Automated singulating system for transfer of live broilers

This paper addresses the problems of automating the process of transferring live broilers (meat chickens) from a conveyor to a moving shackle line. Specifically, we focus on establishing the criteria for designing for an automated system for singulating and orienting the birds for subsequent transferring to a moving shackle line. Since both the mechanical forces and the bird´s natural reflexes contribute to the overall dynamics as the bird passes through the singulator, an experimental prototype singulator has been developed to facilitate the study of bird´s natural reflexes to mechanical singulation. The system has been experimentally demonstrated and evaluated with live birds at the Gold Kist research farm and at a poultry-processing plant in Georgia. It is expected that the results will provide significant insights to the design and control of future mechanical singulators