Pesagem automática em tempo real para frangos de corte: validação do sistema birdsys

Abstract

Broiler poultry production, although highly technified, still lacks efficient methods for acquiring real-time zootechnical data. Manual weighing, the predominant method, is labor-intensive, prone to error, and stressful for the animals. Precision Livestock Farming offers an alternative by integrating technology to automate monitoring processes and improve measurement accuracy. This study aimed to develop and validate the BirdSys automatic weighing system for real-time monitoring of live body weight in broilers under commercial conditions. An automatic scale equipped with a load cell (10 kg capacity, 0.1% accuracy) was developed and installed in a commercial broiler house containing 44,000 Cobb birds. The experimental protocol for development and implementation of the automated weighing system was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA), protocol number 2200022. Birds were weighed as they accessed the platform, and the collected data were processed using the BirdSys software (pmppa.com.br/birdsys). Automatic measurements were compared to manual weighing using linear regression analysis. The system collected an average of 2,034 records per day. Linear regression indicated a high correlation between methods (R² = 0.999), with a minimal difference of 0.01%. A correction factor of 3.47 g was implemented in the software. BirdSys proved to be a precise and feasible tool for automatic weighing, providing reliable real-time data. This technology enables efficient monitoring, reduces animal stress, and supports data-driven decision-making, contributing to improved productivity and animal welfare.