor-laid and damaged eggs will be examined. Welfare measures, such as body weight, keel bone damage, foot health, and utilization of nest and litter areas will be measured for the litter-restricted birds. Birds' litter access will be restricted at 54 weeks of age when ~60% of all eggs are being laid in the litter, at which time partial litter restriction will be implemented for a 4-week period. Under this scheme, doors to the litter areas will open automatically every day at 11:30 and close at 13:00. At the end of the 4-week restriction, hens will be again granted unrestricted access to evaluate if any effects of retraining are long-lasting. Egg production (i.e., total eggs laid in nests, enclosure, and litter; number of laid eggs versus number of damaged eggs), nest occupancy (number of hens in nest), litter utilization, and physical measures of hen's welfare before, during, 1 week and 4 weeks after the litter restriction period will be evaluated.Researchers will evaluate the influences of flock synchrony (number of hens simultaneously use a specific resource and performing the same behavior) and inter-bird distance (space a hen will place between herself and others in her group when performing a behavior), on hens' ability to perform specific behaviors uninterruptedly (frequency and duration of behavior bouts). Video recordings made of hens on the litter will be used to capture hens while performing specific behaviors such as 'lying', 'standing', 'perching' and 'dust bathing' and 'wing flapping' on litter area and perches, while in their day-to-day aviary housing environment at manufacturer's recommended stocking density. The number of hens on litter area and the number of hens performing selected behaviors at those times will be recorded from still images. Length and width of floor space, or width of perch space occupied by focal hens while performing selected behaviors, and inter-bird distances between focal and surrounding nearest hens during dust bathing will be recorded from each image (see Riddle et al., 2018 for details).The prevalence of keel bone fractures among laying hens in U.S. cage-free production systems will be evaluated in relation to rearing and housing. The effects of vertical complexity during pullet rearing on the development of spatial acuity and keel bone fracture development will be tested in a series of experiments conducted at a poultry facility at UC Davis. The development of spatial abilities will be evaluated using a combination of cognitive tests, behavioral assessments, and evaluations of space use. Keel integrity of individual birds will be evaluated via palpation. In addition, practices that have been proposed as viable environmental enrichments for poultry will be evaluated. The willingness of broiler chicks to forage for feedstuff will be evaluated throughout the growing period. The effects of foraging enrichment provision on general activity and growth of the birds will also be evaluated.