Livestock Science & Innovation Journal

Smart Feeding System Using IoT Sensors to Optimize Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) and Growth Performance in Broiler Production

2026-01-15T04:29:43+00:00

Background: Traditional feeding systems in broiler production often result in feed waste and suboptimal growth performance, affecting both profitability and sustainability. The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in livestock management offers potential solutions for precision feeding.
Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an IoT-based smart feeding system in optimizing Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) and growth performance in broiler chickens compared to conventional feeding methods.
Method: A total of 480-day-old Ross 308 broilers were allocated into two treatment groups: conventional feeding (CF, n=240) and IoT-based smart feeding (SF, n=240). The smart feeding system utilized load cell sensors, environmental sensors (temperature, humidity), and automated feeding algorithms. Data collection included daily feed intake, body weight, FCR, mortality rate, and production costs over a 35-day production cycle.
Findings and Implications: The SF group demonstrated significantly better performance with FCR of 1.52±0.08 compared to CF group (1.78±0.12, P<0.01). Average daily gain increased by 14.3% (62.8±3.2 g/day vs 54.9±4.1 g/day, P<0.01). Feed waste reduced by 23.5%, and production costs decreased by 18.7% per kilogram of live weight. The system achieved 94.2% accuracy in feed demand prediction.
Conclusion: IoT-based smart feeding systems significantly improve FCR, growth performance, and economic efficiency in broiler production, representing a valuable technology for sustainable poultry farming practices.

Barriers to Implementing Organic Waste-Based Fermented Feed Practices Among Livestock Farmers in Kuningan, West Java

2025-12-27T10:29:58+00:00

Backround: Despite proven technical efficacy and economic benefits, organic waste-based fermented feed adoption remains persistently low among Indonesian livestock farmers, with commercial feed costs consuming 60-70% of production expenses while abundant organic wastes go unutilized, creating sustainability and profitability challenges.
Objective: This study investigates barriers constraining fermented feed adoption among livestock micro-entrepreneurs.
Method: A three-month qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with 23 livestock farmers representing diverse adoption statuses (non-adopters, discontinued, sustained), complemented by observations and document review.
Findings and Implications: Thematic analysis identified barrier categories and contextual adoption factors. Despite 95.7% awareness and 73.9% training attendance, only 21.7% achieved sustained adoption, with 30.4% having discontinued after attempting. Six interconnected barrier dimensions emerged: technical complexity (65.2% affected), knowledge deficits (60.9%), economic constraints (60.9%), time limitations (73.9%), psychological resistances (56.5%), and quality uncertainty (65.2%). Sustained adopters received intensive multi-session training with ongoing support, accessed reliable organic waste supplies, and benefited from active farmer group networks—factors largely absent for discontinued adopters and non-adopters. Villages with favorable institutional configurations achieved 40-50% adoption versus 0-5% elsewhere despite identical training.
Conclusion: Effective promotion requires comprehensive interventions addressing multiple barriers simultaneously through participatory training, sustained implementation support, farmer organization strengthening, and organic waste supply chain facilitation rather than conventional one-time demonstrations, with institutional development as critical as farmer education for scaling sustainable livestock feeding practices.

Livestock Breeding for Climate-Resilient Agriculture: Genetic Improvements and Sustainable Practices for Rural Development

2025-12-27T10:42:27+00:00

Backround: Climate change significantly threatens livestock production, especially in tropical and subtropical regions where heat stress hampers productivity and food security. Genetic improvement via selective breeding provides a sustainable approach to developing climate-resilient livestock.
Objective: This study assessed the effectiveness of selective breeding in creating heat-tolerant cattle populations, comparing outcomes across indigenous breeds and exploring physiological, productive, and molecular mechanisms.
Method: A 36-month controlled breeding experiment was conducted using 480 cattle from three breeds: Qinchuan (n=160), Dengchuan (n=160), and Danish Large White crosses (n=160). Findings and Implications: The cattle were exposed to controlled heat stress (32-38°C, 70-85% RH), with phenotypic traits (growth rate, feed efficiency, heat tolerance index), physiological parameters (rectal temperature, respiration rate, hormonal profiles), and molecular markers (TPM3, TMEM95, SNP loci) assessed. Breeding values were estimated using BLUP, with a 10% selection intensity for heat tolerance. Heat-tolerant lines showed an 18.3% higher heat tolerance index (P<0.01), 12.7% improved feed efficiency, and 8.4% faster growth under heat stress. Physiological data revealed lower rectal temperatures (38.6±0.3°C vs. 39.4±0.5°C, P<0.01) and reduced respiration rates in selected cattle.

Conlusion: Molecular analysis identified 23 significant SNPs associated with heat tolerance. Selective breeding effectively enhances climate resilience, improving heat tolerance and productivity while offering favorable economic benefits. Molecular markers accelerate genetic gains for sustainable livestock production under climate change.

Digital Literacy Challenges in Livestock Micro-Entrepreneurship: A Rapid Qualitative Study in Kuningan, Indonesia

2025-12-27T10:23:22+00:00

Backround: Despite increasing smartphone penetration in rural Indonesia, livestock micro-entrepreneurs face persistent challenges in leveraging digital technologies for business development, creating critical gaps between technology access and functional digital literacy that constrain economic opportunities.
Objective: This study investigates digital literacy challenges among livestock micro-entrepreneurs in Kuningan, Indonesia, examining capability deficits, underlying barriers, and business consequences to inform targeted intervention design.
Method: A rapid qualitative research design was employed over three months, conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with 18 purposively-sampled livestock micro-entrepreneurs (poultry and cattle farmers) representing diverse demographics. Data collection integrated interviews, direct observation of smartphone usage, and literature review, analyzed through thematic analysis identifying patterns of digital literacy challenges and barrier categories.
Findings and Implications: Despite universal smartphone ownership, participants exhibited profound deficits across four dimensions: operational skills (88.9% lacked file management understanding), informational literacy (88.9% never checked online prices before selling), strategic competency (100% showed no proactive customer engagement), and safety awareness (94.4% vulnerable to phishing). These gaps emerged from intersecting factors including age, education, gender opportunity structures, training absence, and infrastructural constraints.
Conclusion: Business consequences included 18-27% revenue losses from intermediary dependency, preventable livestock mortality, and financial exclusion imposing higher lending costs. Digital literacy deficits impose substantial economic penalties that far exceed intervention costs. Effective inclusion requires multifaceted approaches addressing not just skills but also psychological barriers, institutional support systems, and infrastructural limitations.