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Do heavy broiler chickens visit automatic weighing systems less than lighter birds?
A Chedad1, J M Aerts, E Vranken
1Laboratory for Agricultural Buildings Research, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
British Poultry Science
|February 18, 2004
Summary
Heavier broiler chickens visit automatic weighing systems less often, confirming previous hypotheses. This reduced usage, particularly by week 5, impacts the accuracy of broiler weight data.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Agricultural Engineering
- Poultry Production
Background:
- Previous studies indicate accuracy issues with automatic broiler weighing systems.
- Poor agreement between automatic and manual weighing was noted, especially in later growth stages.
- A hypothesis suggested heavier birds avoid weighing systems as they mature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that heavier broilers use automatic weighing systems less frequently.
- To evaluate this under practical, large-scale production conditions.
Main Methods:
- Collected 193,536 digital images of broilers over three 6-week growing periods.
- Utilized image analysis techniques to calculate broiler area (upper view).
- Analyzed broiler distribution on and near weighing platforms.
Main Results:
- The hypothesis was confirmed: heavier broilers were observed to use the weighing system less.
- Statistical differences in broiler area (indicating size/weight) were found between birds on and near the platforms.
- These differences became significant by week 5 of the growing period.
Conclusions:
- Automatic broiler weighing systems may be underestimating average weights due to heavier birds' reduced usage.
- The findings highlight a bias in automatic weighing systems that increases with broiler age.
- Further research may be needed to adjust for this usage bias in automated data collection.
