Preliminary results of an acoustic description of broiler chickens vocalizations in a commercial hatchery

Abstract

In the last decade, the poultry sector has been undergoing a transformation towards the paradigm of Industry 4.0, integrating automation, biosensors, and data processing. Broiler chicks hatch within a highly controlled industrial environment, facilitating extensive digitization and comprehensive data collection. Post-hatch performance of broiler chickens can be affected by conditions during the incubation period, particularly at the hatching stage, resulting in reduced growth rates and weight loss. Chicken vocalizations are reliable indicators of their stress levels and overall well-being. This preliminary study presents an acoustic analysis of the temporal and frequency features extracted from vocalizations produced by broiler chickens in a commercial hatchery. The main focus is on the interval between the initial and final vocalizations, which precedes the removal of the chickens from the machine. This preliminary study aims to describe vocalizations of chicks during the hatching phase in an industrial environment exploring the potential of acoustic indicators and vocal activity patterns. A distinctive pattern in feature selection led to the determination of low and high vocal activity zones with a significant difference, while regions with high vocal activity levels were associated with a higher number of vocalizations and an increased spectral centroid.