Monitoring cattle liveweight using a mobile, in-paddock weigh platform: Validation, attendance and utility

Cattle liveweight (LW) monitoring is essential for the effective management of animal productivity and welfare, particularly in decision-making on farms. Traditional static weigh (SW) systems require animals to be moved to fixed scales, posing challenges in extensive beef systems due to labour deman...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Faysal M. Hasan, Peter C. Thomson, Mohammed R. Islam, Cameron E.F. Clark, Anna Chlingaryan, Sabrina Lomax
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Smart Agricultural Technology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375524002442
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850061632213876736
author Faysal M. Hasan
Peter C. Thomson
Mohammed R. Islam
Cameron E.F. Clark
Anna Chlingaryan
Sabrina Lomax
author_facet Faysal M. Hasan
Peter C. Thomson
Mohammed R. Islam
Cameron E.F. Clark
Anna Chlingaryan
Sabrina Lomax
author_sort Faysal M. Hasan
collection DOAJ
description Cattle liveweight (LW) monitoring is essential for the effective management of animal productivity and welfare, particularly in decision-making on farms. Traditional static weigh (SW) systems require animals to be moved to fixed scales, posing challenges in extensive beef systems due to labour demands, costs, stress, and weight loss during muster. This study evaluated the relationship between LW measured by a SW system and a mobile in-field weighing system, Optiweigh (OW), in 65 weaners (Angus, Shorthorn, and Angus-Shorthorn cross) grazing on forage oats at a commercial beef property in north-west NSW, Australia. Over 22 weeks, cattle were weighed fortnightly using SW scales in the cattle yards while OW continuously monitored LW in the paddock. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient showed a strong association between OW and SW liveweight (CCC = 0.97; P < 0.001), with no influence from breed or sex. However, OW slightly over-predicted LW for lighter cattle (≤ 382 kg) and under-predicted for heavier cattle (> 382 kg), prompting the development of a correction. Further research is needed to understand the reasons for these discrepancies, potentially related to diet. Additionally, cattle attendance at OW was affected by size, season, and individual variation (P < 0.001). Overall, the OW system simply and accurately monitored the temporal changes in cattle LW through voluntary animal attendance in remote systems.
format Article
id doaj-art-bc6a67166a2d4b0b91ee8b002b0f0b67
institution DOAJ
issn 2772-3755
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Smart Agricultural Technology
spelling doaj-art-bc6a67166a2d4b0b91ee8b002b0f0b672025-08-20T02:50:09ZengElsevierSmart Agricultural Technology2772-37552024-12-01910063910.1016/j.atech.2024.100639Monitoring cattle liveweight using a mobile, in-paddock weigh platform: Validation, attendance and utilityFaysal M. Hasan0Peter C. Thomson1Mohammed R. Islam2Cameron E.F. Clark3Anna Chlingaryan4Sabrina Lomax5Livestock Production and Welfare Group, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia; Department of Livestock Services, Krishi Khamar Sarak, Farmgate, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh; Corresponding author.Livestock Production and Welfare Group, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia; Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, AustraliaLivestock Production and Welfare Group, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, AustraliaLivestock Production and Welfare Group, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia; Gulbali Institute for Agriculture, Water and Environment, Charles Sturt University, 250 Boorooma St North- Wagga, AustraliaLivestock Production and Welfare Group, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, AustraliaLivestock Production and Welfare Group, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, AustraliaCattle liveweight (LW) monitoring is essential for the effective management of animal productivity and welfare, particularly in decision-making on farms. Traditional static weigh (SW) systems require animals to be moved to fixed scales, posing challenges in extensive beef systems due to labour demands, costs, stress, and weight loss during muster. This study evaluated the relationship between LW measured by a SW system and a mobile in-field weighing system, Optiweigh (OW), in 65 weaners (Angus, Shorthorn, and Angus-Shorthorn cross) grazing on forage oats at a commercial beef property in north-west NSW, Australia. Over 22 weeks, cattle were weighed fortnightly using SW scales in the cattle yards while OW continuously monitored LW in the paddock. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient showed a strong association between OW and SW liveweight (CCC = 0.97; P < 0.001), with no influence from breed or sex. However, OW slightly over-predicted LW for lighter cattle (≤ 382 kg) and under-predicted for heavier cattle (> 382 kg), prompting the development of a correction. Further research is needed to understand the reasons for these discrepancies, potentially related to diet. Additionally, cattle attendance at OW was affected by size, season, and individual variation (P < 0.001). Overall, the OW system simply and accurately monitored the temporal changes in cattle LW through voluntary animal attendance in remote systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375524002442Precision agricultureCattleLiveweightMobile weigh platformGrowth monitoring
spellingShingle Faysal M. Hasan
Peter C. Thomson
Mohammed R. Islam
Cameron E.F. Clark
Anna Chlingaryan
Sabrina Lomax
Monitoring cattle liveweight using a mobile, in-paddock weigh platform: Validation, attendance and utility
Smart Agricultural Technology
Precision agriculture
Cattle
Liveweight
Mobile weigh platform
Growth monitoring
title Monitoring cattle liveweight using a mobile, in-paddock weigh platform: Validation, attendance and utility
title_full Monitoring cattle liveweight using a mobile, in-paddock weigh platform: Validation, attendance and utility
title_fullStr Monitoring cattle liveweight using a mobile, in-paddock weigh platform: Validation, attendance and utility
title_full_unstemmed Monitoring cattle liveweight using a mobile, in-paddock weigh platform: Validation, attendance and utility
title_short Monitoring cattle liveweight using a mobile, in-paddock weigh platform: Validation, attendance and utility
title_sort monitoring cattle liveweight using a mobile in paddock weigh platform validation attendance and utility
topic Precision agriculture
Cattle
Liveweight
Mobile weigh platform
Growth monitoring
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772375524002442
work_keys_str_mv AT faysalmhasan monitoringcattleliveweightusingamobileinpaddockweighplatformvalidationattendanceandutility
AT petercthomson monitoringcattleliveweightusingamobileinpaddockweighplatformvalidationattendanceandutility
AT mohammedrislam monitoringcattleliveweightusingamobileinpaddockweighplatformvalidationattendanceandutility
AT cameronefclark monitoringcattleliveweightusingamobileinpaddockweighplatformvalidationattendanceandutility
AT annachlingaryan monitoringcattleliveweightusingamobileinpaddockweighplatformvalidationattendanceandutility
AT sabrinalomax monitoringcattleliveweightusingamobileinpaddockweighplatformvalidationattendanceandutility