Courtney L. Daigle

DEVELOPMENT OF A WIRELESS BODY-MOUNTED SENSOR TO MONITOR LOCATION AND ACTIVITY OF LAYING HENS IN A NON-CAGE HOUSING SYSTEM

A novel wireless body-mounted sensor was developed to remotely monitor the location and activity of laying hens within non-cage housing systems. Legislation and social demand in the U.S. and Europe is pushing the poultry industry to transition primarily to non-cage housing systems. However, non-cage systems typically house hens in groups of tens of thousands, which makes it nearly impossible for caretakers to visually assess the health, welfare, or movement of all individual hens or to follow a particular hen over time. In the present study, laying hens were fitted with a lightweight (10 g) wireless body-mounted sensor to monitor their location in space relative to key resources and general level of physical activity. Sensor data were validated by correlating them to video-based observations of the sensor-wearing hen. In experiment 1, overall agreement of at least 84% was consistently obtained between data from the sensor system and video concerning the hens proximity to specific resources including nestboxes, perches, water, and feeder. Presented data were collected from three 30 min observations from each of three laying hens. In experiment 2, the accelerometer data from a back-mounted sensor were correlated to video-based observations from two 30 min observation sessions from each of two laying hens in order to demonstrate the feasibility of automated activity classification using the developed sensor system.

Assessing Activity and Location of Individual Laying Hens in Large Groups Using Modern Technology

Simple Summary Tracking of individual animals within large groups is increasingly possible offering an exciting opportunity to researchers. Whereas previously only relatively indistinguishable groups of individual animals could be observed and combined into pen level data, we can now focus on individual actors and track their activities across time and space with minimal intervention and disturbance. We describe several tracking systems that are currently in use for laying hens and review each, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, as well as environments or conditions for which they may be most suited, and relevant issues to fit the best technology for the intended purpose. Abstract Tracking individual animals within large groups is increasingly possible, offering an exciting opportunity to researchers. Whereas previously only relatively indistinguishable groups of individual animals could be observed and combined into pen level data, we can now focus on individual actors within these large groups and track their activities across time and space with minimal intervention and disturbance. The development is particularly relevant to the poultry industry as, due to a shift away from battery cages, flock sizes are increasingly becoming larger and environments more complex. Many efforts have been made to track individual bird behavior and activity in large groups using a variety of methodologies with variable success. Of the technologies in use, each has associated benefits and detriments, which can make the approach more or less suitable for certain environments and experiments. Within this article, we have divided several tracking systems that are currently available into two major categories (radio frequency identification and radio signal strength) and review the strengths and weaknesses of each, as well as environments or conditions for which they may be most suitable. We also describe related topics including types of analysis for the data and concerns with selecting focal birds.

Detection of jumping and landing force in laying hens using wireless wearable sensors

Increased mobility of hens in noncaged housing presents possibilities for bone breakage due to crash landings from jumps or flights between perches or housing infrastructure. Because bone breakage is a welfare and economic concern, understanding how movement from different heights affects hen landing impact is important. By tracking 3-dimensional bird movement, an automated sensor technology could facilitate understanding regarding the interaction between noncage laying hens and their housing. A method for detecting jumps and flight trajectories could help explain how jumps from different heights affect hen landing impact. In this study, a wearable sensor-based jump detection mechanism for egg-laying hens was designed and implemented. Hens were fitted with a lightweight (10 g) wireless body-mounted sensor to remotely sample accelerometer data. Postprocessed data could detect occurrence of jumps from a perch to the ground, time of jump initiation, time of landing, and force of landing. Additionally, the developed technology could estimate the approximate height of the jump. Hens jumping from heights of 41 and 61 cm were found to land with an average force of 81.0 ± 2.7 N and 106.9 ± 2.6 N, respectively, assuming zero initial velocity (P < 0.001). This paper establishes the technological feasibility of using body-mounted sensor technology for jump detection by hens in different noncage housing configurations.

Moving GIS Research Indoors: Spatiotemporal Analysis of Agricultural Animals

A proof of concept applying wildlife ecology techniques to animal welfare science in intensive agricultural environments was conducted using non-cage laying hens. Studies of wildlife ecology regularly use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess wild animal movement and behavior within environments with relatively unlimited space and finite resources. However, rather than depicting landscapes, a GIS could be developed in animal production environments to provide insight into animal behavior as an indicator of animal welfare. We developed a GIS-based approach for studying agricultural animal behavior in an environment with finite space and unlimited resources. Concurrent data from wireless body-worn location tracking sensor and video-recording systems, which depicted spatially-explicit behavior of hens (135 hens/room) in two identical indoor enclosures, were collected. The spatial configuration of specific hen behaviors, variation in home range patterns, and variation in home range overlap show that individual hens respond to the same environment differently. Such information could catalyze management practice adjustments (e.g., modifying feeder design and/or location). Genetically-similar hens exhibited diverse behavioral and spatial patterns via a proof of concept approach enabling detailed examinations of individual non-cage laying hen behavior and welfare.

Remote Activity Classification of Hens Using Wireless Body Mounted Sensors

This paper presents the design and implementation of a machine learning based activity classification mechanism for hens using a wearable sensor system. Legislation and social demands in the U.S. and Europe are pushing the poultry industry towards the usage of non-cage housing systems. However, non-cage systems typically house hens in groups of hundreds or thousands, which makes it nearly impossible for caretakers to visually assess the health, welfare, or movement of individual hens or to follow a particular hen over time. In the study, laying hens were fitted with a lightweight (10 g) wireless body-mounted sensor to remotely sample activity data. Specific machine learning mechanisms are used on the features extracted from activity data to identify a target set of activities of the hens. The paper establishes technological feasibility of using such body-mounted sensor systems for accurate hen activity monitoring in a non-cage housing system.

Individual consistency of feather pecking behavior in laying hens: once a feather pecker always a feather pecker?

The pecking behavior [severe feather, gentle feather, and aggressive pecks (AP)] of individual White Shaver non-cage laying hens (n = 300) was examined at 21, 24, 27, 32, and 37 weeks. Hens were housed in 30 groups of 10 hens each and on 3 cm litter with access to a feeder, perch, and two nest boxes. The number of severe feather pecks given (SFPG) and received (SFPR) was used to categorize hens as feather peckers (P), victims (V), neutrals (N), or feather pecker-victims (PV) at each age. Hens categorized as PV exhibited pecking behaviors similar to P and received pecks similar to V. SFP given were correlated with APs given, but not with gentle feather pecks (GFP) given throughout the study. State-transition plot maps illustrated that 22.5% of P remained P, while 44% of PV remained PV throughout the duration of the study. Lifetime behavioral categories identified hens as a consistent feather pecker (5%), consistent neutral (3.9%), consistent victim (7.9%), consistent feather pecker-victim (29.4%), or inconsistent (53.8%) in their behavioral patterns throughout their life. Consistent feather peckers performed more SFP than hens of other categories, and consistent neutral hens received fewer GFP than consistent feather PV. No differences in corticosterone or whole blood serotonin levels were observed among the categories. Approximately, half of the population was classified as a feather pecker at least once during the study, while the remainder was never categorized as a feather pecker. Therefore, even if the development and cause of feather pecking may be multifactorial, once the behavior has been developed, some hens may persist in feather pecking. However, as some hens were observed to never receive or perform SFP, emphasis should be made to select for these hens in future breeding practices.

Investing in stockpeople is an investment in animal welfare and agricultural sustainability

Stockpeople are the stewards of our food animals and play a critical role in agricultural sustainability. Yet, there is a disconnect between the value that is placed upon their role in animal agriculture, their compensation, and the scope of impact they can have on the animal’s productivity, public perception of animal agriculture, and animal welfare (Hemsworth and Coleman, 2011) in the United States and abroad (Table 1). The daily care, long-term health, and productivity of our food animals are the responsibility of the stockperson. Stockpeople are usually regarded as itinerant and unskilled which can result in managers making minimal investments into their development as employees, and producers are increasingly reporting difficulties in identifying qualified applicants. However, because of the critical role the stockperson plays in animal production and welfare, the human resources devoted to selecting, training, and managing these employees need to reflect modern employee management found in other occupations (Hemsworth and Coleman, 2011). Stockmanship is a representation of animal welfare itself, where the entirety of the animal, its physiological, behavioral, and emotional state is managed by their human caretaker, and thus requires a complex and deep skill set to properly implement. As described by Hemsworth and Coleman (2011), the stockperson is required to have:

Parallels between Postpartum Disorders in Humans and Preweaning Piglet Mortality in Sows

Simple Summary Humans and sows are both highly social species that exhibit a wide variety of maternal behaviors and responsivity to pregnancy and parturition. Piglet crushing is a production and welfare concern for the swine industry. Similar to rates of postpartum depression in humans, the performance of piglet crushing is more likely in first-time mothers. Furthermore, hormonal profiles and social factors that influence the development of this disease in humans mirror those observed in sows surrounding parturition. This article reviews the biological, social, and management factors that may be contributing to this problem of piglet crushing through the lens of how postpartum depression develops in humans. Utilizing knowledge from human psychology and animal welfare science may provide producers with management tools to mitigate piglet crushing and provide new insight into the factors that contribute to human postpartum disorders. Abstract Pregnancy and parturition in all mammals is accompanied with physical, psychological, social, and hormonal shifts that impact the mother physically and psychologically. Pre-weaning piglet mortality continues to be a major welfare and economic issue in U.S. swine production, running at 12–15% with crushing by the sow the major cause. Much research has focused on farrowing environment design, yet the fact that little progress has been made emphasizes that psychosocial factors may impact rates of postpartum disorders (PPD). There is a mismatch between evolved adaptations and contemporary psychosocial and management practices. Many factors associated with the development of PPD in humans are mirrored in sows that perform piglet crushing. These factors include poor mental welfare (anxiety, difficulty coping with stress), a lack of experience, a lack of social support, and individual differences in their sensitivity to hormone concentrations. Understanding what strategies are effective in preventing PPD in humans may have welfare and production benefits for sows—and sows may be a possible model for better understanding PPD in humans.

Controlling Feather Pecking and Cannibalism in Egg Laying Flocks

Abstract Globally, feather pecking and cannibalism create economic challenges for the producer and welfare challenges to poultry. Cannibalism may be an unfortunate side effect of uncontrolled feather pecking rather than a result of an aggressive encounter. Two primary types of feather pecking (gentle feather pecking and severe feather pecking) have been characterized in the scientific literature, both of which differ from aggressive pecking. Individual variations in brain morphology, stress responsivity, and genetics influence the development and perseverance of feather pecking. However, providing a consistent supply of quality litter, giving hens adequate access to perches, providing mashed food and nipple drinkers, and ensuring environmentally stable temperature, lighting, and air quality conditions may safeguard against the development of feather pecking. Once feather pecking begins, this behavior can be difficult to stop, so increasing our understanding of hen perception will identify strategies to prevent the development of this detrimental behavior.