Zaninelli Mauro, Costa Annamaria, Tangorra Francesco Maria, Rossi Luciana, Agazzi Alessandro, Savoini Giovanni
Faculty of Agriculture, Università Telematica San Raffaele Roma, Via di Val Cannuta 247, 00166 Rome, Italy.
Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety (VESPA), Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20133 Milan, Italy.
Sensors (Basel). 2015 Jan 26;15(2):2680-93. doi: 10.3390/s150202680.
Conventional cage systems will be replaced by housing systems that allow hens to move freely. These systems may improve hens' welfare, but they lead to some disadvantages: disease, bone fractures, cannibalism, piling and lower egg production. New selection criteria for existing commercial strains should be identified considering individual data about laying performance and the behavior of hens. Many recording systems have been developed to collect these data. However, the management of double nest occupations remains critical for the correct egg-to-hen assignment. To limit such events, most systems adopt specific trap devices and additional mechanical components. Others, instead, only prevent these occurrences by narrowing the nest, without any detection and management. The aim of this study was to develop and test a nest usage "sensor", based on imaging analysis, that is able to automatically detect a double nest occupation. Results showed that the developed sensor correctly identified the double nest occupation occurrences. Therefore, the imaging analysis resulted in being a useful solution that could simplify the nest construction for this type of recording system, allowing the collection of more precise and accurate data, since double nest occupations would be managed and the normal laying behavior of hens would not be discouraged by the presence of the trap devices.
传统的笼养系统将被允许母鸡自由活动的饲养系统所取代。这些系统可能会改善母鸡的福利，但也会带来一些缺点：疾病、骨折、同类相食、扎堆以及产蛋量降低。应考虑有关产蛋性能和母鸡行为的个体数据，为现有的商业品种确定新的选择标准。已经开发了许多记录系统来收集这些数据。然而，对于正确的蛋与母鸡匹配，双巢占用的管理仍然至关重要。为了限制此类事件，大多数系统采用特定的诱捕装置和额外的机械部件。相反，其他系统只是通过缩小巢穴来防止这些情况发生，而没有任何检测和管理措施。本研究的目的是开发并测试一种基于成像分析的巢穴使用“传感器”，该传感器能够自动检测双巢占用情况。结果表明，所开发的传感器能够正确识别双巢占用事件。因此，成像分析是一种有用的解决方案，可以简化此类记录系统的巢穴构建，允许收集更精确和准确的数据，因为双巢占用情况将得到管理，并且母鸡的正常产蛋行为不会因诱捕装置的存在而受到抑制。
