Georgia Researchers Turn to Smart Tech to Improve Poultry House Conditions

The Farm Monitor takes us along to see how they’re leaning on technology to improve poultry production.

TIFTON, Ga. (Farm Monitor) — Keeping a poultry house comfortable is key to a happy flock.

Dr. Brian Fairchild, a professor with the University of Georgia’s Department of Poultry Science, says tools like thermal cameras, pressure gauges, and airflow monitors help producers keep conditions in check.

Fairchild says thermal cameras allow producers to quickly spot temperature differences inside a poultry house. Birds naturally give off heat, showing up brighter on the screen, while cooler areas appear darker. That can be especially important when birds are young and more sensitive to colder temperatures.

He says pressure gauges are another tool, helping producers identify potential air leaks inside the house.

Those measurements can be used with Poultry411, an app Fairchild developed to help producers calculate and manage different environmental factors.

“We developed the Poultry411 app about five or six years ago. It’s got five calculators in it. Probably the two that you use the most are the minimum ventilation calculator and the poultry house leakage calculator.”

The Poultry411 app is available on both iOS and Android and includes tools for English and Spanish users.

LEARN MORE: Poultry 411

Related Stories
Rayburn Electric Cooperative’s Chris Anderson discusses rapid AI data center expansion, mounting pressure on the electric grid, and impacts on agriculture and rural communities.
The latest Meat Demand Monitor shows strong retail demand for beef products like ribeye steaks and ground beef.
Egg production accounted for much of the increase.
Agri Stats would no longer be allowed to show participant lists, rankings, or “flags,” and it could only report individual company data in narrow situations.
Autumn Lankford Higgins with the Farm Bureau joins us to discuss data center expansion on farmland, rural policy considerations, and the role of agriculture in emerging digital infrastructure.
Jonathan Braley joins us to discuss rising cybersecurity threats in agriculture, the risks of ransomware attacks, and how Food and Ag-ISAC’s new guide can help businesses better protect themselves.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

The topic of this Firm to Farm blog post by RFD-TV agri-legal expert Roger McEowen is a potpourri of legal issues facing farmers and ranchers—farm bankruptcy, sovereign immunity, farm leases, and pipeline damages.
FarmHER to premiere on Tuesday, March 19th at 9 p.m. ET with 6 New Episodes; and RanchHER to premiere on Tuesday, April 30th at 9 p.m. ET with 6 New Episodes
Mon, 3/4/24 – 8 PM ET | 7 PM CT | 6 PM MT | 5 PM PT
What can these facilities do to protect themselves? I wrote about this issue last spring, and since that time, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has issued a significant opinion. That makes an update in order.