This is an initial draft blog page for organization and display of project ideas. Further project development will define how this page is updated until a final version is concluded.
The following two project ideas serve as an outline for each of their core concepts and purposes. After a definite arrangement of which concepts would be used in each project, a final project proposal will be created with the goal of selecting which idea will be fully developed.
If asked what is the most consumed animal protein in your country, what would you probably answer? Beef? Pork maybe? Well, in fact, in several countries, the answer to this question is actually chicken (Time & Taste Inc). This means that poultry farming is at its current peak, demanding a large quantity of dedicated manpower and technology. At the same time, the conditions with which the animals are treated have also been publicized and criticized, given the poor quality of the work environment the workers are put through and lack of versatility when tending to a large number of animals (Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science.
With this in mind the ChickenIO introduces new concepts and innovations when it comes to monitoring and managing a poultry farm. This includes not only completely removing the necessity of human interaction when feeding the animals, but also a thorough supervision of the fowl, particular to each one's physical characteristics, with the goal of ensuring a healthy environment and growth.
Source: [Person Feeding White Chicken Outdoor](<https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-feeding-white-chicken-outdoor-375510/>)
The project will involve the integration of the mechanical aspects of control with environmental monitoring through sensors and the constant identification of the fowl. This will be naturally incorporated into a cloud-based system to be displayed to a user-friendly tool for tracking the system's functionalities and results.
Each animal needs to be easily identifiable in a fast and effortless way. This will be achieved with the help of radio frequency identification (RFID), with tags attached to the shank of every hen. strategically placed RFID readers will control exactly which animal is active at a key position, like the feeder.
Speaking of which, the feeder is the focal point of the ChickenIO, where the fowl will be separated and fed individually to ensure the unique treatment each animal should receive — the use of perches is ideal for such a task. Upon entering the feeder, the fowl will be weighed, its picture recorded and the food it has eaten logged. This information is essential, since given different hen characteristics and feeding history, its food ration might differ. A certain hen A could be required to eat 150g of food spread through 3 separate meals, whereas another hen B only needs 100g separated into 2 meals. The assurance that this is properly carried out is fundamental to treating each animal considering their particular needs.
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Sources: [What is RFID?](<https://www.mikroe.com/blog/what-is-rfid>); [Humidity](<https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/kits-guru-dht11-module-temperature-and-humidity-sensor-module-16694707255.html>); [Lighting](<https://br.banggood.com/Light-Sensor-Module-Light-Photosensitive-Sensor-Board-Light-Intensity-Sensor-Module-p-1227261.html?cur_warehouse=CN>); [LEDs](<https://visualled.com/pt/glossario-pt/led-dip/>); [Camera](<https://www.zigobot.ch/fr/capteurs-et-peripheriques/cam%C3%A9ra/module-mini-camera-shield-w-5-mp-ov5642-pour-arduino-uno-mega2560-detail.html>); [Cloud](<https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/cloud_4267640>); [Interface](<https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/interface_2462992>)
Cameras will be placed in the environment to allow for proper control and monitoring of the fowl activity, along with humidity and light sensors, which will indicate whether the conditions are adequate or not for the animals. This data, along with their individual information, will be sent to a cloud database service, accessible via a website where graphs, plots and detailed information can be found.