How Do Escape Distance Behavior of Broiler Chickens Change in Response to a Mobile Robot Moving at Two Different Speeds?

Abstract

In poultry farming, robots are considered by birds as intruder elements to their environment, because animals escape due to their movement. Their escape is measured using the escape distance (ED) technique. This study analyzes the behavior of animals in relation to their ED through the use of a robot with two speeds: 12 rpm and 26 rpm. The objective is to understand whether the speeds cause variations in ED and their implications for animal stress. A broiler breeding cycle was analyzed (six weeks) through the introduction of the robot weekly. ED analyses were carried out on static images generated from footage of the robot running. The results indicate higher escape distance rates (p < 0.05) peaking midway through the production cycle, notably in the third week. Conversely, the final weeks saw the lowest ED, with the most significant reduction occurring in the last week. This pattern indicates a gradual escalation of ED up to the fourth week, followed by a subsequent decline. Despite RPM12 having shown low ED results, it did not show enough ED to move the animals away from their path of travel, causing bumps and collisions. RPM26 showed higher ED in all breeding phases, but showed ED with no bumps and collisions.