A first system for determining the relative health of a chick having a first moving platform to support a chick, a first image capture device, a first database having a library of digital images relating to healthy and unhealthy chicks and a computer processor in communication with the image capture device and database. A second system for determining the gender of a chick in eludes a second moving platform, a second image capture device, stimuli directed at the chick to cause the chick to open its wings. The second system also includes a second database having wing patterns of male and female chicks of the breed of the chick on the second moving platform and a second computer processor in communication with the second image capture device and the second database.

The invention relates to a method for obtaining information about a farm animal, wherein a device (a) is attached to the head region of an animal, said device containing at least one acceleration sensor by means of which recurring acceleration data is measured, wherein the acceleration data is evaluated using automatic data processing means, and, as an outcome of the evaluation, is indicative of the activities and/or conditions of the animal. The acquired acceleration data is evaluated in order to detect the swallowing processes carried out by the animal.

A system for analyzing a condition of an animal, wherein the system includes at least an identification unit (2.1) which is arranged to be worn by an animal, wherein the identification unit includes a first transmitter unit (4), a movement sensor (6), and a control unit (8) which is communicatively connected with the transmitter unit and the movement sensor, wherein the system further includes a receiver unit (8) and a computer (10) which is connected with the receiver unit and wherein the system further includes positioning means for measuring a position of the identification unit, wherein the control unit is arranged for, in use, storing and/or processing electronic information of movements of the animal which have been obtained with the movement sensor. The system is further arranged to feed positions of the identification unit measured with the aid of the positioning means to the computer and/or the control unit, wherein the computer and/or the control unit is arranged to process the electronic information about detected movements and the electronic information about the measured positions in combination for analyzing the condition of the animal.

Systems and methods for detecting lameness in a limb of an animal are described herein. In an embodiment, a lameness detection system comprises a plurality of wearable footwear elements. Each of the footwear elements comprises a housing that is configured to fit snugly on a paw of the animal during ordinary gait. Each of the footwear elements comprise a sensor or matrix of sensors that is configured to detect and generate data representative of pressure or force exerted by the paw on a ground surface. Each footwear element additionally comprises a wireless transceiver that is configured for short-distance communication of the data captured by the sensors. The system further comprises a computing device with a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with the transceivers of the footwear elements and instructions which, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to analyze lameness in a limb of the animal based on data received from the sensors.

The invention relates to a method to automatically predict a calving moment of a cow, comprising: recording, by a three-dimensional camera system, at least one three-dimensional image of the cow, processing, by a processing device, the at least one image of the cow, wherein processing of the image comprises determining a parameter indicative of the calving moment, and predicting a calving moment of the cow on the basis of the parameter.

Apparatus for managing animals such as but not limited to livestock. In some embodiments, a tag assembly is configured for attachment to an outer ear of an animal. The tag assembly has a main body and a shaft that extends through an aperture extending through the outer ear to attach the main body to a facing surface of the outer ear. A primary temperature sensor of the tag assembly is configured to obtain outer ear temperature data indicative of an outer ear temperature of the outer ear. A control circuit is configured to receive the outer ear temperature data via a wireless communication link with the tag assembly. The control circuit determines a health state of the animal in response to a localized change in a magnitude of the outer ear temperature data in relation to a set of ambient temperature data over a selected time interval.

A bovine monitoring system may include a rumination sensor, a motion sensor, a posture sensor. The rumination sensor may detect chewing by sensing jaw motion. The motion sensor may detect motion. The posture sensor may detect orientation of the bovine asset through detection of gravitational acceleration, detection of gyroscopic rotation, or a combination of gravitational acceleration and gyroscopic rotation. Using the recorded rumination, motion, and posture sensors, the bovine asset monitoring system may identify aberrations in the estrous cycle or physical or mental health of the bovine assets. A bovine monitoring system may include a thermal scanning device to detect localized heating of the vulva area of the bovine asset, which may be used to identify aberrations in the estrous cycle or physical or mental health of the bovine assets.

The present invention relates to a method for calculating the body condition scoreBCS, the weight of an animal and its state of fertility by means of the mathematical processing of some characteristic morphological traits of the observed subject, which makes use of at least one contact or no-contact detection device of the profile 109 of the animal, at least a data processing unit and a program that implements a specific mathematical method of interpretation. By such a method, the determination of the body condition and its synthetic index or fattening index or FI, is independent of species, race, gender, age and absolute size of the examined animal. This method is also robust to possible errors of positioning of the apparatus by an operator.

The present invention relates to a method for calculating the body condition scoreBCS, the weight of an animal and its state of fertility by means of the mathematical processing of some characteristic morphological traits of the observed subject, which makes use of at least one contact or no-contact detection device of the profile 109 of the animal, at least a data processing unit and a program that implements a specific mathematical method of interpretation. By such a method, the determination of the body condition and its synthetic index or fattening index or FI, is independent of species, race, gender, age and absolute size of the examined animal. This method is also robust to possible errors of positioning of the apparatus by an operator.

A method performed by a computer for image analyzation includes: receiving, by a processor of the computer, an image captured by an imaging device; specifying, by the processor of the computer, first and second areas in the image; detecting, by the processor of the computer, a target object from the image in accordance with a certain pattern indicating a range of color saturation in an analysis of a color of the target object; and extending, by the processor of the computer, the range of color saturation in processing of the detecting the target object, when luminance of the first area in the image is lower than a first threshold and luminance of the second area in the image is equal to or higher than a second threshold.