Using Passive Infrared Detectors to Record Group Activity and Activity in Certain Focus Areas in Fattening Pigs

Abstract

Animal behavior is an important aspect in the assessment of animal welfare. Passive infrared detectors (PID), detecting thermal changes to measure activity, have already been used to record data on the behavior of groups of animals. Within this study, the suitability of these detectors for the collection of activity profiles for focused areas is further investigated. The aim was to record the activity of a group of eleven fattening pigs in a pen, as well as the activity in the five functional areas for resting, feeding, drinking, exploration, and elimination. In order to evaluate the data obtained, the behavior was video recorded for visual assessment. In addition, relevant indoor environment parameters were recorded (ammonia, air temperature, and relative humidity). For the measurement of activity by PID, strong correlations from up to r = 0.87 (p < 0.01) could be found compared to visual assessment. The results indicate that activity changes during the day and activity in defined functional areas can be recorded using PIDs. These data combined with data of climate-related sensors could serve the farmer as a monitoring tool for early detection of behavioral changes or serve as partial aspect within a Weak Point Analysis within external on-farm consulting.

Behavioral Responses of Pigs Finished in Deep Bedding and Conventional Bed Systems

“…Therefore, automated systems for assessing activity have been developed. Von Jasmund et al (2020) affirm that activity level changes due to stressors, such as diseases or heat.…”

A Systematic Review on Validated Precision Livestock Farming Technologies for Pig Production and Its Potential to Assess Animal Welfare

“…Photoelectric sensors, the only sensor group with external validation records for activity measurements, showed a precision lower than 90% (56,66). The potential of these sensors to detect position changes in puerperal sows showed 64% of sensitivity and 88% of specificity (59).…”

Long-Term Measurement of Piglet Activity Using Passive Infrared Detectors

“…In the near future, these changes will require a continuous assessment of each housing environment and of the animals living in it according to animal-welfare-relevant indicators and a precise documentation of results. Yet, already established criteria for assessing animal welfare are often resourceand management-based [1].…”

“…In recent years, animal-based indicators have gained increasing attention and are now considered by researchers to be essential for a comprehensive evaluation of welfare in its multidimensionality [2,3]. Thus, innovative animal-based sensor systems for continuous and objective monitoring and evaluation of the behavior of groups of animals like pigs could make use of, for example, visually acquired information by using appropriate sensors in combination with learning algorithms or similar applications [1].…”

“…In the above studies, activity data referred to large groups of animals or were undifferentiated for all animals in a compartment and less focused on smaller groups of pigs in a pen or in special areas within the pen [1]. Likewise, behavioral observation methods can be a source of important information on certain focus areas, insofar as these methods provide patterns of animal activity, which has been used as an indicator of animal disease.…”