Poultry News
  • Production
    • Broiler Production
    • Ducks
    • Egg Production
    • Game
    • Hatching
    • Housing
    • Turkeys
  • Processing
  • Business & Politics
    • Business
    • Economics
    • EU & Politics
    • Marketing
    • People
    • Training & Education
  • Welfare
    • Environment
    • Food Safety
    • Vet & Medication
    • Welfare
  • Feed
  • Genetics
  • New Products
  • Magazines
    • November 2023
    • Processing Equipment Supplement – Nov 2023
    • October 2023
    • Building Supplement – Sept 2023
    • September 2023
    • Finalists Supplement – National Egg & Poultry Awards 2023
    • July 2023
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Events
    • National Egg and Poultry Awards
    • Poultry Fair
Twitter LinkedIn
  • FREE Email Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • FREE Magazine Subscriptions
Twitter LinkedIn
Podcast
Poultry News
  • Production
    • Broiler Production
    • Ducks
    • Egg Production
    • Game
    • Hatching
    • Housing
    • Turkeys
  • Processing
  • Business & Politics
    • Business
    • Economics
    • EU & Politics
    • Marketing
    • People
    • Training & Education
  • Welfare
    • Environment
    • Food Safety
    • Vet & Medication
    • Welfare
  • Feed
  • Genetics
  • New Products
  • Magazines
    1. November 2023
    2. Processing Equipment Supplement – Nov 2023
    3. October 2023
    4. Building Supplement – Sept 2023
    5. September 2023
    6. Finalists Supplement – National Egg & Poultry Awards 2023
    7. July 2023
    Featured

    Poultry Business – Processing Equipment Supplement – November 2023

    By Chloe RyanOctober 31, 2023
    Recent

    Poultry Business – Processing Equipment Supplement – November 2023

    October 31, 2023

    Poultry Business – November 2023

    October 31, 2023

    Poultry Business – October 2023

    September 28, 2023
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Events
    • National Egg and Poultry Awards
    • Poultry Fair
Twitter LinkedIn
Poultry News
New Products

Analysis: A roving robot that has unexpectedly help boost FCR could be poised to become a commercial success

Chloe RyanBy Chloe RyanJune 11, 20194 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

Feed conversion ratios improved 8% in a trial that placed a roving robot in a 44,000-broiler shed. That was one of the surprising findings of a joint project between the Royal Veterinary College, Ross Robotics, Harper Adams University and Applied Poultry.

The researchers now believe the Robochick robot could become a commercial success, with many applications in poultry farming, but want to repeat the trial over seven to 10 flocks first to ensure the finding was no coincidence.

Theo Demmers, lead researcher from the Royal Veterinary College, said the initial aim was to use the modular robot to collect environmental data via sensors in order to better manage temperature and humidity in poultry houses.

But unexpectedly in the shed where the robot was operating there was a positive effect on FCR of 8%. “We were surprised, because you would have thought the birds would use more energy moving out of the way of the robot,” says Demmers. “But our hypothesis is the robot disrupts the dominance and hierarchy among the birds around the feeders and drinkers and allows the birds that would normally be excluded to access more feed and water, creating a more uniform flock.”

Initial trialling of various designs for the robot running once a week for half a morning led to a basic design; a pointy nose in order to move the birds sideways. The trial wasn’t an immediate success, says Demmers. “We were scared it wouldn’t work because the birds left a large empty space behind the robot of up to 20 metres. It was clear the birds were scared of it.”

Before trialling the robot on a 44,000-bird unit, the researchers first trialled it on a small poultry house measuring 8 X 15 metres containing 1,600 birds to tease out management of the robot and responses of the birds to the robot. “We arrived at a protocol for moving around birds that didn’t want to move. This involved giving them a gentle nudges, and if they then didn’t move, the robot would navigate around them,” says Demmers. “Also during this trial we were able to decide on the speed, appearance and design of fencing to prevent the birds jumping on top. We found it was all very feasible.”

The team then moved to trialling the robot on a commercial scale with 44,000 birds at an Applied Poultry site at Lower Farm in Chesterfield. “We ran the robot through the shed on a standard route, several times a day. This time is was very different,” says Demmers. “The birds investigated the robot from day one and followed it around. They completely accepted it and were running up behind it and even jumping on top of it.”

The key differences appeared to be using a standard route, running it every day from the start of the flock. In the initial trial which used the robot just once a week, the birds maybe forgot about it between uses, and so were startled once more when it reappeared.

During this trial, the team collected valuable environmental data. “The trial was able to find things we didn’t know before. Even in a well-managed building there were big gradients in temperature, + or – 5oC that staff hadn’t realised were there. We were also able to measure humidity at bird level and show there was higher humidity, which is what you would expect,” says Demmers.

“The test is can we repeat what we found in one trial in one shed.” The researchers are now applying for further finding to repeat the trial on the same site. “We want to repeat the trial over seven to 10 flocks and the long-term aim is to produce a basic modular platform with various optional sensors fitted that can be marketed  commercially,” he adds.

There are other possible functions that could be added to future models. “The robot currently has environmental sensors on board but longer term its possible it could use an infrared camera to detect dead birds and/or be fitted with an arm to pick up the dead birds,” says Demmers.

Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Previous ArticleAnalysis: 2 Sisters turnaround plan starts to take shape
Next Article Royal Veterinary College and The Animal and Plant Health Agency awarded OIE Collaborating Centre
Chloe Ryan

Editor of Poultry Business, Chloe has spent the past decade writing about the food industry from farming, through manufacturing, retail and foodservice. When not working, dog walking and reading biographies are her favourite hobbies.

Read Similar Stories

News

2 Sisters donates a million meals in new charity partnership

November 6, 20232 Mins Read
News

Poultry Business and fellow LBM agricultural titles sold to Mark Allen Group

November 6, 20232 Mins Read
New Products

Kelly Turkeys launches new confit turkey product

October 27, 20231 Min Read
Latest News

Coffey out at Defra, as Steve Barclay appointed new secretary of state

November 13, 2023

RSPCA Assured introduces new welfare standards for laying hens, including verandas

November 13, 2023

Avian flu confirmed in commercial turkeys

November 13, 2023
Sponsored Content

It’s time to MIX it up! Your flubendazole alternative is already here

November 1, 2023

Narasin delivers stable and continuous coccidiosis control

August 1, 2023
Pig and Poultry Fair
© 2023 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

  • Farmers Weekly
  • AA Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • Pig World

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
AWSALBCORS7 daysThis cookie is managed by Amazon Web Services and is used for load balancing.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
AWSALB7 daysAWSALB is a cookie generated by the Application load balancer in the Amazon Web Services. It works slightly different from AWSELB.
explat_test_aa_weekly_lohp_2021_week_4517 days 8 hoursNo description
ppwp_wp_session30 minutesNo description
tk_ai14 daysGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
tk_qssessionGathers information for WordPress by themselves, first party analytics tool about how WP services are used. A collection of internal metrics for user activity, used to improve user experience.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
OAGEOsessionOpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_31822138_71 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
_gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
tk_lr1 yearThe tk_lr is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
tk_or5 yearsThe tk_or is a referral cookie set by the JetPack plugin on sites using WooCommerce, which analyzes referrer behaviour for Jetpack.
tk_r3d3 daysJetPack installs this cookie to collect internal metrics for user activity and in turn improve user experience.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo