By Anh Nguyen and Dr. Jon Holt, North Carolina State University
Body weight measurement of pigs is essential for monitoring performance, welfare and overall production value. Direct weight measurement provides the most accurate results but is time-consuming, often leads to increased animal stress and decreases overall production performance.
Alternatively, finishing pigs body weight can be estimated visually by experienced caretakers. However, this method often lacks consistency and accuracy.
A third approach is to use a commercial available camera system to estimate pig weight.
These weight estimation systems typically use 3D cameras to record top-view images and videos of pigs which are then sent to the included computer software to generate an approximate pig weight. There are two types of commercially available weight estimation cameras for pigs: handheld systems (e.g., WUGGL) and ceiling/wall mounted systems (e.g., eYeGrow by Fancom, PigScale by Smart Agritech Solution of Sweden).
Handheld systems often require a laptop or tablet to connect to the camera, while ceiling/wall mounted systems require a local PC or laptop. Handheld systems are usually used for periodic measurements, such as at closeout, while ceiling/wall mounted cameras are for continuous monitoring, such as over an entire finishing cycle. Examples of ceiling/wall mounted system and handheld system are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Left (eYeGrow system by Fancom) is a ceiling mounted camera system.
Right (optiSCAN system by Holscher + Leuschner) is a handheld camera system.
Ceiling/wall mounted systems are more common than handheld systems. The cost of these systems varies, with handheld systems on the cheaper end of the spectrum. In addition, the quality and accuracy of these systems have not been validated by either consumers or researchers. The use of weight estimation camera systems can provide valuable insight into pig growth and performance.
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