Implementation of Computer-Vision-Based Farrowing Prediction in Pens with Temporary Sow Confinement.

The adoption of temporary sow confinement could improve animal welfare during farrowing for both the sow and the piglets. An important challenge related to the implementation of temporary sow confinement is the optimal timing of confinement in crates, considering sow welfare and piglet survival. The objective of this study was to predict farrowing with computer vision techniques to optimize the timing of sow confinement. In total, 71 Austrian Large White and Landrace × Large White crossbred sows and four types of farrowing pens were included in the observational study. We applied computer vision model You Only Look Once X to detect sow locations, the calculated activity level of sows based on detected locations and detected changes in sow activity trends with Kalman filtering and the fixed interval smoothing algorithm. The results indicated the beginning of nest-building behavior with a median of 12 h 51 min and ending with a median of 2 h 38 min before the beginning of farrowing with the YOLOX-large object detection model. It was possible to predict farrowing for 29 out of 44 sows. The developed method could reduce labor costs otherwise required for the regular control of sows in farrowing compartments.

Interactive Rooting Towers and Behavioural Observations as Strategies to Reduce Tail Biting on Conventional Pig Fattening Farms.

Eight pens (25 pigs/pen; n = 200) provided with an interactive straw-filled rooting tower (experimental group) and five pens (25 pigs/pen; n = 125) with a stationary (fixed) tower without straw (control group) were compared within three fattening periods on a conventional farm with fully slatted flooring. The effectiveness of the tower to trigger favourable behaviour in feeding and outside feeding periods was assessed. The incidence of deep tail injuries was lower in the experimental group (experimental group: Odds Ratio 0.3, p < 0.001) and was influenced by the batch (Odds Ratio: 2.38, p < 0.001) but not by pen and sex. In spring, most pens were excluded due to severe tail biting. Tail injury scores were more severe in the control group in weeks 5, 6 and 7 compared to the experimental group (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). Tower manipulation was more frequent during feeding compared to outside feeding time (p = 0.002). More head than tail manipulation occurred in the experimental group (p = 0.03). The interactive tower as the only measure was not appropriate to reduce tail biting sufficiently in pigs with intact tails on a conventional fattening farm. Of high priority to prevent tail biting outbreaks was the early detection of biting pigs.

Accelerometer systems as tools for health and welfare assessment in cattle and pigs - A review.

Welfare assessment has traditionally been performed by direct observation by humans, providing information at only selected points in time. Recently, this assessment method has been questioned, as 'Precision Livestock Farming' technologies may be able to deliver more valid, reliable and feasible real-time data at the individual level and serve as early monitoring systems for animal welfare. The aim of this paper is to describe how accelerometers can be used for welfare assessment based on the principles of the Welfare Quality assessment protocol. Algorithm development is based mainly on the detection of behavioural traits. So far, high accuracies have been found for movement and resting behaviours in cows and pigs, while algorithm development for feeding and drinking behaviours in pigs lag behind progress in cows where valid algorithms are already available. Welfare studies have used accelerometer technology to address the effects on behaviour of diet, daily cycle, enrichment, housing, social mixing, oestrus, lameness and disease. Additional aspects to consider before a decision is made upon its use in research and in practical applications include battery life and sensor location. While accelerometer systems for cows are already being used by farmers, application in pigs has mainly remained at the research level.

Dynamics of Sows' Activity Housed in Farrowing Pens with Possibility of Temporary Crating might Indicate the Time when Sows Should Be Confined in A Crate before the Onset of Farrowing.

One way to reduce the negative impact of farrowing crates on sow welfare is to limit confinement of sows from the onset of farrowing until the end of the critical period of piglets' life a few days after farrowing. In order to provide an indication of the time when sows should be confined in crates, ear tag-based acceleration data was modeled to provide the following two types of alarms: A "first-stage" alarm that indicates the beginning of nest-building behaviour, and a "second-stage" alarm that indicates the ending of the nest-building behaviour. In total, 53 sows were included in the experiment. Each sow had an ear tag with an accelerometer sensor mounted on the ear. Acceleration data were modeled with the Kalman filtering and fixed interval smoothing (KALMSMO) algorithm. It was possible to predict farrowing on the basis of increased activity in the validation dataset with a median of 8 h 51 min before the onset of farrowing. Alarms that indicated the need for confinement of the sow in a crate were generated with a median of 2 h 3 min before the onset of farrowing. These results suggest that the developed model should be sufficient to provide early warning of approaching farrowing and secondary alarm indicating the need to confine a sow in a crate.

Impacts of global warming on confined livestock systems for growing-fattening pigs: simulation of heat stress for 1981 to 2017 in Central Europe.

In the mid-latitudes, pigs and poultry are kept predominantly in confined livestock buildings with a mechanical ventilation system. In the last decades, global warming has already been a challenge which causes hat stress for animals in such systems. Heat stress inside livestock buildings was assessed by a simulation model for the indoor climate, which is driven by meteorological parameters. Besides the meteorological conditions, the thermal environment inside the building depends on the sensible and latent energy release of the animals, the thermal properties of the building and the ventilation system and its control unit. For a site in Austria in the north of the Alpine Ridge, which is representative for confined livestock buildings for growing-fattening pigs in Central Europe, meteorological data between 1981 and 2017 were used for the model calculations of heat stress measures. This business-as-usual simulation over these 37 years resulted in an increase of the mean relative annual heat stress parameters in the range between 0.9 and 6.4% per year since 1981. In order to minimise the negative economic impact as the consequence of this positive trend of heat stress, adaptation measures are needed. The calculations for growing-fattening pigs show that such a simulation model for the indoor climate is an appropriate tool to determine the level of heat stress of livestock inside confined livestock buildings.