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Tiny electronic backpacks for chickens can automatically analyse their behaviour, which could reveal when something is wrong.

The backpacks are attached to the birds’ backs using straps and are filled with accelerometers that record their movements. An algorithm uses data from the sensors to identify when and for how long the chickens perform different behaviours. The team behind the idea call the devices “Fitbits for chickens”.

Monitoring different behaviours using the backpacks could help reveal whether farm birds are being disturbed by parasites such as…