Logo of the Information System for Agriculture and Food Research

Information System for Agriculture and Food Research

Information platform of the Federal and State Governments

Collaborative Project: Smart Sheep Net - subproject A (Smart)

Project


Project code: 281C211A19
Contract period: 01.01.2021 - 31.12.2023
Budget: 302,060 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: precision livestock farming, small ruminants, animal breeding, digital world, sensor technology, animal husbandry, monitoring, prevention

The continuous monitoring of individual animals of sheep reared under extensive conditions is a very challenging task. The major prerequisite for doing so is a data acquisition system/digital processing and networking system, which is already totally ensured for breeding ewes by tagging of individual sheep with electronic ear tags (RFID). Thereby data collection and cluster analysis can be processed for individual animals, a defined group or a total herd of animals. The registration of the individual animal weight and its temporal course is an important and significant contribution to describe and assess the status of sheep with respect to their nutritional, health and welfare condition, as well as their performance. Especially research projects from Australia show, that walk-over-weighing-systems, which are designed for outdoor use and the registration of individual animal data, can be network with the help of RFID-based electronic animal identification systems (e.g. ear tags). They provide the general and necessary technical prerequisites to implement the outdoor monitoring of the dynamic individual animal weight. The main aim of the current research proposal (Smart Sheep Net) is development of a modular designed and digital networked walk-over-weighing-system/platform, which serves as the necessary prerequisite/bases module to register and assess the time dependent changes in individual animal behaviour and health status of sheep and their phenotypical performance characteristics. With the help of the development of "monitoring modules" it will be possible to acquire a comprehensive digital knowledge base to detect/calculate important indicators for e.g. sheep individual status of nutritional, health, behaviour welfare and performance condition. The "digital base" of the Smart Sheep Net-proposal will provide the technical requirements to: validate indicators and their practical and scientific value; create a cost efficient digital data base for breeding valuation

show more show less

Subjects

Advanced Search