Ethometer: monitoring animal behaviour

Combining data using smart technology to generate valuable information is important. And that is precisely the focus of one of our innovative projects, called the ‘Ethometer’. A behavioural study can help us determine whether an animal is feeling good. A camera system automatically keeps track of animal behaviour, so we can establish a dynamic ethogram to record the natural behaviour of a particular ock.

Researcher and poultry veterinarian Willem Dekkers: “If you want to be able to say something about the welfare of an animal, you need to look at the animal itself. Anyone working with animals already actually does so on a daily basis. For example, do the chickens preen themselves suf ciently, get enough exercise and eat well? If you then score their behaviour in a table, the result is a so-called ethogram. Using a camera to do so offers so many advantages. You can score many more animals simultaneously, which makes it much less labour intensive.”

Eyes in the barn 24/7

This idea prompted the Information Products theme team to initiate a project. “The Ethometer provides poultry farmers with a greater volume of more comprehensive, accurate and ready information, which they can then submit. It gives them eyes in the barn as it were, 24/7. The system notices any changes in behaviour, which are communicated immediately via an app. This system can also support the poultry chain in a more general sense, by proving that chickens are behaving in a natural manner, for example,” explains Willem.

Smart technology

We make use of smart technology for the Ethometer, and are collaborating closely with a software company for that purpose. An advanced algorithm recognises the individual chickens and another algorithm assesses their behaviour. “The system is already functioning very well,” says Willem. “Of course we still need to optimise a few details here and there, but we’re extremely satis ed so far. It’s now time to scale up the operation and introduce the Ethometer to multiple houses. We hope to have the rst prototype, including the app, up and running by the end of this year.”