BirdBox technology awarded 2.6m boost to improve efficiency and productivity
25th April 2025
A project that is set to take health and welfare management in cage-free laying hens to a new level, bringing better efficiency and productivity gains to farmers, has been awarded a £2.6 million boost from the government.
FAI and project partners The Lakes Free Range Egg Company, Newcastle University and Agri-Tech Centre UK have received Innovate funding for FLOCKWISE, a three-year project to further enhance the award-winning BirdBox technology.
BirdBox analyses a range of data gathered from sensors on a farm, including listening to the sound the hens make, to identify any potential problems. It then integrates data collection and reporting from the farm to the packing centre.
Using on-farm software and in-house sensors is set to deliver better bird health and welfare and improved productivity. Intuitive dashboards provide egg packers with oversight of performance across their farm supply for optimised operations, FAI explained.
A spokesperson for the company added: “The on-farm results speak for themselves: on average, producers see a production increase of 3.5% in eggs per hen housed and a mortality reduction of 1.8% after installation of BirdBox, bringing a return on investment within one flock (for an average 16,000 birdhouse).”
According to BBC News, The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) hopes the three-year trial will improve animal welfare and eventually reduce egg prices for British shoppers.
The Flockwise project
The successful BirdBox technology is now being developed further through a three-year Innovate UK-funded project involving FAI, The Lakes Free Range Egg Company, Newcastle University and the UK Agri-Tech Centre.
Flockwise stands for ‘Facilitating Learning Opportunities, Cultivating Knowledge and Welfare through Integrated Sensing and Expertise’.
The project aims to further develop the existing BirdBox system through integrating novel sensors to detect additional health, welfare and productivity indicators and use artificial intelligence to provide guided insights, informed by real-time industry data, to farmers and the wider supply chain, FAI added.
“Flockwise is looking to help address the key health and welfare challenges seen within cage free laying hen flocks – namely piling and smothering, pecking and respiratory diseases.
“Not only will this improve flock health and welfare, but by doing so will realise gains in productivity, efficiency and sustainability,” the company concluded.
Read more poultry news.
