Birth monitoring system for piglets

• US 20070262859A1
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conception Ro-Main, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Conception Ro-Main, Inc.
• Inventors: Henry, Marjollaine
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.110
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0218 Farrowing or weaning crates
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 17/08 for weighing livestock
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00

Abstract

The number of piglets dying at birth is reduced by providing a motion or weight sensor in a farrowing crate at the piglet area thereof so that, when the sow is expected to give birth, the motion sensor is located in the crate at a location to detect motion of one or more piglets after birth and, on detection of motion of the one or more piglets, causing the motion sensor to wirelessly communicate a signal to a pager carried by an operator indicating to the operator that birth of piglets is in progress.

Claims

1. A method for raising piglets comprising:

providing a farrowing crate having a sow containing area and at least one piglet area into which the piglets can move;

locating a pregnant sow in the sow containing area of the farrowing crate;

when the sow is expected to give birth, locating in the crate a sensor at a location to detect the presence of one or more piglets in the piglet area after birth;

and, on detection of presence of the one or more piglets, causing the sensor to communicate a signal to an operator indicating to the operator that birth of piglets is in progress.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sensor is a motion sensor so as to detect motion in the at least one piglet area.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sensor is a weight sensor so as to detect weight in the at least one piglet area.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein the motion sensor is located so as to detect motion in a corner of the at least one piglet area.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sensor is located in the at least one piglet area.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sensor is arranged so that the signal is communicated wirelessly to a device carried by the operator.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the farrowing crate is located in a farrowing room which includes a series of such crates and wherein the signal contains information identifying the crate concerned.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the farrowing crate is located in a farrowing room which includes a series of such crates and wherein each crate contains at least one separate sensor.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein at least some of the sensors are connected to a common central unit or circuit board arranged to generate and communicate the signal to the operator in response to a signal from one of the sensors connected thereto.

10. Apparatus for use in raising piglets wherein a pregnant sow is located in a farrowing crate having a sow containing area and at least one piglet area into which the piglets can move, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor arranged to be at a location to detect presence of one or more piglets after birth within the at least one piglet area;

and a control system arranged for causing wireless communication of a signal to an operator indicating to the operator that birth of piglets is in progress.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the sensor is a motion sensor so as to detect motion in the at least one piglet area.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the sensor is a weight sensor so as to detect weight in the at least one piglet area.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the motion sensor is arranged so as to be located in the at least one piglet area.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10 including a pager and wherein the sensor is arranged so that the signal is communicated to the pager carried by the operator.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the farrowing crate is located in a farrowing room including a series of such crates and wherein the signal contains information identifying the crate concerned.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the farrowing crate is located in a farrowing room including a series of such crates and wherein each crate contains a separate sensor.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein at least some of the sensors are connected to a common central unit arranged to generate and communicate the signal to the operator in response to a signal from one of the sensors connected thereto.