Honest Eggs Co, in collaboration with VMLY&R, has hatched step counters for chickens.
These innovative Australians have brought us a delightful solution to the question of why did the chicken cross the road? To clock up steps on its FitChix tracker, of course!
This pioneering step in poultry fitness technology, developed with Airbag’s expertise, gently integrates into the daily lives of these free-ranging fowls. Each step, each flutter and forage, is meticulously recorded, and this data, quite ingeniously, finds its way onto the very eggs that Australians purchase in their local supermarkets.
In a quaint farm near Castlemaine, Victoria, these industrious chickens, donned with their FitChix trackers, are unwittingly setting new standards in the poultry fitness regime.
The data is startling—these chickens outpace the average Australian by nearly three-fold, averaging over 21,000 steps in a mere 12 hours.
The campaign, spearheaded by Honest Eggs Co., seeks to illuminate the often opaque practices within the egg industry.
Terms like cage-free and pasture-raised, while evocative, often fall short of their idyllic promises. This initiative aims to dispel these misconceptions, offering transparent proof of the chickens’ free and healthy lifestyles.
Jake Barrow, the group executive creative director at VMLY&R, aptly describes the egg category as a “minefield of naming conventions,” where reality often diverges from expectation.
FitChix emerges not just as a product, but as a testament to the honest and healthy living conditions of the chickens at Honest Eggs farms. It’s a call to action for consumers, urging them to choose ethically when selecting eggs for their next culinary creation.
FitChix isn’t something you can buy for your own chickens but there is a chicken fitness tracker in development that may soon be available for everyone.
The University of California in Riverside “Fitbit for chickens” is a concept that intertwines the rustic charm of poultry farming with the cutting-edge of tech. Since 2018, researchers have been developing this device with the promise of revolutionising our understanding of chicken behaviour.
This device, a diminutive backpack adorned by the chickens, becomes a window into their world. Through an advanced algorithm, the researchers interpret the nuances of chicken behaviours—from pecking to dust-bathing, even detecting subtle signs of illness or distress.
The implications of this research extend far beyond observation. The team, led by entomologist Amy Murillo, delves into the realm of animal welfare and economic impact.
They shed light on the U.S. northern fowl mite, a parasite causing not only physical discomfort to the chickens but also economic strain for farmers due to decreased egg production and slower growth of the birds.
With the aid of these tiny backpacks equipped with motion sensors, the scientists capture data on the chicken’s behaviour.
By correlating this data with direct observations, the team could identify a mite infestation within a flock, leading to timely and effective intervention. This innovation offers a glimmer of hope, not just as a tool for early detection of parasites, but as a broader measure of environmental and dietary changes affecting the birds.
As the world of animal husbandry embraces technology, from GPS dog trackers to rumination collars for cows, one wonders if chicken fitness trackers might herald a new era for poultry owners.
This intersection of tradition and technology, where the welfare of animals is placed at the forefront, poses a fascinating question: Are we on the cusp of a new trend in poultry management, where the health and happiness of chickens are monitored as meticulously as the crops in the field?
