Development of an Automated Drinking System Using Microcontroller for Broiler Production

Abstract

Although the broiler industry is one of the fastest growing industry in the Philippines, it still lacks automation on its production process. This study sought to develop an automatic drinking system for broiler production that can monitor, control, and record water quality and quantity as well as monitor and record selected environment parameters. The automated drinking system was designed using the Arduino microcontroller and other electronic components for initial and actual field testing. The initial testing included the calibration and determination of system functionality. After which, the system was tested for brooding and near harvest stage at a small broiler house set-up in San Rafael, Bulacan. Water quality parameters, such as the temperature, pH, and turbidity were monitored and recorded during the actual testing. On the other hand, results showed that the annual cost difference of broiler production favored the utilization of the automated drinking system, rather than of manual labor. The study recommends that the automated drinking system be tested to larger broiler houses, with an additional alarm system through GSM. Furthermore, monitoring and recording via the internet can improve the automated system.