Case Study on Recording Pigs’ Daily Activity Patterns with a UHF-RFID System

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is the monitoring of daily activity patterns of fattening pigs at different locations in the housing environment using UHF-RFID. Four hundred fattening pigs were equipped with UHF-RFID ear tags and monitored during the fattening period for about four months. The RFID antennas were installed at the feeding troughs, playing devices and drinkers. A validation phase for each of these locations was carried out prior to the first data collection. The sensitivity (true positive rate) of the UHF-RFID system was about 80% at the feeding trough and the playing device and about 60% at the drinkers. The mean of the daily visiting time of all pigs at the trough was about 55 min. The mean visiting duration at the playing device was about 38 min and at the drinkers about 9 min. The visiting times of the pigs showed a high intra- and inter-variability. It was observed that the average visit duration at the feeding trough decreases over the course of a fattening period but increases at the playing device. A documentation of visiting times of animals is possible utilizing RFID systems, allowing a higher data density than video or direct observations.

The Application of Cameras in Precision Pig Farming: An Overview for Swine-Keeping Professionals

“…The identification of livestock has been practiced for several centuries, and although it was a means of claiming ownership in the early days, it later played a significant role in the detection and control of veterinary infections in the herd [ 37 ]. Welfare [ 37 , 38 ], behavior identification [ 1 , 37 ], activity management of livestock [ 39 , 40 ], and public welfare [ 41 ] are reasons for needing to identify animals. A wide range of methods for the identification of livestock has been utilized so far.…”

“…RFID is an advanced version of numbered ear tags, and passive electronic tags consist of a radio frequency identifier (RFID) that emits a signal to the reader through a microchip and a coiled copper antenna. Low frequency (LF: 125 kHz or 134.2 kHz), high frequency (HF: 13.56 MHz), and ultra-high frequency (UHF: 860–960 MHz) are the three primary frequency ranges in RFID systems [ 39 ]. Even though RFID has advantages such as a simple mechanism, low cost, and reliable correlations for identifying objects, the following qualities make it unsuitable for pig identification [ 39 , 42 ]: Range: RFID has a limited range (even long-range readers state a maximum distance of 120 cm) at which the tags can be activated and read successfully [ 39 ].…”

“…Low frequency (LF: 125 kHz or 134.2 kHz), high frequency (HF: 13.56 MHz), and ultra-high frequency (UHF: 860–960 MHz) are the three primary frequency ranges in RFID systems [ 39 ]. Even though RFID has advantages such as a simple mechanism, low cost, and reliable correlations for identifying objects, the following qualities make it unsuitable for pig identification [ 39 , 42 ]: Range: RFID has a limited range (even long-range readers state a maximum distance of 120 cm) at which the tags can be activated and read successfully [ 39 ]. In addition, multiple tags cannot be read concurrently; therefore, the data may not be reliable since pigs are playful and bunch together.…”

“… Readability: Ear-tagged RFID can become illegible for reasons such as wear and tear, breakage, and soiling [ 42 ]. Loss: Tags may be lost due to ear tearing during fighting or playing [ 39 ]. This is possible since the pig barn has metal objects; in addition, pigs are playful with plastic objects.…”

“…Range: RFID has a limited range (even long-range readers state a maximum distance of 120 cm) at which the tags can be activated and read successfully [ 39 ]. In addition, multiple tags cannot be read concurrently; therefore, the data may not be reliable since pigs are playful and bunch together.…”