On-Farm Claw Scoring in Sows Using a Novel Mobile Device

Abstract

Claw lesions and lameness in sows are important problems in the industry as they impair sow welfare and result in economic losses. Available scoring techniques to detect claw lesions are all limited in terms of collecting data during all reproductive phases and recording all claws. The Mobile Claw Scoring Device (MCSD) was designed to address these limitations. After considering different practical situations and a design phase, two prototypes were constructed and tested. Improvements were incorporated into a final aluminium apparatus, consisting of two cameras with light-emitting diode (LED) lights mounted in a two-segment aluminium box and covered with laminated tempered glass plates. The operating system slides underneath the claws and takes video images. This final prototype was optimised and validated in an experiment with 20 hybrid sows, comparing scores for soiled claws using the MCSD against scores for clean claws using the Feet First© sow chute (as gold standard). Fifty percent of the scores differed between both scoring tools, with mainly medial claw digits deviating, but this seemed biologically irrelevant. The MCSD seems to be an appropriate alternative for on-farm claw scoring and is distinguishable from other claw scoring techniques; however, it needs further optimisation to improve the similarity between the two techniques.

A Systematic Review on Validated Precision Livestock Farming Technologies for Pig Production and Its Potential to Assess Animal Welfare

“…For instance, in automatic body-weight detection, there is a need for development of algorithms accounting for the effect of gender and genotype (118), and the refinement of algorithms on automatic detection rate of pig boundaries (116). Similarly, for lameness detection, some reports have suggested the need for algorithms refinement to increase sensitivity and reliability (113), and the need to incorporate additional elements to the system, such as infrared lights (35). None of the reviewed systems were externally validated.…”

“…Force plates are accurate for evaluating gait characteristics and detecting lameness even at an early stage (40). Several validation studies confirm their potential (35,40,(109)(110)(111)153). Different features have been extracted and validated using visual observation as a gold standard (109,110,153).…”

“…In 18 of those 23 studies, the name or origin of the sensor was not provided; it was therefore impossible to identify its commercial availability or development stage. This applied to nine studies with camera-based technologies (29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37), three studies on load-cells [a drinker (38), a scale (39), and a force plate (40)], two on RFID (41,42), two on accelerometer (including one on accelerometer and microchip for body-temperature) (43,44), one study on microphone (45), and one on load cells with RFID (46). In the other five of those 23 studies, the origin or location of the herds used, or the origin of the Flow meters 2 0 2…”

“…Lying posture can also be used for assessing diurnal activity patterns of the animals (79). Image technologies that detect locomotion and axial body-movement are promising tools for assessing lameness, an important welfare issue (113), especially in sows (35).…”

The effect of rubber mats on lesions and lameness in gilts housed in gestation stalls

“…However, the hardness, abrasiveness and slipperiness of concrete floors cause leg and claw lesions, thus resulting in animal lameness (Telezhenko et al, 2007). This causes not only animal welfare problems but also economic losses to pig producers (Pluym et al, 2011;Nalon et al, 2013;van Riet et al, 2019). Concrete floors represent a major risk for claw lesions in young gilts (Kornegay et al, 1990).…”