Near-infrared imaging (NIR) could non-invasively measure the fat pad weight of live laying hens, providing insight into the birds’ body condition and helping producers develop custom nutrition programs for the flock.
“NIR gets used in a whole lot of different ways. For nutrition, most of the time we’re thinking about it for improving our knowledge of the ingredients we’re using and having better nutrient value for our specific ingredient,” said Rob Payne, Ph.D., director, Poultry Nutrition and Technical Services, Cargill Animal Nutrition.
“In this case, we’re talking about it to measure something in the bird and on the bird.”
At the 2023 Poultry Tech Summit, Payne will discuss how to use NIR to non-invasively collect layer performance data for better insights into poultry diets.
The Poultry Tech Summit, scheduled for November 6-8 at the Hilton Atlanta Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, focuses on the transition of innovative technologies into commercial applications to advance the poultry industry.
Registration for this event is now open. Early bird savings are available.
Non-invasive imaging for real-time adjustments to layer diets
Managing bird performance in real-time is a goal of the poultry industry. However, two of the limitations continue to be the ability to capture data in real-time and the limited ability to accurately predict body condition.
In addition, previously, the only way to measure the fat pad of a layer hen was to sacrifice the birds.
“With this technology, we’re able to measure it in live birds, so it won’t be as invasive anymore. That will allow us to measure more birds in the house and measure more frequently in the house through the different milestones of their age,” Payne explained.
A cloud-based management tool aggregates the performance data of a layer house over time, providing an opportunity to address challenges more proactively.
“A nutritionist would be able to take that information and immediately adapt the diet to ensure that we keep the laying hens at ideal body condition,” he added.
Attend the 2023 Poultry Tech Summit
Join an exclusive international gathering of industry-changing innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, technology experts, investors and leading poultry producers at the 2023 edition of Poultry Tech Summit on November 6-8 at the Hilton Atlanta Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.
Attendees can expect the same groundbreaking innovation and insightful presentations that made the previous events well-attended with deep dialogue on new prospective solutions and next-generation technologies. Poultry Tech Summit focuses on the transition of innovative technologies into commercial applications to advance the poultry industry.
Registration for this event is now open. Early bird savings are available.
