Published on Oct. 1, 2021
Data Insight: what your flock is telling you
A poultry farm generates a lot of data, day in day out. Daily feed intake, growth, egg production, are just few of the data being recorded on the farm. This data can be of great value to your management, as it tells you a lot. But managing this data can be a challenge, as it is different compared to managing your flock. In large parts of the world data is still collected by making use of pen and paper, or also (too) often seen, not recording the data at all. We have developed an application (PRIMA) in which most of the day-to-day data generated at the poultry farm can be stored easily on your mobile phone. This structured way of data collection, and data visualization allows you to be 24/7 in control of your flock(s).
Data collection
It is preferred to collect data daily in a structured way and enter that data in the flock management solution on the same day that it is being collected. This will allow you to better understand what is going on in the poultry house at this moment. When you collect data on a weekly basis, you are always running behind the facts. From the human perspective, 1 week does not seem so to be so long, but from the birds’ perspective it is a significant time, especially when you rear laying hens or keep broilers. When data is collected in a standardized and structured way, it is easier for the egg producer and the technical experts to understand the actual situation at the farm.
Offline data entry
The PRIMA application allows you to be 24/7 in control of your flock(s). The big benefit is that you do not need a connection to use the application as data can be entered and stored offline. Also, you can make use of the remote access functionality, you can easily share your flock with other poultry farmers and poultry farming experts. This can assist them in helping your flock from a distance and they can verify that your flock is doing well in terms of health and productivity. This digital data sharing functionality of PRIMA can help you to steer in time and save money through the entire production cycle.
Data analysis
Most flock management tools will help you to visualize the data with graphs and tables plotted against the breed standard. Visualization will help to better understand how your flock is performing and responding to your management. A warning pops up if unexpected drops in egg production or feed consumption occur, but also when mortality is increased. PRIMA offers timely insight into what is happening with your flock.
The benefit of using PRIMA (or any other flock management solution) is that your data is stored in a structured way, allowing to compare easily between flocks/houses. Data is getting more substantial, but never forget the biological understanding of this data. Chickens are living creatures, and you must observe the flock’s behavior daily, as not all information that your flock is telling you can be captured in data. It is the combination of data visualization and capturing the signals from your flock with your own eyes that can help you to steer your flock in time, which will help to improve the results of your farm.
Tip: we have made easy video tutorials on how to use the PRIMA application, check them out!
Are you no yet ready to use mobile apps? Contact your area or sales manager to ask for handy and easy to use excel-sheets for your breed(s) of interest.
Next to our own still rather basic PRIMA application, more extensive poultry management solutions are available to the global egg and poultry sector. These solutions come in various forms, target various user audiences (from breeders to egg-packers and veterinarians), and various species (almost any feathered farm animal). We have asked several suppliers of these data management solutions to share their insights on data collection and how their poultry management solutions can contribute towards improved data insight and better flock results. Explore Eggbase, Porphyrio and Aniprev
