U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Livestock Issues Research: Lubbock, TX
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    NewsletterSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Plains Area Lubbock, Texas Cropping Systems Research Laboratory Livestock Issues Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Dailey, Jefferyitem
                                            KREBS, NADEGE - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITYitem
                                            Carroll, Jeffery

                                                         - *Jeff Carroll*item
                                            MCGLONE, JOHN - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
  Submitted to: American Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting
                                    Publication Type: Abstract Only
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 2/23/2006
                                    Publication  Date: 7/9/2006
                                    Citation: Dailey, J.W., Krebs, N., Carroll, J.A., McGlone, J., 2006. Validation of a color automated tracking system for activity and pen location of group housed weanling pigs [abstract]. Journal of Animal Science. 84:413(Suppl. 1). Abstract #519.Interpretive Summary:
                                Technical Abstract: Knowing where animals are located throughout the day can be important in some studies. While scan sampling methods can be imprecise, continuous video observation is precise but time-consuming. Commercial automated tracking systems (ATS) quantify animal behavior by assigning an X, Y coordinate for an animal's location at a given time. The objective of this study was to validate an ATS, Ethovision, using the 'color' tracking method compared with a human observer using the Observer 5.0 (HOB). Nursery pigs (n = 44, 1 pig was removed from the study due to technical problems with the HOB) were group housed (n = 4/pen). Each pig in the pen had a different color tape around its shoulders (11 replications/color). Pigs were video recorded continuously for 1 h with color cameras at 30 frames/s. Videos were scored for a 1 h period for the time spent on the right half of the pen. Data obtained with the ATS were compared to data collected by HOB by ANOVA and regression analyses. The following results were obtained using 10 pixels as a parameter of detection in ATS. No difference (P=0.597) was observed between HOB and ATS for the time spent on the right. A linear regression comparing the methods of observation for 'time spent on the right' yielded an r2 of 0.9102 (or r = 0.954, P < 0.01) which indicated ATS as an assay was a precise predictor of HOB measurements (using 100 pixels, there was no difference in the means but the r2 was 0.78). The simple linear regression model was HOB = 0.962 ATS + 3.6929 (SEb = 0.047). The number of pixels used in the ATS must be optimized to accurately interpret animal movement. Additionally, the surface area covered by the tape, the color and elasticity of the tape, and the lighting system in the room can also affect the efficiency of the ATS. In conclusion, the ATS generated mean values similar to behavioral data collected by HOB. The r2 demonstrates that the ATS closely predicted data obtained by HOB. The ATS is recommended for collection of this type of behavioral information.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov