Special Issue "Real-time Modeling of Broiler Activity"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Poultry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Erik Vranken
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Biosystems, Division Animal & Human Health Engineering (A2H), KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30 bus 2456, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium
Interests: real-time monitoring of broiler flock's welfare status, behaviors, and pigs health status;

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the growing world population, 70% more food has to be produced over the next 30 years. Poultry meat is currently the main source of animal protein produced worldwide and is expected to comprise approximately 38% of global demand for animal protein by 2028. At the same time, ethical and moral concerns about the way we produce our food have gained prominence in our society. Considering the welfare of farm animals and the sustainability of animal production systems has resulted in important discussions and new technologies are required to assess the welfare status of the animals. Camera technologies and image analysis tools offer new opportunities to automatically assess the welfare of broiler-related behaviors, especially in relation to gait abnormalities, hock burn and foot pad dermatitis.

Automatic monitoring of activity levels in broiler chicken flocks may allow early detection of irregular activity patterns, indicating potential problems in the flock. Dynamic control of broiler activity during the growing period may improve the muscular-skeletal development thereby reducing leg disorders and improving the welfare of the animals. From these methods it is possible to develop automatic monitoring systems, which can notify the producer when the activity in the broiler flock deviates from an expected level at a given age. Such monitoring systems have the potential to improve the welfare and production efficiency of commercial broiler chickens.

Original manuscripts that address any aspects of real-time monitoring and modeling of broiler activity are invited for this Special Issue. In particular, aspects such as monitoring technologies, data analysis techniques and issues regarding practical implementation in commercial farms are welcome.

Dr. Erik Vranken
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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