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Abstract
As the poultry industry is shifting towards cage-free farming practices, various challenges arise regarding air quality, management, behavior, and welfare. In response, this study investigates novel strategies to enhance indoor air quality, manage floor eggs, and monitor footpad health, behaviors, and welfare conditions. The objective of this dissertation study was to evaluate the performance of electrostatic particle ionization (EPI) systems with different lengths, placement heights, and electric supply duration on reducing air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM) and ammonia (NH3), which are detrimental to both hen welfare and worker health. Moreover, the research delved into the application of advanced monitoring systems for detecting health and welfare issues such as mortality, floor egg-laying behavior (FELB), piling behavior (PB), bumblefoot, and footpad dermatitis (FPD). For this study, 800 hens were raised in 4 cage-free research rooms and arranged in different experimental designs per research objectives. The results demonstrated no significant difference in NH3 concentrations among treatments. However, it shows a significant reduction in PM2.5 (up to 31.7%), PM10 (up to 32.7%), small particles (up to 32.4%), and large particles (up to 33.3%) using longer EPI systems, highlighting the critical role of precise technology application in enhancing air quality. Additionally, the study revealed no significant differences in PM reduction across various EPI heights but underscored the importance of prolonged operation for optimal PM mitigation. The development and testing of You Only Look Once (YOLO) models showcased higher accuracy (up to 99.6%) in mortality, FELB, PB, BFD detections, and automatic FPD scoring, offering promising tools for real-time health and behavior monitoring. In conclusion, this dissertation emphasizes the transformative impact of precision farming technologies in advancing poultry welfare and environmental conditions within cage-free rooms. By integrating EPI technology, and cutting-edge monitoring systems, the research provides a holistic approach to tackling the challenges of modern poultry farming, paving the way for more ethical, efficient, and environmentally friendly production practices.