Precision monitoring systems help poultry farmers manage barn conditions, improve flock health and detect issues before they become widespread.
A modern broiler or layer barn can house between 20,000 and 60,000 birds. This vast scale makes it impossible to observe every individual animal. As a result, producers rely on a combination of daily inspections, sensors and management practices to identify problems before they become widespread.
Why it matters
Poultry and egg farms account for about 2.8 per cent of all Canadian farms.
MaxOn Ag Solutions, based in Zurich, Ont., was among the vendors at the Ontario Pork Congress, held in June in Stratford. The company offers monitoring services for both livestock and poultry operations.
Detecting those changes early, before they affect flock performance, welfare, or mortality, is one of the industry’s most significant management challenges, which is why precision monitoring is receiving increasing attention.
The company’s MAXIMUS controller and MAXIMUS software provide poultry farmers with tools to help keep their flocks safe, including egg counters, scales, water meters, sensors, actuators, fuse boxes and air inlets.
Owner Jeff MacDougald said automation helps maintain stable temperatures despite extreme weather conditions, a crucial factor in animal welfare and productivity.
Photo: Sarah McGoldrick
He said that while the return on investment is difficult to quantify because of varying environmental factors, monitoring systems can provide savings through energy-efficient fans and timely alerts for issues such as water leaks.
“At the very base level, it manages the barns when [farmers] are not around with the addition of sensors and different outputs. It can allow for compensation and better management of the environment,” he said.
In the last decade, unpredictable weather conditions have forced farmers to explore alternative heating and cooling protocols.
The fundamental challenge in large-scale poultry production is that producers must assess the health and welfare of thousands of birds while recognizing that subtle changes in a small fraction of the flock may signal a much larger problem.
Precision monitoring enables farmers to create carefully controlled barn environments by accurately measuring feed intake, ammonia levels and water distribution, helping improve bird health, welfare and overall flock performance.
Insurance companies are also becoming more diligent in ensuring farms have monitoring and management systems that include early warning systems and diagnostic tools, said MacDougald.
Technology now allows farmers to receive early warnings through mobile apps, allowing adjustments to be made before they reach the barn.
“Even with us as the technicians, we can see the same things and reach out and help,” he said.
Looking ahead, MacDougald believes technology will continue to be a critical component of animal monitoring. While artificial intelligence is not currently integrated into all monitoring systems, he said farmers should expect to see more applications in the future.
“[AI] has potential for future integration, enabling machine learning and predictive analytics to optimize farm operations further,” he said.
The post Precision monitoring helps poultry producers protect flocks appeared first on Farmtario.
