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It was not so long ago that wearable devices belonged only to humans. Until where we have come since! Here in 2018, you will be able to use high-tech clothing technologies, whether you are a small grasshopper or a much larger animal, such as a cow.
Sitting between these two extremes, a new project was born from the University of California, Riverside. The researchers have developed a kind of "Fitbit for chickens". It is essentially a miniature backpack that can analyze behavior – say, for example, whether a chicken is pecking, licking or bathing in dust – with an accuracy of over 85%. This is thanks to an algorithm formed on the data collected during the study. Crucially, the algorithm can also inform in case of a problem, such as an epidemic of blood-sucking parasites.
"We are interested in studying chicken behaviors, but traditional behavioral studies required researchers to make observations in person or watch hours of video," said Amy Murillo, one of the project's researchers, at Digital Trends. "Both techniques limit the number of animals that can be observed and the total duration of observation. In our study, we used sensors with 3-axis accelerometers to track the movements of the chicken. Chickens carry these sensors that can collect data for long periods of time, continuously up to two weeks with a single battery charge. "
Alireza Abdoli, who also worked on the project, notes that the plan is not that every chicken be equipped with its own sensor. Although this may provide useful information, it would also be very impractical. Instead, the idea is to use it as a tool for gathering information about chicken health, and then apply those lessons to the general scope.
"We are interested in knowing how ectoparasite infestations – mites or lice – have an impact on the behavior of chickens," said Murillo. "Our next step is therefore to use these sensors on birds with or without infestations to see if there are detectable differences in behavior. If significant behavioral differences are found, commercial producers may one day be able to use behavioral changes in their herds to assess ectoparasite infestations. This can be particularly useful for detecting early mite or lice infestations or evaluating the success of a mite. [and] lice control program in poultry farms. "
In the longer term, she said the technology could be commercialized to help farmers assess the health of their chicken broods. This would save a lot of time, because at the moment, farmers have to manually check their chickens for mites. However, this marketing is still far away.
"Our next step is to assess the differences in chick behavior using these sensors on healthy or unhealthy birds," said Murillo.
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