Robot Patrols Turkey Barns

Robot Patrols Turkey Barns Electrical engineer Jack Kilian was creating a goose-chasing robot to keep pesky birds away from golfers when he devised the idea for a similar robot to fill a need in turkey barns. After pitching and entering the idea in Agtech competitions, he won enough money to build his unique SMR (Sheet Metal Robot) prototype and establish Poultry Patrol. “The SMR began with mortality picking, but this was complicated and expensive,” Kilian says. “I found out what’s better than a dead bird was a healthy bird. From there, I focused on getting the birds up and moving routinely for better health and development. As they get older and heavier, instead of a supplement, the robot runs around the barns as a performance-enhancer.” The SMR is electrically powered with a docking station connected to the internet. Since GPS is notoriously unstable in metal barns, a human remotely monitors the birds and barn interior using the robot’s mounted cameras. “We drive them remotely to guarantee to the farmer that we’re hitting all the spots at the right time and speed without getting stuck in a corner,” Kilian says. “Our service personnel are trained to identify unusual behavior, recognize sickness, and look for issues like water leaks.” Kilian wants Poultry Patrol to become the experts on turkey movements and adjust its operation according to the turkey’s response to the robot. “We use the robot in numerous trips each day to get the birds up and stretch their legs, so they don’t become sedentary for long periods,” Kilian says. “We want them to stay healthy but not so active as to lose pounds.” Poultry Patrol coordinates the number of trips the robot makes with the farmer’s schedule, running the patrols when the farmer leaves the barn. The service drives the robot, logs entries and gathers data. Farmers are emailed or texted with mortality locations, alerts regarding unusual behavior or events, and infrastructure problems or issues. Kilian hopes to include sensors to identify sickness in future models. “It’s extremely hands-off for the farmers,” he says. “The barn just needs to be connected to the internet for us to handle everything, including free upgrades and maintenance.” Poultry Patrol currently has a relatively small robot fleet. By the fall of 2025, it aims to have an upgraded bot and units in Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. The service subscription costs independent turkey farmers approximately $7,000 per robot per year. “Farmers should see about .02 cents per pound of value with a single robot per barn,” Kilian says. “We cover all service and support, and from what we’ve seen so far, the turkeys and the farmers seem to love it.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Poultry Patrol, Jack Kilian, Coralville, Iowa (ph 715-821-1480; jack@poultrypatrol.com; www.poultrypatrol.com).

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