U.S. patent application number 11/691419 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-23 for livestock management system and method for split-weight feeding based on median weight of herd.
Invention is credited to Ronald M. Thibault.
Application Number | 20070193523 11/691419 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29739898 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070193523 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Thibault; Ronald M. |
August 23, 2007 |
LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SPLIT-WEIGHT FEEDING
BASED ON MEDIAN WEIGHT OF HERD
Abstract
A livestock management system is provided that sorts animals for
split-weight feeding based on a calculated median weight of a herd.
The system includes a pen area partitioned into a first feeding
area containing at least a first feeder, a second feeding area
containing at least a second feeder, and a common watering area
containing at least one waterer. First and second one-way gates are
respectively provided between the feeding areas and the watering
area allowing animals to pass from the feeding areas into the
watering area. A walk-through scale has an inlet open to the
watering area, and first and second outlets open to the first and
second feeding areas, respectively. The walk-through scale has a
sort gate for selectively directing animals into the first and
second feeding areas based on a comparison of a detected weight of
the animal and a calculated median weight of the herd.
Inventors: |
Thibault; Ronald M.;
(Osborne, KS) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THOMPSON & THOMPSON, P.A.
P.O BOX 166
SCANDIA
KS
66966
US
|
Family ID: |
29739898 |
Appl. No.: |
11/691419 |
Filed: |
March 26, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10456743 |
Jun 5, 2003 |
7210428 |
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11691419 |
Mar 26, 2007 |
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60386281 |
Jun 5, 2002 |
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60393175 |
Jul 1, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
119/51.02 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01K 1/0209 20130101;
A01K 29/00 20130101; A01K 5/02 20130101; A01K 1/0023 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
119/051.02 |
International
Class: |
A01K 39/00 20060101
A01K039/00 |
Claims
1-12. (canceled)
13. A method of managing livestock, comprising the steps of:
placing an animal herd in a pen area having first and second
feeders and a waterer; for a first period of time, allowing the
animals in said animal herd to roam freely through said pen area
between said first and second feeders and said waterer;
partitioning said pen area into a first feeding area containing
said first feeder, a second feeding area containing said second
feeder, and a common watering area containing said waterer, and
providing a first narrow passageway between said first feeding area
and said common watering area, a second narrow passageway between
said second feeding area and said common watering area, and a
walk-through scale providing third and fourth passageways between
said common watering area and said first and second feeding areas,
respectively; for a second period of time, allowing the animals in
said animal herd to pass freely through said first, second, third
and fourth passageways between said first and second feeding areas
and said common watering area; providing a first one-way gate at
said first passageway, a second one-way gate at said second
passageway, and a sort gate at said walk-through scale; and for a
third period of time, activating said first and second one-way
gates to allow animals to pass through said first and second
passageways only in a direction from said first and second feeding
areas into said common watering area, and activating said sort gate
at said walk-through scale to selectively direct animals through
either said third passageway into said first feeding area or
through said fourth passageway into said second feeding area.
14. The livestock management method according to claim 13, further
comprising the steps of individually weighing each animal passing
through the walk-through scale during said third period of time,
and activating said sort gate to selectively direct animals through
either said third passageway or said fourth passageway based on a
detected weight of the animal.
15. The livestock management method according to claim 14, further
comprising the steps of calculating a median weight of the animals
in the herd, comparing the detected weight of each animal to the
calculated median weight during said third period of time, and
activating said sort gate to direct animals having a weight above
the calculated median weight into the first feeding area and
animals having a weight below the calculated median weight into the
second feeding area.
16. The livestock management method according to claim 15, further
comprising the step of automatically recalculating a median weight
of the animals in the herd at predetermined time intervals.
17. The livestock management method according to claim 15, further
comprising the step of feeding the animals in said first feeding
area a different feed ration than the animals in said second
feeding area.
18. The livestock management method according to claim 14, further
comprising the steps of selecting a weight percentile of the animal
herd to use as a basis for sorting the animals, calculating a
sorting weight based on the selected weight percentile, and
comparing the detected weight of each animal to the calculated
sorting weight during said third period of time, and activating
said sort gate to direct animals having a weight above the
calculated sorting weight into the first feeding area and animals
having a weight below the calculated sorting weight into the second
feeding area.
19. The livestock management method according to claim 18, wherein
said step of calculating a sorting weight based on the selected
weight percentile comprises adding or subtracting a predetermined
offset weight to the weight corresponding to the selected weight
percentile.
20. A livestock management system for providing split-weight
feeding based on animal weight, comprising: a pen area partitioned
into a first feeding area containing at least a first feeder, a
second feeding area containing at least a second feeder, and a
common watering area containing at least one waterer; a first
passageway comprising a first one-way gate between said first
feeding area and said common watering area, said first one-way gate
being operable to allow animals to pass from said first feeding
area into said common watering area and to prevent animals from
passing back through the first one-way gate into the first feeding
area; a second passageway comprising a second one-way gate between
said second feeding area and said common watering area, said second
one-way gate being operable to allow animals to pass from said
second feeding area into said common watering area and to prevent
animals from passing back through the second one-way gate into the
second feeding area; and a walk-through scale having an inlet open
to said common watering area, a first outlet open to said first
feeding area, a second outlet open to said second feeding area, and
a sort gate movable between a first position in which animals are
directed to the first outlet and a second position in which animals
are directed to the second outlet; said walk-through scale having a
controller that automatically moves said sort gate to said first
position or said second position based on a measured weight of an
animal passing through the scale and a calculated sorting
weight.
21. The livestock management system according to claim 20, wherein
said controller is operable to direct relatively heavyweight
animals into said first feeding area and relatively lightweight
animals into said second feeding area, and wherein said first
feeder contains a first feed ration which is different from a
second feed ration contained in said second feeder.
22. The livestock management system according to claim 20, wherein
said survey scale controller calculates a sorting weight based on a
selected weight percentile and previously measured weights of the
animals in the pen area during a predetermined time interval.
23. The livestock management system according to claim 20, wherein
said controller calculates a median weight of the animals in the
pen area based on previously measured weights of the animals during
a predetermined time interval, compares a measured weight of each
animal to the calculated median weight, and moves said sort gate to
direct animals having a weight above the median weight into said
first feeding area and animals having a weight below the median
weight into said second feeding area.
24. The livestock management system according to claim 20, wherein
said first and second feeding areas comprise about 80 to 85% of a
total area of the system, and said common watering area comprises
about 15 to 20% of the total area.
25. The livestock management system according to claim 20, further
comprising a means for identifying each animal passing through said
walk-through scale, and a means for automatically marking animals
that fall behind a target minimum rate of weight gain.
26. A controller for use in a split-rate livestock feeding system,
comprising: a means for calculating a sorting weight based on
previously stored weights of the animals being weighed; means for
comparing a detected weight of an animal to said calculated sorting
weight; and means for activating a sort gate to direct the animal
to a heavyweight pen if the detected weight is more than the
calculated sorting weight and to a lightweight pen if the detected
weight is less than the calculated sorting weight.
27. The controller according to claim 26, wherein said means for
calculating a sorting weight calculates a median weight of the
animals in a herd based on previously stored weights of the
animals, and automatically updates the median weight
periodically.
28. The controller according to claim 26, further comprising a
means for selecting a weight percentile for sorting, and said means
for calculating a sorting weight calculates said sorting weight
based on the selected weight percentile.
29. The controller according to claim 28, further comprising a
means for selecting an offset weight, and said means for
calculating a sorting weight calculates said sorting weight by
adding or subtracting said selected offset weight to a weight
corresponding to said selected weight percentile.
30. The controller according to claim 28, further comprising a
means for selecting a sorting weight for sorting market weight
animals, and said means for activating the sort gate comprises
means for activating the sort gate to direct animals into a market
weight pen if their detected weight is more than the selected
sorting weight.
31. The livestock management method according to claim 18, further
comprising the step of automatically recalculating a sorting weight
of the animals in the herd at predetermined time intervals.
32. The livestock management method according to claim 18, further
comprising the step of feeding the animals in said first feeding
area a different feed ration than the animals in said second
feeding area.
33. The livestock management system according to claim 20, wherein
said survey scale controller comprises a means for automatically
recalculating the sorting weight based on weights of the animals
stored in the controller during predetermined time intervals so
that the sorting weight is automatically changed periodically as
the weight of the animals changes.
34. The controller according to claim 26, wherein said means for
calculating a sorting weight automatically recalculates the sorting
weight based on weights of the animals stored in the controller
during predetermined time intervals so that the sorting weight is
automatically changed periodically as the weight of the animals
changes.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/386,281 filed on Jun. 5, 2002, and No.
60/393,175 filed on Jul. 1, 2002.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to livestock
production management systems, and in particular, to systems and
methods for feeding market animals in separate groups based on the
detected weights of the animals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Meat packers and their customers are demanding the
production and delivery of market animals with weights that must
meet progressively tighter windows for acceptable weights.
Marketing animals, whose weights fall outside the specified weight
ranges, usually result in significant deductions from market prices
for such underweight or overweight animals.
[0004] Simultaneously, producers are increasingly conscious that
underfeeding or overfeeding not only hurts their bottom line
profitability, but feeding a feed that is not optimum each phase of
the growth cycle unnecessarily burdens them with waste nutrient
disposal costs and regulatory review.
[0005] Historically pig producers selected animals for market by
simple visual inspection, relying on pig judging skills to identify
market animals. Such methods are neither sufficiently accurate nor
reliably consistent for modem markets. The use of single-animal
farm scales, such as the Osborne Industries ACCU-ARM.RTM. scale, is
sufficiently accurate to select animals for market. Using such
scales has been shown to amply reward the user with a profitable
payback at market for both the cost of equipment and labor for
weighing.
[0006] To manage feed, phase feeding is increasingly employed,
changing feed composition to match growth utility at multiple
intervals during the growth cycle. These changes are best
accomplished with an accurate understanding of the daily weight
distribution and its rate of change for the animals. Although
visual inspection or fixed calendar-based growth curves have
usually been the methods used to make phase feed changes, visual
inspection is approximate at best, and growth curves do not take
into account the effects of environmental temperatures or pen
stocking densities which both affect actual rate of gain.
[0007] Although using scales to weigh market animals or measure
weight distributions is clearly desirable, weighing one animal at a
time requires substantial labor and time, two commodities that are
often unavailable in modern finishing operations. Furthermore,
weighing animals that fail to meet the marketing range always
causes a temporary, but costly interruption to their normal growth.
For phase feed changes, weighing of small samples of the pen is the
only practical method, but is not really much more accurate than
visual estimating. If large numbers of animals must be inspected,
the use of single-animal scales is simply too slow to be
practical.
[0008] The first step in automated weighing must be to spread the
cost and equipment maintenance over a large number of animals. This
consideration leads naturally to the conclusion that managing
finishing pigs in large pens is highly desirable.
[0009] Other automated sorting systems have been developed and used
in the past with only limited success. The "food court" sorting
system essentially groups all of the feeders into a relatively
small area of the finishing room. The remainder of the finishing
room is reserved as a loafing area without feeders. Both the food
court and the loafing areas are provided with water.
[0010] Several weeks prior to marketing with the food court system,
a sorting scale is moved into position and pigs must enter the food
court through a sorting scale in order to be fed and return to the
loafing area via one-way gates. At some point, a sort weight or
weight range is assigned to the sort scale and the food court is
divided into a market animal pen and a reject pen for pigs outside
the sort range. The reject pigs can return to the loafing area via
a one-way gate, but the market animals are prohibited from remixing
in the loafing area by locking the one-way exit gates. After about
24-hours, the market animals are loaded out and the pen is returned
to normal operation. The sort off of market animals is repeated
until all animals have been selected for specific markets or fed
out to meet the target ranges set earlier.
[0011] The food court system has several distinct disadvantages.
For example, because the food court provides both food and water in
a very compact area, the dominant pigs in the group both have no
incentive to leave and can easily control access to the feeders and
intimidate less aggressive pigs. This type of dominant behavior is
most easily seen in adult sows, but exists with adolescent pigs as
well. The food court arrangement almost ensures a wider spread of
weights in the group and a longer time to market with higher
facilities utilization costs.
[0012] Moreover, the automatic market scale of the food court
system is used in such a way that very accurate weights are
required with pigs on one pass through the scale. The pigs must be
accurately separated, weighed, and then released into the market
pen. Moving across such a scale with multiple moving gates requires
training. Training occurs because feed is the incentive. This means
that feed restriction is a necessary consequence for this training,
often in the final weeks prior to market when extending the market
date is least affordable.
[0013] Automatic marketing scales and the food court system both
combine to increase facilities utilization costs because increasing
the number of "tail-enders" is a necessary outcome for this
system.
[0014] Thus, there is a need in the industry for an improved
livestock management system and method for split-weight feeding
that solves the problems with the prior art described above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The present invention provides a system that sorts animals
into two or more separate pens for feeding based on a calculated
median weight of the animals. The system includes a pen area
partitioned into a first feeding area containing a first group of
feeders, a second feeding area containing a second group of
feeders, and a common watering area accessed by the animals in both
the first and second feeding areas. First and second one-way gates
are respectively provided between the feeding areas and the common
watering area allowing animals to pass through only in a direction
from the feeding areas into the watering area.
[0016] A walk-through scale provides a passageway from the common
watering area back into the first and second feeding areas. The
walk-through scale has an inlet open to the watering area, and
first and second outlets open to the first and second feeding
areas, respectively. The scale measures the weight of each animal
as the animal leaves the watering area. A controller detects and
stores the measured weight of each animal, calculates the median
weight of the animals in the herd, and determines whether the
animal is above or below the median weight. The median weight is
calculated by the controller from all the weights recorded each
day, and is adjusted daily as the animals grow.
[0017] The controller activates the sort gate into a first position
for guiding animals through the first outlet into the first feeding
area when the detected weight is above the median weight. The
controller activates the sort gate into a second position for
guiding animals through the second outlet into the second feeding
area when the detected weight is below the median weight. Thus, the
heavy half of the animals are grouped in the first feeding area,
and the light half of the animals are grouped in the second feeding
area.
[0018] The heavyweight animals in the first feeding area are given
a feed ration that maximizes return on gain. The lightweight
animals in the second feeding area are given a high performance
feed to accelerate gain and finish faster. As a result, the system
limits the weight distribution spread of the animals in the herd
and reduces sort losses at market.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The present invention will become more clearly appreciated
as the disclosure of the invention is made with reference to the
accompanying drawings. In the drawings:
[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a livestock penning
system according to the present invention showing partition gates,
one-way gates and a walk-through scale all open to allow animals to
move freely about the entire pen.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the livestock penning
system shown in FIG. 1 with the partition gates closed to limit
movement of animals through the one-way gates and the walk-through
scale.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the livestock penning
system shown in FIG. 2 with the one-way gates and the walk-through
scale activated to sort animals into a heavyweight pen and a
lightweight pen for feeding.
[0023] FIG. 4 shows a plurality of livestock penning systems
according to the present invention linked together to a remote
PC.
[0024] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation steps of a
controller for the walk-through scale.
[0025] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the walk-through scale used in the
present invention.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of the livestock penning
system of the present invention with the heavyweight pen
partitioned to capture market weight animals immediately prior to
shipping.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0027] A livestock management system and method according to
preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be
described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 of the accompanying
drawings.
[0028] The livestock management system comprises a pen area 10
having a plurality of waterers 11, a first group of feeders 12, and
a second group of feeders 13. The first group of feeders 12 is
supplied with feed from at least a first bulk bin 14, and the
second group of feeders 13 is supplied with feed from at least a
second bulk bin 15. The feeders 12, 13 are preferably dry ad
libitum feeders arranged for maximum access in the pen area 10. The
separate bulk bins 14, 15 allow separate feed rations to be
supplied to the first and second groups of feeders 12, 13.
[0029] The pen area 10 is partitioned into a first feeding area 16
containing the first group of feeders 12, a second feeding area 17
containing the second group of feeders 13, and a common watering
area 18 containing the waterers 11. Partition gates 19-22 are used
to partition the pen area 10.
[0030] A first one-way gate 23 is positioned in a first narrow
passageway 24 between the first feeding area 16 and the common
watering area 18. A second one-way gate 25 is positioned in a
second narrow passageway 26 between the second feeding area 17 and
the common watering area 18. A walk-through scale 27 has an inlet
28 open to the common watering area 18, a first outlet 29 open to
the first feeding area 16, and a second outlet 30 open to the
second feeding area 17.
[0031] FIG. 1 shows an initial configuration of the pen area 10
when animals are first stocked in the pen area 10. The animals are
preferably moved into the common watering area 18 first so that
they quickly learn where the water is located. In this initial
configuration of the pen area 10, a first partition gate 19 is open
to allow animals to roam freely between the first feeding area 16
and the common watering area 18. A second partition gate 20 is open
to allow animals to roam freely between the second feeding area 17
and the common watering area 18. Third and fourth partition gates
21, 22 are open to allow animals to roam freely between the first
and second feeding areas 16, 17.
[0032] The first and second one-way gates 23, 25 are in their open
or inactive positions which allow animals to move freely in either
direction through the first and second narrow passageways 24, 26.
The walk-through scale 27 is also open to allow animals to move
freely through either of the first or second outlets 29, 30. Thus,
the animals are initially allowed to move freely about the entire
pen area 10 for a period of time (e.g., a few weeks) allowing them
to become accustomed to the pen area 10 with minimal stress. The
feed ration in the first and second groups of feeders 12, 13 can be
the same during this initial time period.
[0033] After the animals become accustomed to the entire pen area
10, the first, second, third and fourth partition gates 19-22 are
closed, as shown in FIG. 2. This limits movement of the animals so
that they have to pass through the first and second narrow
passageways 24, 26 and the walk-through scale 27 to move between
the feeding areas 16, 17 and the common watering area 18. The first
and second one-way gates 23, 25 and the walk-through scale 27
remain in their open or inactive positions for a few additional
days until the animals become accustomed to moving through
them.
[0034] The first and second one-way gates 23, 25 are then activated
and the walk-through scale 27 is activated to restrict movement
between the feeding areas 16, 17 and the common watering area 18 in
the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3. At this time, the
walk-through scale 27 begins to sort heavyweight animals into the
first feeding area 16 and lightweight animals into the second
feeding area 17.
[0035] The first one-way gate 23, when activated, allows animals to
move through the first passageway 24 from the first feeding area 16
into the common watering area 18, but not back into the first
feeding area 16. Similarly, the second one-way gate 24, when
activated, allows animals to move through the second passageway 26
from the second feeding area 17 into the common watering area 18,
but not back into the second feeding area 17. The walk-through
scale 27 has a sort gate 31 which is activated to move between a
first position in which animals are directed through the first
outlet 29 of the scale 27 into the first feeding area 16, and a
second position in which animals are directed through the second
outlet 30 of the scale 27 into the second feeding area 17.
[0036] When the starter or transition feed is exhausted from the
first and second bulk bins 14, 15, a split-weight feeding strategy
begins. The feed in the first bulk bin 14 is selected to provide an
optimum feeding program for the heavyweight animals sorted into the
first feeding area 16. Similarly, the feed in the second bulk bin
15 is selected to provide an optimum feeding program for the
lightweight animals sorted into the second feeding area 17. The
feeding program for the heavyweight animals can be optimized for
best return on gain. The feeding program for the lightweight
animals can be optimized for rate of gain to cut time to market and
thereby improve utilization of the facilities. Growth boosting
products, such as PAYLEAN.RTM. from Elanco Animal Health, can be
used in the second feeding area 17 to help eliminate multiple sorts
of the animals for market.
[0037] The walk-through scale 27 includes a load cell 32 that
measures the weight of the animals each time they pass through the
scale 27. The load cell 32 is preferably located at the top of the
scale 27 so it stays clean and away from manure and debris that
might interfere with its operation. The walk-through scale 27 is
also equipped with a microprocessor-based controller 33 that
rapidly detects and stores the weight of each animal based on input
from the load cell 32 as the animal passes through the scale 27. A
display screen is provided on the controller 33 to display weight
information. Using the display screen and a touch button input,
sorting decisions can be entered manually at the walk-through scale
27.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 4, a system of walk-through scales 27a-27c
can be economically linked together to a remote PC 36. The PC 36
can be equipped with weight management software allowing it to
graphically monitor weight distributions and pen median weights,
and multiple parameters can be set at the PC 36 to execute
management decisions using sort gates and spray markers at each
scale 27a-27c.
[0039] The sort gate 31 is activated for movement between its first
and second positions based on control signals received from the
walk-through scale controller 33. In the preferred embodiment, the
controller 33 calculates a median weight of the animals in the herd
and uses the calculated median weight as a threshold sorting
weight. As each animal passes through the walk-through scale 27,
its weight is detected by the controller 33 and compared with the
calculated median weight of the animals in the herd. If the animal
is heavier than the median weight, the controller 33 causes the
sort gate 31 to move to its first position for directing the animal
into the first feeding area 16. If the animal is lighter than the
median weight, the controller 33 causes the sort gate 31 to move to
its second position for directing the animal into the second
feeding area 17. Thus, the animals that weigh less than the median
weight will be grouped into the second feeding area 17, and the
animals that weight more than the median weight will be grouped
into the first feeding area 16.
[0040] The controller 33 recalculates the median weight of the
animals in the herd after a predetermined time interval. For
example, the controller 33 can recalculate the median weight each
day based on the detected and stored weights from the previous day.
Alternatively, the controller 33 can continuously recalculate a
median weight based on the detected and stored weights during the
last 24 hours or other suitable time interval.
[0041] A flow chart showing the basic operation of the controller
33 is shown in FIG. 5. The first step S1 shown in the flow chart is
selecting a "weight percentile" for sorting. In the preferred
embodiment, the selected weight percentile is the median weight of
the animals, as described above. However, it is contemplated that
animals can also be sorted to direct only the lightest 33% or other
desired portion of the animals into the second feeding area 17. In
that case, the selected weight percentile for sorting can be set to
calculate a threshold sorting weight different from the median
weight.
[0042] The second step S2 shown in the flow chart is calculating a
sorting weight based on the selected weight percentile and the
previously stored weights in the controller 33. In an alternative
embodiment, the sorting weight can be calculated by adding a
predetermined offset weight (e.g., 10 lbs.) to the calculated
median weight (or other percentile weight).
[0043] Once the sorting weight is calculated, the controller 33
will detect the presence of an animal on the scale 27 in step S3,
measure the weight of the animal in step S4, display the weight in
step S5, and then compare the weight to the calculated sorting
weight in step S6. If the detected weight of the animal is greater
than the calculated sorting weight, the controller 33 activates the
sort gate 31 in step S7 to direct the animal into the heavyweight
pen area 16. If the detected weight of the animal is less than the
calculated sorting weight, the controller 33 activates the sort
gate 31 in step S8 to direct the animal into the lightweight pen
area 17. The weight is then stored in a memory of the controller 33
in step S9 and used in step S2 to update the calculated sorting
weight for the next animal or for the following day.
[0044] In the preferred embodiment, the controller 33 calculates
the median weight of the animals in the entire herd, as explained
above, and also the median weights (referred to as the quartile
weights) for each of the first and second feeding areas 16, 17
(i.e., the heavyweight and lightweight pens). Using these values, a
more accurate timing of phase feed changes can be made for each of
the feeding areas 16, 17, eliminating wasted nutrients.
[0045] The shape of the pen area 10 is preferably rectangular with
a length L and a width W. For pigs, the pen area 10 should have a
length-to-width ratio (L/W) that does not exceed about two. The
first and second feeding areas 16, 17 preferably comprise about 80
to 85% of the total pen area 10, and the common watering area 18
preferably comprises about 15 to 20% of the total pen area 10. A
space of about 8.0 square feet per pig is recommended, and up to
about 500 head can be managed with each walk-through scale 27.
[0046] The system can incorporate radio frequency identification
("RFID") technology to identify and track the performance of
individual animals. For example, an RFID ear tag can be attached to
each animal to identify animals with superb or delayed growth.
"Poor doers" can be quickly culled, saving feed and space. Accuracy
of the calculated sorting weights can be improved with RFID by
ensuring that each animal is counted only once per day by the
controller 33 in calculating the median weight. The controller 33
can be programmed to track the individual growth curves of each
animal and to signal when an animal is falling behind its expected
rate of weight gain or failing to eat or drink. A marking device 37
can be provided with the walk-through scale 27 and activated to
mark (e.g., by spray painting) animals that need attention.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 6, the walk-through scale 27 used in the
present invention has a platform 38 for animals to walk across or
stand on. The sort gate 31 comprises a swinging gate panel 39 which
is selectively swingable between a first position (shown in FIG. 6)
in which an animal leaving the scale 27 is directed into the first
feeding area 16, and a second position (not shown) in which the
animal leaving the scale 27 is directed into the second feeding
area 17. The sort gate 31 has a locking structure 40 that locks the
swinging gate panel 39 in a selected one of the first and second
positions. The sort gate 31 may have the same structure as the gate
assembly described in the Applicant's copending Provisional Patent
Application No. 60/386,281 filed on Jun. 5, 2002, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
[0048] The sort gate 31 is moved between its first and second
positions based on the determination made by the controller 33 as
to whether or not each particular animal exceeds the calculated
sorting weight. The heavier animals are automatically directed into
the first feeding area 16, and the lighter animals are
automatically directed into the second feeding area 17.
[0049] The walk-through scale 27 can be equipped with a one-way
entry gate 41 at the inlet 28 that restricts entry onto the scale
platform 38 to one animal at a time. The walk-through scale 27 can
also include one-way exit gates 42, 43 positioned at each of the
outlets 29, 30 to prevent entry of other animals into the scale 27
from the feeding areas 16, 17. However, it has been determined that
the walk-through scale 27 can acquire an animal's weight so quickly
that stopping movement of the animals through the scale 27 using
entry and/or exit gates is generally not necessary. Without entry
and exit gates, the walk-through scale 27 will appear to the
animals as a clear, unobstructed passageway between the common
watering area 18 and the first and second feeding areas 16, 17.
[0050] Occasionally more than one animal may enter the walk-through
scale 27 simultaneously. In this case, the controller 33 can be
programmed to immediately recognize the additional animal and
reject the weight measurement.
[0051] As explained above, the management system of the present
invention automatically divides animals, such as pigs, cattle, or
other livestock, into two to four feeding groups as they grow,
based on their rank in the weight distribution for the pen. This
rank and weight distribution changes daily for each animal and for
the pen group, respectively. The management system tracks these
changes and ensures that each animal is always fed for its proper
weight and rank in the group distribution. With controlled feeding
throughout the finishing cycle, the system limits the spreading of
the weight distribution, thereby minimizing sort losses at market
and reducing the amount of market sorting required.
[0052] The management system of the present invention uses the
movement of animals from water to feed to automatically divide the
animals at the median or middle weight for the group. The median
weight is determined from all the weights recorded each day (or
other selected time interval) by the walk-through scale controller
33. This median weight is automatically adjusted daily (or at
another predetermined time) as the animals grow. The actual
measured growth for the group determines the median, not an
arbitrary or static growth curve. The heavy half of the animals in
the herd are automatically directed to a heavyweight feeding pen
(i.e., the first feeding area 16), and the light half of the
animals in the herd are automatically directed to a lightweight
feeding pen (i.e., the second feeding area 17).
[0053] The management system of the present invention helps the
manager feed the pen to reach market quicker at the exact weight
that the packer demands. The weight distribution of the pen is
known each day so that phase-feed changes are efficient, easy, and
accurate. Lightweight animals can receive a high performance feed
to accelerate gain and finish faster. Heavyweight animals can
receive a feed that maximizes return on gain. Both feeds can be
automatically phased to match growth and minimize wasted
nutrients.
[0054] The management system of the present invention is not just a
market-day automated sorter. It is a way to manage the feeding and
production of market animals, such as pigs, cattle, and other
livestock. In the present invention, all animals in a herd return
each day to a common watering area 18 to drink. Each day the
animals are resorted based on the median weight. If a heavy animal
falls behind because of illness, environment, or genetics, it is
automatically promoted to the lightweight side and a recovery feed.
If the growth of a lightweight animal excels, it is automatically
promoted to the heavyweight side and a more economical feed. No
social problems arise, because all animals remain part of the
larger group through earlier socialization and continued contact in
the common watering area 18.
[0055] With the management system described above, feeders 12, 13
are distributed widely over about 80 to 85% of the pen area so
dominant animals cannot control feed access. Since dominant animals
tend to be the largest in the herd, the eating behavior of the
lightweight animals with their own feeders is not inhibited.
[0056] The management system of the present invention can also be
used to capture market weight animals immediately prior to
shipping. This mode of the invention will be explained with
reference to FIG. 7 of the drawings.
[0057] The walk-through scale 27 can be set to detect when a
selected percentage of animals (e.g., 5%) of the animal herd (e.g.,
500 animals) first exceeds a desired market weight (250 lbs, for
example, for pigs). By comparison of the market weight with the
weight distribution for the pen, a marketing decision can be made.
For example, if the upper quartile weight is 245 lbs and market
groups of 125 pigs are desired, then at a rate of gain of 2
lbs/day, in about three days, one-fourth of the pen can be sorted
and shipped to market.
[0058] To capture market weight animals (if less than one-half of
the group is to be marketed), then swing gates can be used to form
a marketing pen. A first set of swing gates 50 divide the water pen
18 between the heavy-side, one-way gate 23 and the entry to the
walk-through scale 27. A second set of swing gates 51 divide the
heavyweight pen 16 to form a market weight pen 52 for holding the
market animals. This market weight pen 52 (part of the heavyweight
pen 16 and the water pen 18) must include enough space for the
anticipated number of animals to be marketed and be accessible to a
loadout alley (not shown).
[0059] Next, all animals are temporarly excluded from the market
weight pen 52 so that it can be filled only with market-weight
animals. The swing gate 22 in the central partition between the
heavyweight and lightweight pens 16, 17 is opened so light and
heavy pigs have access to the water pen 18 through the lightweight
pen 17. Since all animals are continuously commingled in the water
pen 18 prior to this operation, no social problems are created by
this action. The market weight animals are captured in the market
weight pen 52 as they return to feed through the scale 27. All
other animals return to the lightweight pen 17. After all the heavy
animals are captured (e.g., after about 12 to 18 hours), the
controller 33 shows the number of animals collected. While the
market weight animals are collected, feed to any feeders 12 in the
market weight pen 52 can be interrupted so that market animals go
to market with an empty gut.
[0060] After the market weight animals are shipped, the gates 50,
51 are removed or replaced to their normal position and the
management system is returned to its original configuration. After
one day, the new weight distribution in the pen 10 is accurately
remeasured and the weight of the median and chosen top percentile
(e.g., 5%) of animals can be checked. All animals can now be put on
the "fast finish" feed, if desired, to accelerate the animals to
market. Alternatively, another partial shipment can be selected as
soon as the management system shows that a reasonable number of the
animals exceed the target market weight.
[0061] It will be appreciated that certain features of the present
invention described above can be changed without departing from the
scope of the invention. For example, additional walk-through scales
or sort gate assemblies could be incorporated into the system
described above to allow animals to be sorted into more than two
groups. The system can be extended to separate the top quarter,
middle two quarters, and bottom quarter of animals into three pens
for a three-way feeding program. Alternatively, a four-way sort
into the four quartiles is also possible. The system can also be
set to separate animals on the basis of one to four defined weight
ranges, if desired.
[0062] The pen area 10 can be arranged in many equally acceptable
ways, as long as water and feed are separated so that animals must
pass from water to feed through the walk-through scale 27. Two or
more one-way gates should be used to assure maximum access to
water, and sufficient watering cups, nipples or trough space must
be provided in the common watering area 18 to ensure easy access to
water. Additional one-way gates can be added as insurance for large
groups of animals. Some provision in the feeding areas 15, 16 for
wetting and cooling the animals during summer heat is recommended
to discourage animals from using the watering area 18 to cool
themselves.
[0063] While the invention has been specifically described in
connection with specific embodiments thereof, it is to be
understood that this is by way of illustration and not of
limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be
construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.
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