Sensor-based lameness detection in group housed sows

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Joachim Krieter
• Subject Area: Animal Breeding, Animal Nutrition, Animal Husbandry
• Term: from 2014 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 258064628

EU Directive 2001/88/EG stipulates the group housing of pregnant sows; the reason being that it is a more animal friendly procedure compared to stall housing systems. However, lameness occurs more often in group housing immediately after the grouping of the sows, which depends significantly on the frequency and severity of the floor design, the management and the animals behaviour (e.g. agonistic interactions). Lameness restricts the welfare of the sows resulting directly in economic losses (e.g. veterinary costs, slaughter revenues) and indirectly influencing the longevity and fertility performance of the sows. Added to this is the difficulty of monitoring individual pigs in a group with increasing pig numbers. The project therefore aims to develop the computer aided early detection of lameness in group-housed sows. For the first time, serial data (localisation, accelerometer) will be used to set up a monitoring system which supports the monitoring activities of the personnel as well as enable early diagnosis and targeted treatment. The localisation data e.g. the distance travelled per sow per day will provide an animal specific yet rather rough movement pattern. A decomposition of the acceleration values (signals) with the aid of wavelets will allow a more exact resolution of the signals due to the temporal localisation of the frequency spectrum and thus better early warning of lameness is expected.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Dr. Imke Traulsen