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OpticFlock: Automated Monitoring of Chicken Behavior That Prioritizes Animal Welfare – Part II 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $271,865

Location   Oxford, United Kingdom

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   McDonald’s Corporation

Grantee Institution   University of Oxford

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring which can be inaccurate and time consuming. This research provides additional funding from Phase I of the SMART Broiler program to refine and extend the testing of a novel camera and computer system called OPTICFLOCK to compare key welfare outcomes, including hockburn, foot pad lesions and lameness, in commercial flocks. Additionally, this project incorporates strategies to facilitate producer adoption of OPTICFLOCK technology.

FFAR & McDonald’s Invest to Revolutionize Chicken Welfare & Production 

FFAR Rapid Research Builds Diagnostic Tools & Vaccine for Avian Metapneumovirus 

H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program 

Drs. Jasmine Bruno & Megan Niederwerder

FFAR Research to Protect Vegetable Crops from Invasive Pest 

FFAR Rapid Research Develops H5N1 Waste Stream Surveillance Tool 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $74,133

Total award amount   $148,919

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   Barnwell Bio

Grantee Institution   Barnwell Bio

Current H5N1 detection practices rely on animals displaying symptoms and targeted testing of animals suspected of illness. H5N1 can spread quickly and waiting for observable symptoms, individual examinations and testing leads to significant time lags in fighting its spread. Barnwell Bio researchers are developing a waste stream animal health monitoring system to identify the virus in asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases.

FFAR Grant Develops H5N1 Waste Stream Surveillance Tool 

FFAR & AAVMC Open Applications for 2025 FFAR Vet Fellows 

FFAR Grant Seeks to Decrease Corn Inputs, Increases Climate Resiliency 

Seeding Solutions Grant Helps Develop Corn Resistant to Fungal Disease