The U.S. laying hen industry is transitioning from conventional caged (CC) systems to cage-free (CF) housing as driven by concerns of animal welfare, promoted by public demand for improved conditions and natural behavior among laying hens such as dustbathing (DB). The DB is a functionally important maintenance behavior in birds that clean plumage, realigns feather […]
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Footpad dermatitis (FPD) is a common poultry condition that can negatively influence chickens’ production, welfare, and health. FPD also called pododermatitis, is a widespread condition affecting broilers and laying hens. It is characterized by the development of inflammatory lesions, ulcers, and necrotic tissue on the plantar surface of the chickens’ feet. The FPD condition is […]
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As global demands on the poultry production and welfare both intensify, the precision poultry farming technologies such as computer vision-based cybernetics and robotic system is becoming important in addressing the current issues related to animal welfare and production efficiencies. The integration of computer vision technology has become a catalyst for transformative change in precision farming, […]
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Animal activities and behaviors provide significant insights into the mental and physical well-being of poultry, serving as a key indicator of their health and subjective states. For instance, predicting indoor particulate matter concentration in poultry houses can be informed by broiler activity and ventilation rates. Additionally, locomotor activity acts as a proxy for the gait […]
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In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) advancements have greatly influenced the agricultural industry, particularly with the emergence of large foundation models. One such model, the Segment Anything Model (SAM) developed by Meta AI Research, has revolutionized object segmentation tasks. SAM has a revolutionary object segmentation utility by employing a cutting-edge foundation model. SAM demonstrates extraordinary […]
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Bumblefoot (pododermatitis, footpad dermatitis, or foot rot) is the term used to describe a common bacterial infection and chronic inflammatory reaction in a chicken. It is clinically characterized by swelling, abrasion, hyperkeratosis, and ulceration of the digital pad, planta metatarsal region, or both. Bumblefoot compromises the foot’s internal tissues, including the mesoderm, tendons, and bones, […]
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The Poultry Science Extension team at UGA held our 4th annual Georgia Precision Poultry Farming Conference virtually on May 1st, 2024. This year’s conference received about 380 registrations (e.g., poultry farmers, producers, service company managers, researchers, and students) from over 20 countries. We greatly appreciate the wonderful talk from each speaker and the support from […]
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Poultry locomotion is an important indicator of animal health, welfare, and productivity. Traditional methodologies such as manual observation or the use of wearable devices, encounter significant challenges, including potential stress induction and behavioral alteration in animals. For instance, locomotion speed can be used to predict poultry gait score (an indicator of animal walking status) or […]
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The UGA Poultry Science Department and Extension team will host the 2024 Georgia Precision Poultry Farming Conference virtually on May 1.
The event is free for students and the conference will be recorded for sharing with registered participants.
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This year’s conference will be the fourth annual Georgia Precision Poultry Farming Conference. Our past three conferences […]
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In the USA, cage-free (CF) housing systems have gained popularity as an ethical and humane poultry farming method. However, the concentration of air pollutants inside CF housing, particularly regarding dust or particulate matter (PM), poses a major concern on animals and their caretakers. These air pollutants can threaten bird health and worker safety. Various studies […]
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