Developments in individual-animal feed efficiency monitoring systems for livestock

Description

Feed remains a major cost in livestock farming. Accurate measurement of feed intake by individual animals offers the possibility of significant savings and more efficient production. The use of advanced low-cost cameras and innovative computer vision algorithms is changing feed-intake monitoring system design. With the help of these technologies, individual feed intake measurement (IFIM) systems will become available to farmers, replacing expensive and less accurate mechanical weighing systems. Based on a literature review of key recent studies, this chapter describes the sensors and algorithms employed in different individual feed intake measurement systems for dairy cows.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Materials and methods 3 Wearable sensors and electronic scales 4 Camera sensors 5 Image analysis algorithms 6 Evaluating feed-intake measurement systems 7 Future trends and conclusion 8 Acknowledgements 9 Declaration of interest and ethics statement 10 References