An apparatus for raising livestock includes one or more confinement pens together with alleyways for transfer of the animals from one location to another. The apparatus includes one or more cameras for obtaining images of all animals in the containment area. A processor is provided for analyzing the images, the processor being arranged to allocate an arbitrary identification to each animal and to track all animals continually to maintain the allocation. From this tracking various data related to individual animals or the animals as a group can be obtained to assess their characteristics and to provide an indication to the worker of the animal to be extracted. The processor can be arranged to detect by image analysis of the image a quantity of feed and/or water in a feeder and to obtain images of the farrowing pen including the sow confinement area and at least one piglet confinement area.

A calf creep feeder includes a panel fence positioned at each side of a feed enclosure. Each of the panel fences are selectively movable between a lower creep feeder position to an upper stowed position. A pair of torsion springs are secured to each of the panel fences to assist in raising the panel fences from their lower creep feeder positions to its upper stowed position.

The present invention relates to a ventilation system for pig-raising facilities, comprising: a pig house (110) comprising a plurality of pig rooms (a) in which pigs are raised, and comprising an intermediate ceiling (113) and an upper ceiling (115) which are spaced apart from each other; a pit (120) provided at the bottom of the plurality of pig rooms (a); a plurality of roof exhaust fans (140) arranged at positions corresponding to the plurality of pig rooms (a), along the edge regions of the intermediate ceiling (113); and a plurality of air entry slots (150) provided in a plate surface of the intermediate ceiling (113) at constant intervals. At the front surface of the pig house (110), there are provided a lower window (114) which is provided between the intermediate ceiling (113) and the upper ceiling (115) and through which external air is introduced, and an upper window (116) which is provided between the upper ceiling (115) and a roof (112) and through which external air is introduced. At the rear surface of the pig house (110), lower exhaust fans (117) are provided to face the lower window (114), and upper exhaust fans (118) are provided to face the upper window (116).

A modular animal pen system comprises front and rear panels and opposed side panels extending between the front and rear panels to form a primary enclosure. The front panel has adjacent doorway apertures formed therein to receive respective selectively closable gates, and a mullion is disposed between the doorway apertures. The mullion has a first slot, and a second slot in the rear panel is in registration with the first slot. The animal pen system further comprises a removable divider panel whose longitudinal ends are sized to fit removably within the respective slots so that the divider panel can divide the primary enclosure into two secondary enclosures. The side and divider panels may be formed by interchangeable profile panels, and the front and rear panels may be formed by interchangeable face panels connectable end-to-end to form a junction slot therebetween sized to receive the longitudinal ends of the profile panels.

Implementations directed to providing a computer-implemented method comprising receiving, from a motion sensing device, a plurality of image frames that includes information regarding a plurality of animals housed in a group-housed environment, determining a coordinate space of the group-housed environment based on an analysis of a first image frame of the image frames, generating, based on the analysis of the first image frame, an ellipsoid model for each animal based on defined surface points for each animal weighted according to a likely proximity to a crest of a spine of the respective animal, and tracking a position and an orientation of each animal within the image frames by enforcing shape consistency of the ellipsoid models, and adjusting the position of each of the ellipsoid models based on the defined surface points for each animal and a maximum likelihood formulation of a movement distance for each animal.

A feeding analysis system of milk-production livestock includes a plurality of image analysis devices and a central server signally connected to each image analysis device. Each image analysis device is configured to capture a plurality of images of a feeding field, perform a clear processing on the images, identify a plurality of facial images of the plurality of milk-production livestock for feeding action from the cleared images and generate a plurality of capturing signals by capturing the plurality of facial images and a feeding duration corresponding to the facial images, and transmit the capturing signals to the central server. The central server is configured to receive the capturing signals, identify the milk-production livestock identities of the facial images of the corresponding capturing signal and generate a feeding record by integrating the identified milk-production livestock identity and the feeding duration of the capturing signal.

A modular animal pen system comprises front and rear panels and opposed side panels extending between the front and rear panels to form a primary enclosure. The front panel has adjacent doorway apertures formed therein to receive respective selectively closable gates, and a mullion is disposed between the doorway apertures. The mullion has a first slot, and a second slot in the rear panel is in registration with the first slot. The animal pen system further comprises a removable divider panel whose longitudinal ends are sized to fit removably within the respective slots so that the divider panel can divide the primary enclosure into two secondary enclosures. The side and divider panels may be formed by interchangeable profile panels, and the front and rear panels may be formed by interchangeable face panels connectable end-to-end to form a junction slot therebetween sized to receive the longitudinal ends of the profile panels.

The present invention discloses a live pig quantity checking apparatus and method. The checking method includes: obtaining first electronic ear tag numbers of electronic ear tags within a period of time interval threshold range; determining whether live pigs in a monitored piggery all have a food intake activity, and if yes, determining a quantity of the live pigs according to the first electronic ear tag numbers; and if no, determining live pigs not having the food intake activity according to the first electronic ear tag numbers. The live pig quantity checking apparatus and method of the present invention improves the live pig quantity checking efficiency.

A farrowing system including a farrowing pen adapted to receive a sow, a feed dispenser adapted to dispense feed to the sow received in the farrowing pen according to a first feeding pattern, at least one heating element providing heat to a portion of the farrowing pen, a birth detection sensor for detecting a birth of a piglet from the sow, and a controller operatively connected to the birth sensor, to the feed dispenser and to the at least one heating element for switching from the first feeding pattern to a second feeding pattern and for activating the at least one heating element upon detection of the birth. There is also provided a method for operating a farrowing system and a method for dispensing feed to a farrowing sow.

An apparatus for raising livestock includes one or more confinement pens together with alleyways for transfer of the animals from one location to another. The apparatus includes one or more cameras for obtaining images of all animals in the containment area. A processor is provided for analyzing the images, the processor being arranged to allocate an arbitrary identification to each animal and to track all animals continually to maintain the allocation. From this tracking various data related to individual animals or the animals as a group can be obtained to assess their characteristics and to provide an indication to the worker of the animal to be extracted. The processor can be arranged to detect by image analysis of the image a quantity of feed and/or water in a feeder and to obtain images of the farrowing pen including the sow confinement area and at least one piglet confinement area.