Toward the automated detection of behavioral changes associated with the post-weaning transition in pigs
Date
2023-01-04
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Publisher
Frontiers Media
Abstract
We modified an automated method capable of quantifying behaviors which
we then applied to the changes associated with the post-weaning transition
in pigs. The method is data-driven and depends solely on video-captured
image data without relying on sensors or additional pigmarkings. It was applied
to video images generated from an experiment during which post-weaned
piglets were subjected to treatments either containing or not containing in-
feed antimicrobials (ZnO or antibiotics). These treatments were expected to
aect piglet performance and health in the short-term by minimizing the risk
from post-weaning enteric disorders, such as diarrhea. The method quantified
total group feeding and drinking behaviors as well as posture (i.e., standing
and non-standing) during the first week post-weaning, when the risk of post-
weaning diarrhea is at its highest, by learning from the variations within each
behavior using datamanually annotated by a behavioral scientist. Automatically
quantified changes in behavior were consistent with the eects of the absence
of antimicrobials on pig performance and health, and manifested as reduced
feed e ciency and looser feces. In these piglets both drinking and standing
behaviors were increased during the first 6 days post-weaning. The correlation
between fecal consistency and drinking behavior 6 days post weaning was
relatively high, suggesting that these behaviors may have a diagnostic value.
The presence or absence of in-feed antimicrobials had no eect on feeding
behavior, which, however, increased over time. The approach developed here
is capable of automaticallymonitoring several dierent behaviors of a group of
pigs at the same time, and potentially thismay be where its value as a diagnostic
tool may lie.
Description
Publication history: Accepted - 7 December 2022; Published - 4 January 2023.
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Article
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Keywords
behavior, drinking, early warning, feeding, machine learning, pigs, post-weaning diarrhea, swine
Citation
Kyriazakis, I., Alameer, A., Bučková, K. and Muns, R. (2023) ‘Toward the automated detection of behavioral changes associated with the post-weaning transition in pigs’, Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Frontiers Media SA. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.1087570.