TITLE:
Using Video Cameras to Examine the Vitality of Broilers for Facilitating Precision Livestock Farming Technology Adoption in the Poultry Industries
AUTHORS:
Uri Marchaim, Moshe Meron, Rami R. Hagege, Dan Levanon
KEYWORDS:
PLF/Smart Technologies, ICT Tools, Vitality, Implementation, Technology Barriers
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Animal Sciences,
Vol.16 No.4,
September
29,
2026
ABSTRACT: At MIGAL - Galilee Research Institute in collaboration with Lulei-Of-HaGalil poultry production integration, we developed a novel video analysis system that is combined with an Enviro-Detect (ED) systems to detect better vitality, growth and welfare indicators of poultry flocks and enhance on-farm decision making. The developed technology and methodology, that was validated and implemented in two broiler-houses in each farm, is a holistic Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) system for broiler-houses. It integrates innovative environmental monitoring and AI-driven analysis of broilers vitality to improve broilers health, maintain productivity, save costs and reduce environmental footprint. It was demonstrated that by using environmental intelligence in farms that a solution can be reached to these customers’ problems, by integrating environmental monitoring with smart interventions while cooperating with the farmers and their representatives. The Lulei-Of-HaGalil Integration represents a regional poultry-production integration in the Upper Galilee, based on a cooperative network of local broiler farms that supply poultry to the Of-HaGalil processing system. The integration coordinates production planning, flock management, feed supply, professional guidance, veterinary oversight, data collection, and marketing/processing interfaces, thereby functioning as a structured farm-to-processing value chain embedded in the regional agricultural ecosystem to enhance on-farm decision making. Poultry farmers spend a great deal of time checking the health and welfare of their chickens. This can mean walking through the flock several times a day monitoring for signs of poor health. This PLF system links continual on-board image analysis, with a low-cost camera mounted in the broiler house to provide regular updates on flock movement throughout the day, representing their validity and, in case of reduced movement, send an alarm to the farmer. The algorithm developed recognises subtle changes in patterns of behaviour and the information is provided to the farmer throughout the day as a brief report.