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Collaborative project: Development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) applications to improve animal welfare and labour efficiency in the periparturient management of sheep - subproject B (KISchaf)
Project
Project code: 281C501B21
Contract period: 01.02.2023
- 31.03.2026
Budget: 274,924 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: small ruminants, Precision livestock farming, animal health, sheep, husbandry techniques, prevention, animal welfare, AI Artificial Intelligence
This project aims to develop and test a user-friendly, low-budget, video-based surveillance system for the periparturient management of sheep, which can ensure continuous observation of the lambing flock and reliably detect and alert the owner to any impending or ongoing parturitions. It will use advanced video surveillance technology (also appropriate for poor lighting and night vision) to observe animal movements and behaviour. Using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, these data will be processed and a warning will be issued to the owner via a mobile phone application. This will enable the farmer to identify and attend to any potential cases of dystocia early and will thus lead to improved animal welfare and a reduction in stillbirth rates, but will also help to ease farmers’ work load at critical periods such as lambing time. The aim is the development of a cost-effective system that can be used under highly variable field conditions and its further improvement to reach marketability standards in order to make it accessible for a wide range of sheep farming situations.
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal Husbandry
- Animal health
- Special animal species
