Today I am participating in a kick-off meeting of the project ‘The intelligent Farrowing Pen’. The four-year project is supported by Højteknologifonden, The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Skov A/S and Danish Pig Production. The goal is to develop a system whereby the condition and activity of the animals will be registered. For example, previous studies have shown that the sow is very active in the 24 hours prior to farrowing. She stands up and lies down often and spends time building a nest. This knowledge can be used to predict when she will farrow within a narrow margin. When the system predicts when the sow is expected to farrow, a message is given to the farmer and to a climate control system that ensures that there is more heat in the pen. Not only does this save piglets. It could perhaps also save heating bills in the farrowing barn, which […]
Daily Archives: November 10, 2008
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