Automatic weighing of pigs fed ad Libitum

Abstract

Determination of the weight of individual pigs housed in groups is of interest to engineers and scientists working on various aspects of pig production as it relates to nutrition and behaviour. This paper describes experiments and data analysis aimed at developing a technique to determine the weight of individual pigs without interrupting their normal daily routine. An electronic weighing platform that weighs the front legs and real time filtering of the data using a Kaiman Filter was found to provide satisfactory estimates (standard deviation = 1 · 55 kg) of the weight of 16-week-old pigs while feeding. The weight range of the pigs was 30-50 kg. © 1996 Silsoe Research Institute.