JEONJU, Sept. 26 (Korea Bizwire) – In a significant leap for smart farming technology, South Korean researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system capable of identifying non-laying hens in commercial egg operations, the Rural Development Administration (RDA) announced on September 25.
The innovative technology, a result of collaboration between the National Institute of Animal Science, Jeonbuk National University, LG U+, and Mcopia uses AI to automatically recognize eggs on collection belts and analyze the number of eggs collected per cage.
This allows farmers to distinguish between non-laying hens and those with a laying rate below 50%.
Funded by the Smart Farm R&D Foundation’s multi-agency package innovation technology development project, this breakthrough addresses a persistent issue in the poultry industry.
Approximately 3% of hens in typical farming operations are either non-layers or under-producers, resulting in an estimated annual feed cost loss of 38.9 billion won for the South Korean poultry sector.
“By implementing this technology, a farm with 100,000 hens could save about 70 million won annually on feed costs,” said a spokesperson for the RDA.
Traditionally, identifying non-laying hens required manual inspection by experts, a time-consuming and costly process that many farmers found impractical. The new AI system promises to streamline this process significantly.
An artificial intelligence system capable of identifying non-laying hens in commercial egg operations (Image courtesy of the Rural Development Administration)
To ensure accuracy across various farm environments, researchers trained the AI model to recognize eggs regardless of factors such as collection belt color, material, speed, egg color and orientation, or coop brightness. The system boasts a 95% accuracy rate in identifying problematic cages.
A web-based monitoring system allows farmers to easily view information about underperforming cages and average laying rates on computers or tablets.
The technology’s design considers the diverse structures of cages and egg collection systems, featuring easily attachable and detachable camera equipment to enhance adaptability.
Moon Byung-yeon, the owner of Isung Farm in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, who participated in field testing, expressed optimism about the system’s potential.
“This technology will significantly aid farm management by easily identifying problematic hens and reducing feed costs,” Moon said.
Im Gi-sun, head of the National Institute of Animal Science, outlined plans for the technology’s future: “We will pursue commercialization through our research partners and transfer the AI models and related patents to interested companies, ensuring this technology benefits farmers.”
Im added that the institute would also share AI learning data acquired during research to contribute to the broader growth of smart farm technology.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
