October 21, 2013
US scientists develop innovative monitoring system for cattle and swine feeding
Scientists at the US Meat Animal Research Centre in Clay Center, Nebraska, have developed a new system to track feeding behavior of feedlot cattle and grow-finish swine.
The system, made by agricultural engineers, Tami Brown-Brandl and Roger Eigenberg of the Environmental Management Research Unit, employs standard radio-frequency identification technology designed around a commercial reader. The technology includes an ear tag applied to each animal, monitoring equipment at feeders, and data recording and storage.
Eigenberg crafted the hardware for the system, as well as a ''multiplexer'' which can function as multiple switches by connecting a specific signal from the reader to the correct antenna. The method is an alternative to a single unit which can only connect to one preset antenna.
Brown Brandl develops the software which controls the hardware, timing, and data recording and storage.
"We can check antennas at a quick pace to determine if there is or isn''t an animal at each feeder space," Brown-Brandl says. "This allows us to measure individual animal feeding behavior without influencing it. Once data is gathered and summarised, we can tell how much time each animal spent at the feeder."
The system was originally designed for cattle and has been adapted to grow-finish swine. Antennas were encased in a PVC panel mounted on the front face of the standard swine feeders in six pens, each holding 40 pigs. Both systems were evaluated using video cameras and had proven to be rugged and reliable.
"The relatively low-cost system has provided a wealth of feeding-behavior data," Brown-Brandl added. "We''re reading every single antenna every 20 seconds in the swine area, and we are working on ways to summarise the data into information that could prove to be very useful for producers."
The system will also provide valuable management information to aid in animal care. Scientists are working to determine the normal day-to-day variation in feeding behavior, time spent eating, number of meals in a day, and timing of meals for each animal.
"If we could determine a pig''s normal eating behavior, we might be able to use this system to detect illness when a pig decreases its time spent eating," Brown-Brandl explains. "Sick pigs don''t always appear sick. If we could identify pigs as they become sick, we may be able to treat them earlier, preventing severe illness."
Scientists are using the monitoring system''s data to examine feeding behavior as it relates to age, gender, weight gain, and health of animals. They also plan to determine the number of feeder spaces needed in each pen and whether additional feeder spaces would result in a more equal distribution of pig weights across the pen.