individual pigs in farms with restrictive feeding. In 12 pens (four pens each in three sections), the drinking nip- ple above the feeding trough was replaced by a drinking bowl which was placed on the wall opposite the feeding trough. A 3D weighting camera was placed directly above the drinking bowl to take pictures of each pig when it drank. Each pig in the pens with cameras had unique Radio Frequency ID ear tags (RFID) in their right ear, and next to the drinking bowl an RFID reader was mounted to read the ear tags and pair the ID with the camera-based weight estimate. The daily output from this weighting system was individual weight curves for each pig in each of the pens equipped with the system. For a number of pens the weight data, reported to the pig producer in weekly reports, showed an increased variation between the individual growth curves in the same pen or a


stagnation in growth for multiple pigs at the same time around three days after a change in feed mixture (see Figure 2). The pro- ducer actively used this information to improve the manage- ment of changes in feed mixture as well as of feed composition.


Improvement of feeding strategies Both group weights at farm A and individual weights at farm B were driven by data from the pigs while the pigs were still in the barn. The producers received information about growth rate and responses to changes in feed mixtures. That led to improvement in the feeding strategies on both farms. Both pork producers experienced significant improvements in the support of their management compared to traditional management systems they have used so far, which are based on historic data from previous batches.


Figure 2 - Growth curves (individual daily gain estimates). Feed mixture is changed on day 42. Increased variation (left) and stagnation in growth (right) within the pen follows the change in feed.


110


~42 days after insertion


~42 days after insertion


90 100


Danish finisher pigs on liquid feed in the trial.


80 70


60


~60 days after insertion


50 40


30


50 Time (Days)


70


90


0


20


40 Time (Days) ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 1, 2021 11


60


80


Weight (kg)


Weight (kg)


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