Many Australians are massive shoppers of free-range eggs. They like their hens to roam free on inexperienced pastures, or a minimum of massive barns, reasonably than being stored in cages. Nevertheless, this freedom may lead to elevated risks to hen well being.

Researchers from the College of Know-how Sydney (UTS) have developed a world-leading synthetic intelligence based mostly system to watch the motion and behavior of cage-free hens to enhance their well being and welfare, and minimise the risks.

Professor Jian Zhang and his group from the Multimedia Information Analytics Lab within the World Huge Information Applied sciences Centre, based mostly at UTS Tech Lab, are working to develop a real-time video monitoring system, which was just lately trialled on an egg farm in Windsor, NSW. 

The venture is funded by Australian Eggs, a member owned not for revenue organisation that invests farmer levies and public funds in analysis and improvement on behalf of the egg trade. 

“The farm on this venture that’s trialling the expertise has a median of 8,000 hens unfold throughout a number of sheds, and it’s troublesome for farm workers to repeatedly monitor hen behaviour,” Dr Zhang mentioned.

“Cage-free hens have better freedom to roam and forage, nevertheless there’s a threat that they’ll flock collectively and ‘pile-up’, which can lead to hens being smothered. Whereas it isn’t frequent, if a pile-up does happen, at present there aren’t any warning system to alert farmers that this could be occurring,” he mentioned.

Efficient controls and predictors of threat usually are not recognized, so the egg trade is seeking to develop efficient discount methods. Further to the event of the real-time monitoring system, Australian Eggs has funded a analysis venture that’s at present underway to grasp what these threat elements are. 

The brand new system alerts farm workers to any crowding behaviour, in addition to monitoring the hens’ entry to meals and water to look at adjustments in behaviours, and any lack of motion in particular person hens, which may point out an harm or sickness.

Rowan McMonnies, Managing Director of Australian Eggs, mentioned it was thrilling to see an answer that might cut back labour necessities, minimise human intervention in sheds and enhance animal welfare.

“This necessary funding in AI-technology cannot solely result in happier, more healthy and extra productive hens, but additionally enhance farm administration and cut back prices,” Mr McMonnies mentioned.

The system at present being trialled makes use of 4 cameras: two inside and two outdoors the sheds. The system has been designed to be scalable and may be elevated relying on the realm. The expertise incorporates sample recognition algorithms to rely and monitor flock density and behavior.

The UTS group contains poultry and animal behaviour specialists to assist analyse and interpret hen behaviour. The subsequent section of the venture will embody a deeper evaluation of behaviours corresponding to consuming, feeding, foraging and standing.

“Poultry are very sociable and gregarious animals, so we have to construct an ethogram, or catalogue of behaviours, which incorporates each particular person and interactive behaviours, to raised monitor development and welfare,” Dr Zhang mentioned.

There are additionally plans to construct a cell phone app that may alert supervisors to potential hassle. The app will embody machine studying expertise to enhance the system with suggestions from customers.

The UTS group will run a bigger trial throughout a number of farms within the coming months. As soon as the trials are full they hope to commercialise the expertise in order that it may be applied on a wider scale. There may be additionally potential to increase the expertise to different areas of farming.

ENDS

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About UTS

UTS is a number one college of expertise positioned within the coronary heart of Sydney’s innovation precinct.  With greater than 40,000 college students, UTS has a definite mannequin of studying, robust analysis efficiency and a number one fame for trade {and professional} engagement. Underpinned by social influence and a unbroken dedication to sustainability, UTS is rated the No.1 ‘younger’ college in Australia within the QS and Instances Larger Training rankings.

UTS Tech Lab is a collaborative trade analysis facility that co-locates large-scale engineering infrastructure with specialist laboratories devoted to communications, sensor improvement and laptop sciences, together with information analytics and AI.