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From egg to first “peep”: what the sounds of chicks tell us at the Hatchery
For decades, industrial incubation has been optimized based on well-known physical variables: temperature, relative humidity, ventilation, CO2 concentration, and egg handling, among others. However, despite birds being among the most vocal animals, their vocalizations have not been widely used as indicators of day-old chick quality. During their incubation period, chicks respond to external sound stimuli, coordinating their development, modulating their behavior, and influencing their subsequent viability. Understanding what happens "from egg to first cheep" involves learning to listen to the birds from the moment they hatch. The Invisible Symphony Within the Hatchery Although from the outside the hatchery appears to be a closed system, a great deal of biological activity is taking place inside. Through the eggshell, the embryos perceive vibrations and sounds from relatively early stages of development. In the final phase of incubation, when the respiratory and nervous systems are sufficiently mature, acoustic communication intensifies. Under natural conditions, the hen incubating her eggs uses her vocalizations to stimulate the embryos, accelerating or synchronizing physiological processes that favor the hatching of chicks within a short timeframe. This mechanism [...]
Why the chick’s voice matters: scientific basis of avian bioacoustics
In modern poultry farming, we have become experts at monitoring the environment. Birds are continuously monitored by sensors that measure ambient temperature, relative humidity, CO2, ammonia, air velocity, light intensity, and other factors. However, there is a fundamental disconnect: we measure "environmental comfort" assuming it equates to "animal comfort." In many cases, an anthropomorphic view of animal welfare is applied, which involves interpreting animal well-being from a human perspective, attributing emotions and experiences similar to our own. That is, one imagines how a human being would feel in the same situation as the animal, prioritizing aspects such as happiness, stress, or boredom over physical indicators. This perspective can lead to misinterpretations or inappropriate decision-making. In contrast, the zoocentric view is the one that evaluates animal welfare from the perspective of the animal itself based in the five domains (good nutrition, good environment, good health, good behavior and mental state). Avian bioacoustics is emerging as the discipline capable of assessing animal welfare from the bird's own perspective. Thanks to this technology, and especially to the latest advances in the artificial [...]
CEALVET is a finalist for Good Animal Welfare Practice with its Licuicel® Complex
At CEALVET, we are proud to announce that we have been selected as a finalist in the BroilerNet Best Animal Welfare Practices category, thanks to our innovative method of applying a gel nutritional complex, our Licuicel® Complex, to chicks in the incubator. This recognition underscores our commitment to animal health, innovation, and the continuous improvement of poultry production systems. WHAT IS THIS GOOD PRACTICE? The practice involves applying a nutritional complex in the form of a hydrated gel to the chicks while they are still in the incubator, immediately after the usual handling procedures. Licuicel® Complex includes vitamins, minerals, highly digestible amino acids, and prebiotics; it is sprayed on chicks so that the gel remains on their feathers without wetting them or causing discomfort, allowing the chicks to ingest it by pecking at it. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? During the hatching process, chicks do not all hatch at the same time: there is often a 24-36 hour window between the first and last to hatch, which creates significant disparities in access to food and water. During those first few [...]
CEALVET is a finalist for Good Practice in animal welfare with its bioacoustic monitoring system
At CEALVET, we are proud to announce that we have been selected as a finalist in the Best Animal Welfare Practices within the BroilerNet project, thanks to our innovative bioacoustics monitoring solution for broiler chickens. This achievement reflects our commitment to technological innovation applied to the poultry sector and to the continuous improvement of animal welfare. WHICH IS THE GOOD PRACTICE? The recognized practice is based on continuous monitoring of chicken welfare using bioacoustics. Chickens emit vocalizations that reflect their state: hunger, stress, comfort, or fear. A microphone installed in the barn records these sounds and sends them to a processor that eliminates background noise, ensuring clear data. Records are updated every 15 minutes and presented on a digital platform that allows real-time monitoring of the situation and analysis of trends over time. ADVANTAGES FOR THE PRODUCER This system provides concrete benefits to poultry farmers who use it through the rental service offered by CEALVET. Non-invasive: It does not require structural changes to the house or alter daily management. Early detection: It quickly identifies stress situations or problems with [...]
CEALVET S.L.U. WINS FOR THE SECOND TIME AN INNOVATION PROJECT FINANCED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION
CEALVET, a Spanish company focused on the innovation, design and marketing of products aimed at improving animal welfare, especially in the poultry sector, last September 2023, won the Eurostars 3 call with its new project “Bioacoustics Automatic Evaluation system for poultry Health” (BAEHealth), in which the French LDC Group also participates in the experimental part on the farm. The BAEHealth project consists of a web application and a set of sensors based on artificial intelligence, which will offer an innovative service to automatically detect, in real time and quantitatively, the level of well-being of birds through the animals' vocalizations, from their birth in the incubator until the end of the production cycle in the company, including transport. The use of bioacoustics as a welfare detection method was selected based on previous test results obtained by CEALVET's research and development engineering team: the relationship of vocalizations to farm production rates, the relationship of vocalizations with the level of CO2 concentration, and the detection of stress resulting from the vocalizations emitted. The main objectives of the BAEHealth project are: • [...]
Interview with Tesa Panisello (CEO of CEALVET SLu)
The Spanish company CEALVET SLu develops the first bioacoustic sensor for the poultry industry called VocalData. VocalData is an additional tool as part of the global poultry welfare strategy. By focusing on the acoustic expression of animals, we do not define what their well-being is, but rather they vocalize it, sing it. “Using information from VocalData, it is possible to predict production parameters and measure animal welfare in both commercial farms and hatcheries.” How was your project born? Our project was conceived about 4 years ago, in parallel with the application of our product Licuicel Complex, a complementary feed for early nutrition administered in the hatchery. Our need was to measure the benefit on the welfare of the treated animals, observing the improvement produced and the reduction of stress in the chicks. In its publication this year, EFSA, in the “Bird welfare” section 2022 20(9), referred to the work of CEALVET by identifying a significant change in the acoustic parameter of frequency in stress calls emitted by birds (Ginovart-Panisello et al., 2020 Acoustic Description of the Soundscape of [...]
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