A system for treating livestock may include a ramp for containing dairy livestock and one or more mobile units configured to travel on the ramp, below the dairy livestock, and milk the dairy livestock. A mobile unit may be adapted to travel to a predefined location within a stall, and attach a milking equipment unit to the dairy livestock in the stall. A plurality of mobile units and a central management unit may be configured to dynamically cause at least some of the plurality of mobile units to each perform a portion of a treatment or task.

A method to identify morbid animals housed in a feedyard having a feed bunk, where the method includes providing a plurality of animal beacons and at least one beacon reader, placing the beacon reader adjacent the feed bunk, transmitting by a first animal beacon a first signal comprising a first unique identifier for a first animal wearing the first animal beacon, wherein the first animal is housed in the feedyard, receiving by the beacon reader the first signal, and based upon the first signal, determining a proximity of the first animal to the feed bunk.

A method to identify morbid animals housed in a feedyard having a feed bunk, where the method includes providing a plurality of animal beacons and at least one beacon reader, placing the beacon reader adjacent the feed bunk, transmitting by a first animal beacon a first signal comprising a first unique identifier for a first animal wearing the first animal beacon, wherein the first animal is housed in the feedyard, receiving by the beacon reader the first signal, and based upon the first signal, determining a proximity of the first animal to the feed bunk.

A method of collecting data for treatment of disease in vivarium animals is described. Animal activity data is collected at multiple times during the night. Sequential time regions of the night are identified as high-activity, activity-drop, or low-activity regions. Embodiments are described to quantify an activity-drop, during the night, of an animal's activity level. These quantified activity-drop scalars for consecutive nights are accumulated in an animal health dataset. One embodiment quantifies an activity-drop by fitting straight-line curves through the data in the three nightly regions. Another embodiment uses a Fourier transform on a circle and a linear combination. Another embodiment compares areas under data curves in the regions. Animals may be housed in cages with other animals. Additional functions may be applied to the activity changes in the dataset to detect disease, measure severity, measure efficacy, or predict outcomes.

A system and method for behavioral analysis of a household pet. The system includes a sensor unit having at least one 3D accelerator sensor attached to the pet, a control unit connected with the 3D accelerator sensor and configured to collect acceleration data indicative of selected movements from the sensor. The control unit being configured to perform an initial analysis of the collected sensor data. The system further includes an analysis unit communicating with the control unit, the analysis unit configured to upload the collected sensor data and to receive additional data pertaining at least to the household environment and to the pet's historical condition and to define the pet's condition accordingly by neutralizing the additional data effects, wherein the data collection rate from the sensor is selected in accordance with at least the initial analysis results.

A system and a method for observing piglet birth is provided. The method comprises detecting at a first detection zone, infrared electromagnetic radiation from a first radiation zone including at least a first area of a first delivery zone of a first farrowing sow or gilt, identifying a first event indicative variation in the detected infrared electromagnetic radiation, the first event indicative variation being indicative of a piglet birth, and determining a first piglet birth event by means of the identification of the first event indicative variation.

An oestrus detector includes a reservoir portion which contains a coloured liquid. The detector further includes a generally planar portion that is attached to and sealed from the reservoir portion, except for an open or closed passage in a seal line separating the reservoir portion and the generally planar portion. In use the liquid is squeezed from the reservoir portion, through the passage, and into the generally planar portion, when the reservoir portion receives pressure.

Exemplary embodiments are directed to sensor apparatuses for attachment to an animal that include a housing and a sensor assembly. The housing can be attachable to the animal and includes an internal cavity formed therein. The sensor assembly can be disposed within the internal cavity of the housing. The sensor assembly includes a force sensor and an accelerometer arranged to detect force data and accelerometer data representative of a physiological state of the animal. Exemplary embodiments are also directed to method and sensor systems for detecting a physiological state of an animal.

A system and method for treating livestock may include a ramp for containing dairy livestock and one or more mobile units configured to travel on the ramp, below the dairy livestock, and perform at least one action related to a treatment of the livestock. A mobile unit may be adapted to travel to a predefined location within a stall, and attach a milking equipment unit to a cow in the stall. A plurality of mobile units and a central management unit may be configured to dynamically cause at least some of the plurality of mobile units to each perform a portion of a treatment or task.

A method for remote animal surveillance and distress monitoring includes detecting biometric and behavioral parameters of the animal, identifying novel events based on comparison of detected parameters to predefined parameter values and qualifications; determining whether a composite parameter value exceeds a predefined composite threshold value indicative of possible distress in the animal; and notifying remote caretakers of possible distress in the animal based on the composite value exceeding the predefined composite threshold value.