Automated computer vision analysis of pen-level feeder occupancy in post-weaning piglets under two pen configurations and by sex

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ID: 333583
2026
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Abstract
Abstract The nursery phase is a challenging period in swine production, and automated monitoring of feeder use may provide additional information about piglet activity during early post-weaning. A YOLOv8n detector trained using whole-frame bounding boxes was used to classify video frames as at_feeder or not_at_feeder. These classifications were used to quantify pen-level feeder occupancy, defined as the percentage of analyzed frames in which at least one piglet had its head inserted into the feeder. Eighty PIC piglets weaned at 21 d were housed in 16 single-sex pens. Eight pens contained four piglets (0.39 m²/pig; 18.75 cm feeder length/pig) and eight contained six piglets (0.26 m²/pig; 12.5 cm feeder length/pig), resulting in two pen configurations that differed simultaneously in group size, floor-space allowance, and feeder-space allowance. Sex and pen configuration formed a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with four pens per cell, and the 16 pens were distributed across four spatial blocks. Video was analyzed during three 24-h windows beginning at 0900 h on Day 1, the day of weaning, and on Days 4 and 7. On a balanced 2,000-frame within-recording validation set, the model achieved mAP@0.5 = 0.995 and an F1-score of 0.993 for both classes. A mixed model with spatial block as a fixed effect and pen as a random intercept identified an observation-window effect (P < 0.001) and a pen configuration × window interaction (P = 0.014). Sex and interactions involving sex were not significant. Occupancy was higher in six-piglet pens during the later observation windows. An illustrative sensitivity analysis showed that the later differences between pen configurations were compatible with the expected mathematical effect of group size on a presence-based occupancy measure. Average daily gain and feed disappearance did not differ by sex, pen configuration, or their interaction. Feed conversion ratio showed a sex × pen-configuration interaction (P = 0.010). In a secondary within-pen analysis, each additional hour of feeder occupancy was associated with 0.023 kg/pig greater feed disappearance over the temporally matched 24-h interval (95% confidence interval, 0.010 to 0.037 kg/pig; P = 0.003). Automated video analysis provided a high-throughput measure of pen-level feeder occupancy across the early post-weaning period, establishing a foundation for subsequent development of individual-level feeding measures.
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openalex_W7223316202 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Victor Hugo Silva Souza, Mamunur Rahman, Maria Cristina de Souza Silva, Luana Maria Benicio, Vinícius de Souza Cantarelli, Alessandro Torres Campos, Isabella Cardoso Ferreira da Silva Condotta
Journal Translational animal science
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/tas/txag150
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txag150
Keywords Keywords not found

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