A system comprises a milking box, a robotic attacher, a sensor, and a controller. The milking box has a stall to accommodate a dairy livestock. The stall comprises a first exit gate on a first side of the stall leading to a first sorting region and a second exit gate on a second side of the stall leading to a second sorting region. The robotic attacher extends from the rear between the hind legs of the dairy livestock. The sensor identifies the dairy livestock within the milking box stall. The controller selects and opens the first exit gate or the second exit gate based at least in part upon the identity of the dairy livestock.

Systems and methods for sorting livestock including a livestock processing station, a computer network system, and a livestock routing mechanism. The livestock processing station confines the individual livestock, allowing individual livestock data to be collected and analyzed. The computer network system includes a programmable logic controller (PLC) for data input at the livestock processing station and a sorting application coupled to the PLC via a computer network, the sorting application for analyzing individual livestock data and assigning livestock to pens.

The disclosure relates to a sorting system for automatically selecting animals to be treated during a treatment period. A first aspect is a sorting system automatically selecting animals to be treated during a treatment period. The sorting system includes an automatic sort gate and a control arrangement receiving, via a user interface, user input indicative of sorting criteria applicable to animal properties and a maximum number of the animals allowed to be present simultaneously in the sorting area. The control arrangement is further configured to monitor a number of animals that enter and exit the sorting area. The control arrangement is finally configured to adjust one or more parameter values of the one or more sorting criteria, based on the monitored number of animals that enter and exit the sorting area. The disclosure also relates to a corresponding method and to a computer program for performing the method.

A control arrangement for controlling movement of animals, with at least two smart gate arrangements and a same number of enclosed transit areas, wherein smart gate arrangement includes an entrance through which animals can enter, an animal identifier identifies each animal entering the smart gate arrangement, and three separate exits, through which each animal can be selectively guided to exit the smart gate arrangement after having been identified, and wherein each transit area is provided with a first one of the exits of a first one of the smart gate arrangements and an entrance of a neighboring second one of the smart gate arrangements with an unobstructed pathway therebetween contained within the transit area, the plurality of enclosed transit areas being interconnected via the smart gate arrangements such that an animal can be guided through the at least two smart gate arrangements via the transit areas in a circulating manner.

A mechanical scale has a weighing basket with a platform having entrance and exit ends. A hanging assembly for supporting the weighing basket includes a break-over beam. A counterweight assembly is connected to the break-over beam and is adjustable to select a threshold scale weight required to trigger a scale-operated feature, such as a spray marking mechanism. The counterweight assembly has a weight selection device bracket pivotally mounted to the frame assembly about a pivot point, and a freely moveable counterweight mass supported by the bracket. The freely moveable counterweight mass is moveable from a first position to a second position when the threshold scale weight is exceeded in the weighing basket, thereby causing an abrupt triggering of the scale-operated feature when the threshold scale weight is exceeded in the weighing basket. The freely moveable counterweight mass is a rolling spherical member enclosed within a hollow chamber inside the bracket.

Disclosed is a method for managing animals by surveying eating behavior of the animals in a livestock area, including monitoring the animals over a time period subsequent to distributing feed at a feed table in the livestock area, identifying animal behavior that fails to meet a criteria, and performing an such as regrouping the animals or conducting a health check on the animals.

A milking stall that houses one animal at a time. The milking stall includes a fence arrangement defining an interior space of the milking stall and made up of i) a stationary first long side, ii) a second long side extending along the first long side and having a central fence portion supporting a first entrance gate and a first exit gate, iii) a first short side attached to the first long side as a second entrance gate (5), and iv) a second short side attached to the first long side as a second exit gate.

A livestock management system is provided that spray marks animals for sorting or market weight selection. The system includes a pen area partitioned into a feeding area containing at least one feeder and a common watering area containing at least one waterer. A walk-through scale has an inlet open to the watering area and an outlet open to the feeding area. The walk-through scale has a weighing device that determines if the animal is within the specified set weight for marking. The weighing device determines the weight of the animal as the animal center of mass crosses the center of the weighing platform. The system allows spray marking of the animal to be done in a stress free environment that improves overall growth potential.

Livestock handling equipment characterized by a modular alley construction employing shared bows with hole-penetrated front and rear faces for fastening of elongated structural beams and coupling of side panels at both of said faces. Longitudinally protruding coupling members on said side panels for engaging said holes include grooved and longitudinally extendable/retractable pivot pins at the bottom ends of the side panels. Selectively mountable/removable cladding members enable convenient strategic customization of cladding coverage to optimize livestock flow via pressure zone techniques, physical intervention and/or light-based attraction, and also enable physical access for inspection and treatment of the animals.

A tag assignment system, comprising a processing circuitry and being communicatively connected to a data repository comprising records, each of which (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal of a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a Unique Animal Identifier (UAI) associated with the respective distinct animal; the processing circuitry is configured to: substantially simultaneously: (i) obtain an ID reading of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal of the animals from a first tag reading device, wherein the ID reading including the UAI uniquely identifying the given animal, and (ii) obtain a tag reading of a second tag attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device, the tag reading including tag identification information uniquely identifying the second tag; and cause update of the data repository to assign the tag identification information to a given record of the records associated with the UAI.