Biotelemetry: A Step Forward for Management of Poultry Production
1Manoj Kumar Singh, 2Jinu Manoj, 3R.K. Sharma, 4Amit Kumar, 5Mohit Bharadwajand 6Sachin Dongare
1Assistant Professor, Department of Livestock Production Management, COVAS, SVPUAT, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
2ADIO, Central Laboratory, LUVAS, Hisar, Haryana
3Professor & Head, Department of Livestock Production Management, GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand
4Professor & Head, Department of Livestock Production Management, COVAS, SVPUAT, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
4Ph.D. scholar, Department of Animal Nutrition, GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand
,6Ph.D. scholar, Department of Livestock Production Management, GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand
Email: drmanoj611@gmail.com
- Introduction
Biotelemetry is defined as the remote detection and measurement of physiological, bioelectrical, and behavioral variables to monitor function, activity, or condition of conscious unrestrained humans or animals. This encompasses a broad range of techniques of varying invasiveness including video monitoring, non-contact thermometry, radio tracking and the use of internally or externally mounted remote sampling systems. Biotelemetry is not a new concept and it was first introduced by Einthoven in 1903 when he measured the electrocardiogram using immersion electrodes remotely connected to a galvanometer via telephone lines. In later years, NASA played a big role in the advancement of biotelemetry by using it to transmit astronaut biomedical data such as heart rate and body temperature to earth.
Biotelemetry consists of sensing the variable of interest from the animal using miniaturesensors or transducers. These can be placed on the animal, ingested by the animal, orimplanted inside the animal by means of injection or surgery. The output of the sensor ortransducer is modulated to a form which can be transmitted wirelessly over a distance fromthe animal to a receiver using an embedded transmitter. The received signal is demodulatedand the measured variable extracted through proper signal conditioning and calibration by thedata acquisition system.
Typically, variables that have been monitored through biotelemetry fall in four categories: (1) Bioelectrical such as ECG, EMG, and EEG; (2) physiological such as blood pressure, blood flow, and temperature; (3) behavioral such as activity levels; and (4) chemical such as pH. Through biotelemetry, it is possible to continuously monitor multiple physiological variables without handling or restraining the animal and attaching it to wires and probes. This reduces stress and physiological disturbance of animals by removing the influence of the measurement procedure and thereby improving the quality of data.
- Biotelemetry systems
A typical biotelemetry system consists of the following components: (1)transmitter, (2)receiver/decoder, and (3) data acquisition unit. The sensor and the transmitter are usuallycombined into one unit which is implanted in or ingested by the animal. The transducerdetects the physiological variable and converts it into a form which can modulate the signalfrom the transmitter. The main role of the receiver is to decode or demodulate the signal, i.econvert it to the original signal being measured. Dedicated multichannel programmablereceivers with computer interfacing capabilities are now commercially available. The data acquisition system turns the received signal into measurements of thevariable being monitored based on the calibration information provided by the user. Thedata acquisition system is usually interfaced with a computer to provide a user-friendlyinterface which facilitates control of the measurements as well as storage of the collecteddata.
A variety of biotelemetry equipment is available for detecting, monitoring, and storing variousvariables. Some of these systems are designed to be implanted inside the animal, ingested by the animal, and others are to be attached to the animal. The transmitters inthese biotelemetry systems vary in size, resolution, range, communication links, sampling rate,number of channels, number of sensors per transmitter, and power consumption. They mayconsist of many different types of sensors such as temperature,biopotential, and acousticmonitoring, and visible and infrared imaging, which are able to monitor a wide variety ofelectrical, physiological, chemical, and behavioral conditions.
Use of biotelemetry in poultry production research
Poultry production has changed radically from the traditional flock running loose in thefarmyard to a system where the majority of production is carried out in large confinedfacilities. Animals that are grown indoors are more susceptible to stress and diseases.Environmental stresses cause substantial economic losses due to increased mortality,downgrading and condemnations of carcasses and associated problems of environmentalpollution, reduced production, reduced feed intake and body weight gain, and impairedimmune function. Poultryresearchers and ultimately poultry growers need to understand how the birds respond toenvironmental stressors to make improved management decisions. Externally noticeableresponses to environmental stressors are usually preceded by internal physiologicalresponses, such as a change in body core temperature and/or heart rate, which oftenprovide the first stress indicators. These physiological responses, if measured properly, arethe ultimate indicators of stress and they allow us to detect stress at much earlier stages.Technological advances in biotelemetry have fueled the notion among researchers thatmanagement of poultry production could be significantly improved through real-timephysiological monitoring of the birds. Hence, biotelemetryhas been successfully used in a wide range of research pertaining to poultry production.
3.1 Biotelemetry validation studies in poultry
Many poultry biotelemetry studies were aimed at validating new commercially availabletelemetry systems and measurement techniques, and have clearly demonstrated theireffectiveness for accurate continuous monitoring of poultry physiology. The majority ofthese studies were concerned with monitoring of temperature. Evaluation of atelemetry-based deep body temperature measurement system for use in poultry research as well as research involving livestock. For poultry, the deep body temperaturemeasurements sensors were of the ingestible type allowing for short–term monitoring and used computational algorithms to filter out spurious data. The sensorssuccessfully detected body temperature variations due to diurnal rhythm, as well asnoticeable responses in deep body temperature to step changes in ambient temperature. The use of a biotelemetrytemperature monitoring system in a chicken embryo,determined the impact of the implanted temperature transponder on embryo mortality aswell as the optimal location (air cell, albumen, or yolk) and day of implantation in the egg.
3.2 Poultry stress studies using biotelemetry
Mostly concerned with monitoring and evaluating physiological and behavioralresponses of poultry under various stressful environmental stimuli and managementconditions to (1) gain a better understanding of poultrythermoregulatory responses; (2)improve management practices; and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of various environmentalconditions. The most studied environmental variable is temperature and also on humidity and air velocity. Poultry response variables that can be examinedinclude deep body temperature, brain and heart activityand physical activity. Heat stress results from the inability of birds tothermoregulate and maintain homeostasis under elevated ambient temperatures andhumidity.Telemetry sensorswere implanted in the body cavity to monitoring temperature of chicken embryo undernatural brooding conditions in an effort to determine artificial incubation conditions.
In recent years, heart rate, heart rate variability and skin temperature have been increasingly used in animalresearch to study disease, stress, characteristics, and welfare of animals during transportation. Heart rate studies focused on the development of cardiac rhythms a study used to better understand the relationshipbetween coping style and feather pecking. High levels of carbon dioxide in 2-week-oldbroilers increases the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias.Use of wireless accelerometer-based body-mountedsensor to remotely monitor the location and activity of unrestrained laying hens to enablecare givers to visually assess the health, welfare, ormovement of hens or to follow aparticular hen over time.
Biotelemetry can also be used for intermittent physiologicalmonitoring of poultry on different diets and under changing lighting conditions. Thepurpose was to determine whether measurements of poultry electrocardiograms (ECG) andtemperature over extended periods of time could provide useful physiological informationabout broilers at risk for sudden death syndrome, and therefore give some insight into theunderlying mechanisms of the syndrome. Transmitters were implanted subcutaneously atthe base of the right side of the neck with ECG leads placed over the right shoulder and leftgroin areas.We can monitor heart rate, bodytemperature, and locomotor activity of hens as stress indicators to evaluatethe effects ofsudden changes to different management factors, such as food withdrawal and reduction tolighting hours. Sudden changes in a management programhave significant measurable impact on the birds.
3.3 Modeling poultry physiological responses
Continuous biotelemetry monitoring of poultry provides dynamic responses that definerelationships with environmental variables. Combining continuous environmental recordsand response measures allows models to be constructed to predict future outcomes for arange of inputs. Some researchers have studied predictability ofphysiological responses of poultry to various environmental variablesused a recursive regression model to predict 15 min ahead heart rate responses to changes inAT and light-dark alternations. The use of artificial neuralnetwork models to predict deep body temperature (DBT) responses of broilers to stressfulstep changes in ambient temperature. Experiments were conducted using a telemetry
system to measure DBT responses of birds under various stress conditions. The collecteddata was used to train and test various neural network architectures. The ability of the developed models to predict DBTresponses to AT schedules not used in training and/or responses from a bird not used intraining wasexamined. The models performed reasonably well when predicting responsesof a different bird to AT schedules used in training. The models performed well whenpredicting responses of a bird used in training to new AT schedules. However, predictionsof the models were less accurate when dealing with a different AT schedule on a differentbird. The neural networks could potentially be used for predicting the impact of heat stress conditionson bird physiology.
3.4 Environmental control of poultry housing using telemetric real-time physiologicalfeedback
Environmental control is an important factor in the alleviation of heat stress in poultryenvironments. Several studies have been reported in the literature for computer-basedenvironmental control of the poultry housing environment. In most of these studies, theenvironmental variables of interest are temperature, humidity, static pressure, andventilation rateswith temperature being the most widely studied variable. Themost basic and common form of control in these reported studies aims at maintainingtemperature in the environment within a desired range by controlling ventilation andheating rates. The control actions are based onfeedback measurements of ambient temperature collected from a single location in thebuilding using a thermistor or a thermocouple. Other more advanced studies have emerged which were concerned withdeveloping control strategies that would increase economic efficiency of the poultry housethrough optimization,incorporation of natural wind speed, reducing energy costs by controlling temperature with a 24hour integrationperiod, and acclamation.Perhaps the most important factor that has been neglected in the above control strategies isthe animal itself. A number of researchers have pointed out the potential for improvementby gaining insight into the physiological responses of the animals to environmental stressors. The use of new dynamic control strategies which rely on real-timephysiological feedback from the birds. It establishesa link between deep bodytemperature (DBT) and environmental variables. Using an experimentaltunnel ventilation enclosure placed inside an environmentally controlled chamber,implanted radio telemetry sensors, and a programmable logic controller, a proportionalintegraltype feedback controller was designed to maintain poultry DBT, under stressfulambient temperature conditions, below a given threshold by controlling air velocity rates.The results indicated that (1) air velocity has a measurable, dynamic, and almost immediateimpact on DBT of birds under heat stress; and (2) DBT of heat-stressed broilers can bemaintained below a set point by varying air velocity using feedback control. We can also use DBT as a feedback variable tomanipulate air velocitywithin poultry housing is a promising approach.
- Use of biotelemetry in other fields
Other fields have preceded poultry in the use of biotelemetry and studies of the use ofbiotelemetry in other species are available for wildlife, livestock, fish,laboratory animalsand humans. A quick survey of some of these studies may be a useful source of informationfor poultry research as they contain interesting equipment and methodologies.A broad survey of the literature seems to indicate that the most advanced use ofbiotelemetry is in human medicine. There has been increased interest in the medical field inremote patient monitoring driven by the need for real-time patient data and the ability tomonitor multiple patients simultaneously.
- Conclusion
Biotelemetry has been successfully used in a wide range of research pertainingto poultry production. Many studies were concerned with monitoring and evaluatingphysiological and behavioral responses of poultry under various stressful environmentalstimuli and management conditions to (1) gain a better understanding of poultrythermoregulatory responses; (2) improve management practices; and (3) evaluate theeffectiveness of various environmental conditions. Continuous biotelemetry monitoring ofpoultry provides dynamic responses that define relationships with environmental variables.These relationships have been described using mathematical models constructed to predictfuture outcomes for a range of inputs. A pioneer study used biotelemetry to design anenvironmental controller which maintains poultry deep body temperature, under stressfulambient temperature conditions, below a given threshold by controlling air velocity rates.This study is the first step in designing the future poultry environmental controller whichresponds directly and in real time to the birds’ physiological responses.
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