First Results of a Detection Sensor for the Monitoring of Laying Hens Reared in a Commercial Organic Egg Production Farm Based on the Use of Infrared Technology

Abstract

The development of a monitoring system to identify the presence of laying hens, in a closed room of a free-range commercial organic egg production farm, was the aim of this study. This monitoring system was based on the infrared (IR) technology and had, as final target, a possible reduction of atmospheric ammonia levels and bacterial load. Tests were carried out for three weeks and involved 7 ISA (Institut de Sélection Animale) brown laying hens. The first 5 days was used to set up the detection sensor, while the other 15 days were used to evaluate the accuracy of the resulting monitoring system, in terms of sensitivity and specificity. The setup procedure included the evaluation of different color background (CB) thresholds, used to discriminate the information contents of the thermographic images. At the end of this procedure, a CB threshold equal to an increase of 3 °C from the floor temperature was chosen, and a cutoff level of 196 colored pixels was identified as the threshold to use to classify a positive case. The results of field tests showed that the developed monitoring system reached a fine detection accuracy (sensitivity = 97.9% and specificity = 94.9%) and the IR technology proved to be a possible solution for the development of a detection sensor necessary to reach the scope of this study.

Development of a Machine Vision Method for the Monitoring of Laying Hens and Detection of Multiple Nest Occupations

“…More in general, image analysis, and image pattern recognition, confirmed to be a valid way for the monitoring of hens [ 35 , 36 ]. Furthermore, thermografic images allowed for collecting useful information on the laying performance and behavior of animals.…”

“…In order to build the BCTs, three shifts of the mean floor temperature, equal to 1, 3, and 5 Celsius degrees, were considered in both steps of the setup procedure. These shifts were chosen on the basis of our previous experiences [ 35 , 36 ] and considering what scientific literature suggests [ 27 , 29 , 30 , 45 ], as possible body temperatures that should result in a thermografic image of a hen.…”

“…Kashiha et al [ 34 ], investigating the performance of image analysis found that a system, made by four cameras mounted on the top of four interconnected sections of an experimental cage, was able to track laying hens with good results if compared with the human ability to detect animals. Finally, also, our research group tested these technologies in a commercial organic egg production farm [ 35 , 36 ]. The resulting monitoring system allowed for detecting the possible presence of hens in the inner part of an housing system permitting to project possible ozone treatments, in a safe mode both for animals and workers, and consequently, to achieve a possible reduction of levels of atmospheric ammonia and bacterial load in eggs production farms, with a particular focus on those that produce organic eggs.…”

Review: Automated techniques for monitoring the behaviour and welfare of broilers and laying hens: towards the goal of precision livestock farming

“…Photographs taken in a nest that was painted black, with the number of colour pixels counted and compared with the threshold double nest occupation, could detect whether there were two or more hens in a nest (Zaninelli et al, 2015). Later, with a thermographic camera to identify laying hens in a closed room (Zaninelli et al, 2016 and, this team developed a better 'nest usage sensor', which could count the number of hens in the nest (Zaninelli et al, 2018). The thermographic images were processed by binarisation and coloured, and the number of colour pixels was counted to detect whether there were more than one hen in the nest.…”

Development of a software algorithm working with infrared images and useful for the early detection of mastitis in dairy cows

“…where the parameter T (tolerance) was set up at a level of 30. Furthermore, a connectivity mode of 8 pixels was used for the recursive application of the above reported filter [14]. This value specified at the algorithm 10.21611/qirt.2018.p5…”