Iowa State University researchers are exploring how AI and computer vision can give turkey producers a better look at what their birds are doing when no one is in the barn. Dr. Juan Steibel discusses technology for tracking individual turkeys and identifying behaviors that could improve breeding, management, and eventually on-farm decision-making. The episode also showcases Iowa State's growing turkey research and educational programs, including student workshops, 4-H involvement, the Iowa State Fair, and new research into nutrition, robotics, and precision turkey production.
What if your turkeys could tell you more about how they're doing—even when you're not in the barn?
In this episode of The Turkey Talk Show, Sheila and Gretta visit with researchers at Iowa State University about the use of computer vision and artificial intelligence to monitor individual turkeys and better understand flock behavior. Dr. Juan Steibel and his research team explain how cameras and AI can track birds, identify behaviors, and provide more objective information than a person observing the flock periodically.
The conversation explores how this technology could help researchers and turkey breeders better understand aggression, feeder competition, bird behavior, docility, growth, bird distribution, piling, and potential off-feed events. The team is also working toward following birds from placement through market age and finding ways to eventually turn this research into practical tools for turkey growers.
The episode also highlights Iowa State University's turkey research and education efforts, including student opportunities, turkey workshops, the Iowa State Fair, and the story of Ty the turkey, who became the university's 2026 Open Show Champion Turkey.
The discussion wraps up with a look at additional research involving soybean meal and crystalline amino acids, robotics in turkey barns, precision feeding, monitoring, and health care.