A comparison of neural network models, fuzzy logic, and multiple linear regression for prediction of hatchability.

Application of appropriate models to approximate the performance function warrants more precise prediction and helps to make the best decisions in the poultry industry. This study reevaluated the factors affecting hatchability in laying hens from 29 to 56 wk of age. Twenty-eight data lines representing 4 inputs consisting of egg weight, eggshell thickness, egg sphericity, and yolk/albumin ratio and 1 output, hatchability, were obtained from the literature and used to train an artificial neural network (ANN). The prediction ability of ANN was compared with that of fuzzy logic to evaluate the fitness of these 2 methods. The models were compared using R(2), mean absolute deviation (MAD), mean squared error (MSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and bias. The developed model was used to assess the relative importance of each variable on the hatchability by calculating the variable sensitivity ratio. The statistical evaluations showed that the ANN-based model predicted hatchability more accurately than fuzzy logic. The ANN-based model had a higher determination of coefficient (R(2) = 0.99) and lower residual distribution (MAD = 0.005; MSE = 0.00004; MAPE = 0.732; bias = 0.0012) than fuzzy logic (R(2) = 0.87; MAD = 0.014; MSE = 0.0004; MAPE = 2.095; bias = 0.0046). The sensitivity analysis revealed that the most important variable in the ANN-based model of hatchability was egg weight (variable sensitivity ratio, VSR = 283.11), followed by yolk/albumin ratio (VSR = 113.16), eggshell thickness (VSR = 16.23), and egg sphericity (VSR = 3.63). The results of this research showed that the universal approximation capability of ANN made it a powerful tool to approximate complex functions such as hatchability in the incubation process.