Application of AIoT Automated Poultry Weighing Systems in Smart Agriculture

Definition and Scope of Smart Agriculture Smart agriculture has emerged as a key agricultural development trend in recent years, aiming to enhance productivity and quality through technological applications. The core concept involves integrating information and communication technologies (ICTs), the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data analytics into agricultural production. These innovations reduce farm operation burdens, lower labor demand, and offer more efficient farm management models.

In Taiwan, climate change has exacerbated extreme weather events, increasing agricultural production risks and creating mounting pressures from food supply shortages and rising food prices. Additionally, the aging rural population and declining birth rates have led to significant labor shortages in agriculture, severely impacting productivity. To address these challenges, the government has been actively promoting the development of smart industries. Priority areas include orchids, seedlings, mushrooms, agricultural facilities, poultry, livestock, aquaculture, rice, export crops, and marine fisheries.

The scope of smart agriculture spans various domains, including crop cultivation, livestock farming, and aquaculture. In the poultry industry, for example, smart agriculture applications include:

• Environmental Monitoring: Sensors track environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and ammonia levels in poultry houses. Automated systems adjust conditions to ensure optimal growth environments.
• Growth Monitoring: Technologies such as image recognition and AIoT-powered automated poultry scales monitor growth indicators like weight and activity. These tools detect abnormalities early, allowing timely interventions.
• Disease Prevention: Combining sound and image recognition technologies, smart systems analyze poultry behavior and physiological data to predict and prevent diseases, reducing morbidity and mortality rates.
• Feed Management: Based on growth conditions and nutritional needs, precise feed formulations are developed and administered using automated systems, improving feed utilization efficiency.

This integration of technology is paving the way for a more efficient, sustainable, and resilient agricultural future.

AIoT Technology Architecture

AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, enabling IoT devices to possess intelligent perception, autonomous learning, and decision-making capabilities. The AIoT technology architecture primarily includes the following layers:

• Perception Layer: Composed of various sensors responsible for collecting environmental and device data, such as temperature, humidity, images, and sound.
• Network Layer: Responsible for data transmission, transferring data collected by the perception layer to the platform layer. Common communication technologies include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 5G.
• Platform Layer: Handles data storage, processing, and analysis, providing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for the application layer.
• Application Layer: Develops various applications based on different use cases, such as smart home, smart agriculture, and smart healthcare.

For example, in an AIoT automated poultry weighing system, the perception layer's camera captures poultry images, the network layer transmits the image data to the cloud platform, the platform layer analyzes the images using AI models to calculate the number and weight of poultry, and finally, the application layer presents the analysis results to the user, offering alerts and decision support.

AIoT Automated Poultry Weighing System

Working Principle

The AIoT automated poultry weighing system integrates AI image recognition technology with IoT technology. Its working principle is as follows:

1. Image Collection: Captures images of poultry inside the poultry house using cameras.
2. AI Recognition: Employs AI image recognition technology to automatically identify and count the number of poultry in the images.
3. Weight Calculation: Divides the total weight on the weighing platform by the number of poultry identified by AI to determine the average weight per bird.
4. Data Upload: Uploads the calculated poultry weight data to a cloud platform via IoT technology.

Key Features

The AIoT automated poultry weighing system offers the following features:

• 24-Hour Weight Monitoring: Enables round-the-clock automatic monitoring of poultry weight without manual intervention.
• Compatibility with All Breeds: Suitable for various poultry breeds, such as chickens, ducks, and geese.
• Auto-Tare Function: Ensures accurate measurements by resetting the scale automatically.
• Abnormal Weight Alerts: Issues warnings when poultry weights are abnormal, helping farmers address issues promptly.
• Quick Installation: Easy to install and deploy in a short time.
• CV Value Calculation: Calculates the coefficient of variation (CV) for poultry weights, assisting farmers in assessing growth uniformity.
• High Accuracy: Offers precise weight measurements, with systems like the iCHASE AIoT automated poultry weighing system achieving up to 98.7% accuracy.

Individual Identification

The AIoT automated poultry weighing system can integrate with technologies such as electronic ear tags to enable individual poultry identification. Through individual identification, farmers can track data such as each bird’s growth, health status, and feed consumption, allowing for more precise management.

Technical Specifications

The technical specifications of the AIoT automated poultry weighing system vary by manufacturer and model. Below are some common specifications:

Application Case of AIoT 

Automated Poultry Weighing System in Smart Agriculture Several manufacturers have introduced AIoT automated poultry weighing systems, such as Yuchuang Technology's AIoT Automated Poultry Weighing System. This product has been implemented in some poultry farms, assisting farmers with poultry growth monitoring and feeding management.

Poultry Growth Monitoring 

Using the AIoT automated poultry weighing system, farmers can:

• Monitor Poultry Weight in Real-Time: Access individual poultry weight data at any time, as well as the flock's average weight and weight distribution.
• Generate Growth Curves: The system automatically generates growth curves for the poultry, helping farmers understand growth trends.
• Predict Market-Ready Time: Based on the poultry's growth curve, predict the optimal time for selling, improving economic efficiency.
• Enhance Animal Welfare: The system helps monitor the health of the poultry, such as detecting underweight or overweight birds. It enables early detection of growth abnormalities, allowing for timely measures to reduce stress and disease, ultimately improving animal welfare.

Disease Prevention 

Abnormal changes in poultry weight may indicate signs of disease. With the AIoT automated poultry weighing system, farmers can:

• Detect Abnormalities Early: The system automatically issues weight anomaly alerts, notifying farmers to check poultry health.
• Integrate with Other Data: Combine weight data with other indicators, such as activity levels and feed intake, for a more accurate assessment of potential illnesses.
• Take Timely Action: Identify sick birds early for isolation and treatment, preventing the spread of diseases.
• Enhance Biosecurity: The system reduces the frequency of manual entry into poultry houses, lowering the risk of disease transmission and improving biosecurity.

Feed Management 

Poultry weight growth is closely related to the nutritional composition and feeding quantity of feed. The AIoT automated poultry weighing system enables farmers to:

• Precisely Adjust Feed Formulas: Adjust feed formulations based on poultry weight growth to ensure optimal nutrition.
• Optimize Feed Quantity: Precisely control feed amounts according to poultry weight and growth stages, reducing feed waste.
• Lower Rearing Costs: Improve feed utilization efficiency, thereby reducing overall rearing costs.
• Data-Driven Decisions: The data provided by the AIoT automated poultry weighing system helps farmers make precise adjustments to feed formulas and feeding strategies, optimize flock management, and ultimately increase profitability.

Integrated Applications

The AIoT automated poultry weighing system can be integrated with other smart agriculture technologies, such as environmental monitoring systems and poultry behavior monitoring systems, to create a comprehensive "Poultry AI Hub." By combining different technologies, farmers can gain a holistic understanding of poultry growth, health, and environmental conditions, achieving more precise and efficient farming management.

Drone Applications 

In addition to traditional weighing platforms, AIoT technology can also be applied to drones for poultry weight measurement. Drones can enter poultry houses, capture close-up images of poultry, and estimate their weight using AI technology. This method reduces disturbances to the poultry and improves measurement efficiency.

Benefits and Challenges of AIoT Automated Poultry Weighing Systems

Benefits

• Improved Production Efficiency: Automated weight monitoring saves labor costs and enhances work efficiency.
• Enhanced Poultry Quality: Accurate monitoring of poultry growth ensures optimal growth environments and feeding management, improving poultry quality.
• Reduced Rearing Costs: Precision feed management increases feed utilization efficiency, reducing rearing costs.
• Increased Economic Returns: Predicting the optimal market-ready time boosts the market value of poultry and enhances profitability.
• Reduced Waste and Improved Sustainability: Precision farming management minimizes feed, water, and energy consumption while reducing waste emissions, promoting the sustainability of poultry farming.

Challenges

The application of AIoT automated poultry weighing systems also faces several challenges:

• Equipment Costs: High initial investment cost for AIoT automated poultry weighing systems.
• Technical Barriers: Requires a certain level of technical knowledge to operate and maintain the equipment correctly.
• Data Security: Ensuring the security and privacy of poultry weight data is essential.

Future Prospects for AIoT Automated Poultry Weighing Systems

With the advancement of AIoT technology, AIoT automated poultry weighing systems are expected to become more intelligent and precise. In the future, they may:

• Integrate More Features: Include functionalities such as poultry behavior analysis and disease diagnostics to provide comprehensive health monitoring.
• Enhance Data Analysis Capabilities: Combine big data analytics and machine learning to more accurately predict growth trends and disease risks.
• Enable Personalized Farming: Develop tailored rearing plans based on each bird's growth and health status.
• Drive Industry Transformation: Address challenges such as labor shortages and disease risks in the poultry industry while meeting the growing demand for poultry products, thereby facilitating industry transformation and upgrading.
• Government Support and Industry Collaboration:
• Government initiatives, such as the "New Agriculture Innovation Promotion Program," provide subsidies or facilitate partnerships to encourage industry investment. Future efforts by government agencies and academia-industry alliances, like the "4.0 Industry Service Group," will further develop and promote smart agriculture, positioning Taiwan uniquely in global agriculture.

Relevant Regulations

In Taiwan, regulations and policies related to poultry farming and smart agriculture are primarily formulated and enforced by the Ministry of Agriculture (formerly the Council of Agriculture). Key regulations include:

• Animal Husbandry Act: Governs the establishment, registration, and management of livestock farms.
• Standards for the Construction of Major Livestock Farm Facilities: Specifies technical standards for the construction of primary livestock farm facilities.
• Animal Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act: Regulates the prevention, control, and eradication of animal infectious diseases.

Conclusion

The AIoT automated poultry weighing system is a vital application in smart agriculture, significantly enhancing the efficiency and quality of poultry farming while improving animal welfare. Through automated monitoring, precise feeding management, and disease prevention, the system helps farmers address labor shortages, reduce rearing costs, improve poultry quality and yield, and increase economic benefits.

Although the initial investment cost for AIoT automated poultry weighing systems is high and requires technical knowledge for proper operation and maintenance, these challenges will gradually be overcome with the advancement of AIoT technology, improvements in regulations and policies, and support from the government and industry collaboration.

The AIoT automated poultry weighing system will play an increasingly crucial role in smart agriculture, delivering greater economic and social benefits to the poultry industry and driving Taiwan’s agriculture toward the goal of sustainable development.

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