FAI Farms Launches Flockwise Project to Enhance Laying Hen Welfare

FAI Farms, in collaboration with The Lakes Free Range Egg Company, Newcastle University, and Agri-Tech Centre UK, has secured Innovate funding for an innovative project titled Flockwise. This three-year initiative aims to advance the award-winning BirdBox technology to improve health and welfare management for cage-free laying hens, thereby boosting efficiency and productivity for farmers.

For over 20 years, FAI Farms has leveraged scientific methods and technological advancements to develop tools that enhance on-farm results and promote sustainability across the farmed animal supply chain.

Introduction of BirdBox Technology

The BirdBox system, formulated by David Brass from the Lake Free Range Egg Company, along with their farmers and FAI Farms, integrates data collection and analysis from the farm to the packing center. Utilizing in-house sensors and on-farm software, BirdBox has demonstrated its ability to enhance bird health and welfare while increasing productivity. The system’s intuitive dashboards provide egg packers with insights into performance across their supply chain, leading to optimized operations.

Impressive Productivity Gains

Producers who have implemented the BirdBox system have reported an average increase of 3.5% in eggs produced per hen and a 1.8% reduction in mortality rates. This improvement has proven to deliver returns on investment within a single flock of approximately 16,000 birds.

Expanding the Flockwise Project

The Flockwise initiative, which stands for Facilitating Learning Opportunities, Cultivating Knowledge and Welfare through Integrated Sensing and Expertise, will further enhance health, welfare, and productivity monitoring by integrating novel sensors. These sensors will provide real-time insights, utilizing artificial intelligence to interpret data and aid farmers and the wider supply chain.

FAI Farms emphasized that Flockwise aims to tackle pressing health and welfare issues within laying hen populations, including challenges such as piling, smothering, pecking, and respiratory diseases. The project will employ bird vocalizations and egg quality indicators to monitor the health and welfare status of flocks in real time.

Understanding Bird Vocalizations

Birds exhibit different vocalizations when they are stressed or unwell, often serving as the first indication of a problem to farmers or experienced stock-people. The Flockwise project will implement advanced sound technology to correlate the calls of hens with specific health and welfare concerns, enhancing caregivers’ ability to monitor flocks effectively, even in their absence.

This technology will not only identify distress sounds but also assess variations in vocalizations that indicate heightened risks, allowing farmers to respond proactively to potential health issues.

Monitoring Egg Quality

Egg quality often declines when birds experience stress. By utilizing data gathered during the grading of eggs at the packing facility, the BirdBox system will monitor flock health, alerting producers to any emerging challenges that could impact productivity.

Economic Benefits and Future Potential

Professor Lucy Asher from Newcastle University remarked, “Flockwise presents a unique opportunity to work closely with the laying hen industry to promote advancements in animal welfare and sustainability.”

Carly Scott, director and project lead at FAI Farms, noted, “With BirdBox, we’ve observed the advantages of effectively monitoring flock conditions. This new development allows farmers to better comprehend their birds’ health and welfare, enabling preventive measures while promoting productivity.”

David Brass, Chief Executive at the Lakes Free Range Egg Co Ltd, stated, “This innovative research could revolutionize poultry welfare and production, marking a pivotal moment after 14 years of collaboration on the BirdBox system.”

According to Defra, the three-year trial aims to enhance animal welfare and potentially lower egg prices for British consumers. “This technology will help hens lead longer, healthier lives while also benefitting the environment by reducing the carbon footprint associated with poultry farming.”

If successfully implemented on a national scale, Defra anticipates that Flockwise could lead to an annual increase of 1.7 billion eggs and a £280 million uplift in UK farmers’ incomes.