Animal shed monitoring system

Livestock kept in enclosed sheds are sensitive to shed temperature and humidity, as these environmental factors affect their health and development. Thus, an environmental monitoring system can be designed to monitor the internal environment of an animal shed. This innovation aims to improve animal welfare by integrating technology into farming practice. In this project, we have successfully designed a smart monitoring system named AnimalGuard that can function to measure temperature and humidity inside a shed. The methods applied are the use of IoT (Internet of Things), Arduino, sensors and a low-code programming language to create a system that collects and collates data from the monitoring system for farmers' direct viewing. The concepts applied are heat transfer, light- dependent resistance and thermodynamics. To gather preliminary data, we visited a local chicken farm to record temperature and light intensity in the shed and observe chicken behaviour before designing the prototype. The prototype was later tested using a hairdryer to simulate temperature increases. It successfully detected temperature changes when heat was applied and triggered automated alerts via Telegram. The AnimalGuard system provides a cost-effective, accessible monitoring solution for smallholders in Malaysia and tropical countries, with the market being smart farming in rural areas. Hence, the livestock monitoring kit is aimed to be priced under RM200 and sold via e-commerce or agricultural departments.