Apparatus for rearing livestock comprising a livestock enclosure, a plurality of sensors, and a plurality of output devices, and methods of operating the same. Methods of determining measurements of animal welfare by processing vocalisations by chicks, especially by detecting the spectral entropy of animal vocalisations. The relationship between chick distress calling in early life and outcome.

A lighting system for a poultry house is disclosed which includes a plurality of lights movable in the vertical direction, projecting light to different areas of the poultry house at prearranged times and projecting light of different intensity in the poultry house at prearranged times through the raising and lowering of the height of the lights. The lighting system provides adjustable parameters in the areas of the poultry house being lighted and the intensity of these areas across the interior of the poultry house. The system provides the poultry with migration options to areas of lower or higher light intensity, thereby improving management practices of the poultry.

The invention comprises systems and methods for controlling environmental conditions within and/or around an animal enclosure. The systems and methods preferably comprise a climate control system and infrared sensors in a poultry house having a first climate and housing poultry having one or more measurable parameters such a temperature. The infrared sensors detect infrared light information emitted by a head and/or vent of poultry in the house. The climate control system processes the information to calculate an internal temperature of poultry and activates one or more climate conditioning devices in the house to change the first climate to a second climate determined by the detected information and/or calculated internal temperatures of the poultry. The systems and methods may be deployed in houses comprising thousands of poultry and one or more climate zones. The systems and methods may make one or more climate changes based on one or more different parameters.

The invention comprises systems and methods for controlling environmental conditions within and/or around an animal enclosure. The systems and methods preferably comprise a climate control system and infrared sensors in a poultry house having a first climate and housing poultry having one or more measurable parameters such a temperature. The infrared sensors detect infrared light information emitted by a head and/or vent of poultry in the house. The climate control system processes the information to calculate an internal temperature of poultry and activates one or more climate conditioning devices in the house to change the first climate to a second climate determined by the detected information and/or calculated internal temperatures of the poultry. The systems and methods may be deployed in houses comprising thousands of poultry and one or more climate zones. The systems and methods may make one or more climate changes based on one or more different parameters.

An improved poultry production method comprising providing dry hydrogen peroxide (DHP) to poultry eggs, chicks and birds, and devices for providing DHP to poultry production during laying, incubating, hatching, and growing.

An improved poultry production method comprising providing dry hydrogen peroxide (DHP) to poultry eggs, chicks and birds, and devices for providing DHP to poultry production during laying, incubating, hatching, and growing.

An apparatus, method and system of insulating a building such as a poultry barn uses netting structurally of the type to hold sod together. The netting is stapled to the bottom of trusses making up the ceiling of a barn and the attic of the barn. Ceiling material is superimposed below the netting to form a ceiling. Loose insulation, typically fiberglass, is blown onto the netting to be held thereby and to form an insulation layer in the attic of the barn.

An apparatus, method and system of insulating a building such as a poultry barn uses netting structurally of the type to hold sod together. The netting is stapled to the bottom of trusses making up the ceiling of a barn and the attic of the barn. Ceiling material is superimposed below the netting to form a ceiling. Loose insulation, typically fiberglass, is blown onto the netting to be held thereby and to form an insulation layer in the attic of the barn.

A mobile animal shelter device forms an enclosure for containing animals therein having an open bottom which is open to the ground surface. The device is supported on wheels which are controllably driven by a controller which displaces the shelter device across the ground according to programmed conditions which can be adjusted by the operator. Various panels of the housing may be opened and closed, feed can be controllably dispensed, and various other conditions can be automatically controlled in response to prescribed criteria by the controller. A lower skirt portion about a perimeter of the opening in the bottom of the enclosure is flexible so as to vary in elevational according to ground contours.

A mobile animal shelter device forms an enclosure for containing animals therein having an open bottom which is open to the ground surface. The device is supported on wheels which are controllably driven by a controller which displaces the shelter device across the ground according to programmed conditions which can be adjusted by the operator. Various panels of the housing may be opened and closed, feed can be controllably dispensed, and various other conditions can be automatically controlled in response to prescribed criteria by the controller. A lower skirt portion about a perimeter of the opening in the bottom of the enclosure is flexible so as to vary in elevational according to ground contours.