Remote poultry management system for small to medium scale producers using IoT

IoT is a system of interconnected physical devices which include automated regulation. In recent times, it has made steady growth in the technological field. It has numerous applications. Considering this, now IoT is also been used in the poultry sector.

Keywords: IoT, poultry, food security, UNADGs, small-scale farmers, poultry management system, DHT11 sensor, ESP8266 NodeMCU microcontroller, blower fan, ammonia

We are aware of the economic circumstances of farmers. They also require a management system for ease of their work. The poultry management system gives low-cost and efficient management to poultry farmers.

A remote poultry management system aims to help the poultry sector with conditions such as temperature, humidity, lighting, water supply, etc.  It also helps in dealing with the records of the survival potential, and immune system of chickens. 

As per the thoughts of the UN, investing in small-scale farmers plays an important role in increasing food security and generating nutrition for the poor. It also increases food production for local and global markets. All nations need to increase food security based on sound, equitable and sustainable food production systems that incorporate automated technologies for achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(UNADGs). 

A low-cost IoT-based poultry management system makes a way for users to interact with web applications via the internet. The features of the poultry management system include:

1. Monitoring and controlling temperature, humidity, water supply, and ammonia gas.
2. Minimizing employment costs.
3. Saving time.
4. Biosecurity capabilities.
5. Unique light scheduling.
6. Automatic switching control
7. Ease of accessibility.

This system is made up of various units such as input sensors, Wi-Fi enabled microcontroller unit, relay board, output devices, user devices, internet, and the web server.

A "DHT11 sensor" was employed for providing readings w.r.t temperature and humidity. The output devices in this system include a pump, blower fan, buzzer, and lights. User devices include gadgets like personal computers, laptops, palmtops, and smartphones.

The "MQ-2 sensor" was used for detecting ammonia levels. When the sensor detects a high level of ammonia i.e. more than 26%, the blower fan is switched ON to reduce the concentration of ammonia. 

An ultrasonic sensor was exploited for the detection of water levels. This sensor works by sending the signal to the microcontroller based on the water levels.

The poultry management system also helps in dealing with light scheduling. This system can schedule when the lights can be turned ON and OFF. Users can manually manage this by using a  web page. 

The "ESP8266 NodeMCU" microcontroller was used in this system considering its advantages like low-cost, complete, and self-contained Wi-Fi network. Arduino C was used to program this microcontroller. 

The web page of the system was developed using PHP scripting language and MySQL for the management of data.