Poultry farmers who use Mach-Sens sensors see their results improve. The sensors measure and monitor how the eggshell temperature, ambient temperature, humidity, light, noise level, and concentrations of ammonia and CO2 impact eggs, not just in the poultry house, but also in the hatchery and during transport.
Correctly managed conditions are vital for good development of day-old chicks in the egg and for good hatchability. This applies equally to the hatchery and during transport and in poultry houses. The application of modern technology enables real-time monitoring to ensure optimal conditions and data collection, and allows adjustments to be made if necessary. “Using our sensors provides insight into the ambient temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, and eggshell temperature of a hatching egg throughout the entire process, whether in the hatchery, during transport or in the poultry house,” explains Michel Meuwszen, owner of Mach-Sens. “This allows the optimal environmental conditions for hatching eggs to be created and maintained, as the sensors give users valuable insight into these parameters. Monitoring provides clear insight into the controlled climate conditions in the environment around the hatching eggs, and ensures the chic
Unique egg sensor
Mach-Sens is part of Mach-C Solutions, which is owned by Chris Pondes. The company develops sensor technology and a user-friendly data platform. Mach-Sens delivers this plug and play, total solution to the poultry sector. The system is currently available in 130 countries worldwide. Mach-Sens has already supplied many egg sensors and poultry house sensors to companies in the EU. “We have created a unique design for the egg sensor, which is a little clip that goes around the egg to measure the eggshell temperature accurately. The measurement is taken in the best position on the egg”, explains Pondes. The first poultry farmers, transporters and hatcheries are already using the system. If sensors are placed on an egg and on trays at six different places in a poultry house, it gives good insight into the conditions. “The system continuously makes real-time measurements, and this provides new insights. For instance, there may be excessive variations in the temperature at different places in the poultry house. Sensors you can help you trace the causes and make improvements.” If the sensors measure any deviations from the desired and set values for egg and house temperature, air humidity and CO2 concentration, the poultry farmer is alerted via a notification or text message on their smartphone. In short, our sensors help maintain the most stable possible climate conditions in the poultry house. This ultimately boosts the technical results of poultry farmers.”
Trying out the sensors
One2Born is a strong advocate of applying modern technology in poultry farming. “Using sensors like this serves to strengthen the entire poultry chain,” says Frank de Louw, of One2Born. “Sensors are a valuable tool that help you measure what happens during the entire process, from placing eggs in the incubators at the hatchery to the moment the chicks actually hatch in the poultry house. This technology will improve the quality of chicks.” The data can be easily shared with third parties. According to Meuwszen, monitoring in trailers can also give poultry farmers more insight into the conditions during transport. Some hatcheries are investing in the Mach-Sens system in poultry houses. “This allows the hatchery to check whether the conditions at the poultry farm are optimal, or if settings need to be adjusted. Poultry farmers who try the sensors in their poultry houses and on the hatching eggs soon notice the benefits of monitoring in their operational management, and see just how quick the ROI on the system is.”
Poultry farmers can buy a Mach-Sens starter kit and try the sensor monitoring system for a year. “Managing the climate based on the eggshell temperature instead of the poultry house temperature facilitates better control,” says Meuwzsen. Meuwzsen and Pondes also expect that monitoring will play a more important role in the future in measuring the animal-friendliness of methods used in animal husbandry. “This is an aspect that supermarkets will increasingly focus on. In-house hatching of chicks is an example of a more animal-friendly method. Partly thanks to monitoring, the poultry sector can also use data to increase the transparency of all the links in the chain and provide proof of animal welfare, a good start, and high welfare of the chicks. There is a growing demand from retailers and consumers for more information about the origin and production processes of food. Monitoring and registering hard data can provide those guarantees.”
