Flocklight2.0: An automated lighting system for poultry behaviour management

The FLOCKLIGHT2.0 project will take the next step in development of an automated lighting control system that uses bird vocalisations to identify flock behaviour problems and adjust lighting levels to remediate.

Farmers identify the urgent need to better manage flock dynamics in the barn to increase FCR and reduce bullying thus increasing productivity which in turn reduces emissions. Closely controlling chicken environment and movement in the barn increases production efficiency. Automated responsive control of the barn environment can ensure better spacing and reduction of aggressive behaviour through modification of lighting levels. Despite recent production efficiencies through intensification, commercial poultry- farming remains highly labour-intensive and puts pressure on resources, the environment and bird welfare, influencing farm-productivity (12% of poultry produce is lost due to illness or environmental impact)_._ Drawbacks to human-monitoring include risk of flock contamination, adverse farm- worker health and access to limited-frequency/resolution/fidelity data. As such, Our envisaged automated system enables continuous response to chicken conditions without human intervention, improved animal-welfare and optimised farm-management.