University of Georgia uses RFID to track hens

With the continuous development of chicken farming, cage-free farming system is becoming a new trend in the industry. While this type of farming gives chickens more freedom of movement, it also brings a new set of challenges, such as pecking behaviour of chickens and problems such as bone fractures. To address these issues, the University of Georgia in the United States has begun exploring the use of RFID technology to monitor the activity trajectories of cage-free laying hens and to study the relationship between trajectories and fracture risk.

The research team installed travelling wave antennas at the entrances to each floor to capture RFID tag readings as the laying hens entered and exited to determine the direction and frequency of their activity. By tracking 160 hens for up to 12 weeks, the team was able to obtain a wealth of data on the activity levels of the laying hens.

To verify the accuracy of the RFID technology, the research team also installed coloured leg bands on some of the laying hens and video cameras on different layers to analyse whether the readings from the RFID tags were consistent with the activity captured on video. The results showed that RFID readings were 87%, suggesting that RFID technology can be used as an effective tool to monitor the activity levels of laying hens.

Further analyses revealed that the incidence of fractures was also relatively high in hens with higher activity heights. These active hens performed multiple jumps and other manoeuvres throughout the day. In contrast, less active laying hens were more inclined to stay in the lower levels and had a lower incidence of fractures. This finding provides new ideas for reducing the risk of fracture in laying hens by adjusting the farming environment or management practices to reduce the height of activity of laying hens, thereby reducing the incidence of fracture.

This study not only proves the practicality of RFID technology in cage-free egg farming, but also provides a new way to solve problems such as egg fracture. With the continuous progress of technology and in-depth research, cage-free egg farming will be more healthy, efficient and sustainable in the future.