Development and Evaluation of Solar Powered IoT Controlled Poultry Egg Incubator

Abstract

A prototype of a solar-powered IoT-enabled automatic egg incubator with LED lights was developed at the Farm Machinery Testing Centre, Regional Agricultural Research Station, Vijayapura, and evaluated for feasibility and performance.  The incubator has a micro-controller for temperature, humidity, and egg turning setup, which accommodates the best conditions for farmyard poultry hatching. This device was developed to control and monitor from a mobile application; hence, it's a user friendly remote location suitable gadget.  The research was carried out for 8 replicates of a 21-day incubation time for each replica and kept the chamber busy maintaining an optimal temperature range within 36-39 °C and relative humidity of 60-65 percent to prevent embryo dehydration per moistening.  The data showed conventional incubation was represented by a temperature set at 37.5 °C and humidity at 62 percent, and the performance was comparable to the traditional incubators.  The implemented incubator showed a hatchability rate of 78 percent and chick survival of 79.7 percent. Moreover, the developed incubator offers the advantage of turning the eggs automatically at an interval of 6 hours, unlike that of the manual method, to support the embryo development. Furthermore, solar PV system integration, which targets remote locations where conventional electricity supply is inadequate, and to cut down energy costs turn in as an equally appreciable approach for the incubator’s efficient and cost effective alternative solution with a promising techno economic analysis for 10 years revealed that the incubator is practical and profitable, offering a sustainable approach to rural poultry farming.