Development and validation of a rapid-prototyping IoT-based sensor system for poultry house microclimate monitoring

The industrial production system for broiler chickens involves raising the animals in an artificial environment (aviary) that must provide all necessary conditions to generate a suitable microclimate. This microclimate ensures optimal development of the animals based on their productive indices and genetic potential. Monitoring this environment requires careful attention to environmental variables that directly influence animal performance. This study presents the development of an electronic module, termed the Environmental Sensor, that captures key microclimate variables in broiler poultry houses using microcontrollers and rapid-prototyping sensors. Specifically, the device was built around a Wemos Mega R3 (ESP8266/ATmega2560) microcontroller and employed rapid-prototyping sensors (MQ-137 for NH₃, MH-Z19E for CO₂, MQ-7 for CO, BME280 for temperature and humidity, DSM501A for dust, and TEMT6000 for luminosity). The construction method involved selecting electronic components via an iterative prototyping process, and each sensor was calibrated against industrial-grade references following Technical Standard NBR 14,610. Statistical analysis of the calibration data yielded linear regression equations for each variable (e.g., for NH₃: y = 0.602x + 501.86). Performance metrics demonstrated high agreement with certified and calibrated reference instruments: the MQ-137 NH₃ sensor exhibited a correlation of R = 0.82 (R² = 0.64) with the industrial benchmark (standard error = 0.41 ppm), and the BME280 temperature sensor achieved R = 0.95 (R² = 0.91) (standard error = 0.07 °C). These results indicate the system’s accuracy and suitability for monitoring broiler house conditions. Subsequent field experiments in a commercial poultry farm confirmed the sensors’ compatibility with each measured variable and demonstrated that the calibrated prototyping sensors can reliably estimate the microclimate parameters under practical production conditions.