Method for automated swine feeding management

Abstract

This invention provides an automated pig feeding management method, applicable to automated pig farms. The farm includes a control module and pen units. The management method includes: setting daily water supply, daily feed supply, and feeding times according to the pig's growth stage; allocating the daily feed supply to at least one feeding session according to the feeding times, and setting corresponding feeding time periods; each feeding session includes an induction feed amount and multiple single feed amounts; supplying water to the feed troughs intermittently; and first adding the induction feed amount during each feeding time period, followed by the single feed amounts added sequentially according to the feeding time intervals.

Claims

1. An automated pig feeding management method, applicable to an automated pig farm, the automated pig farm including a control module and at least one pen unit, the control module having a growth stage setting interface, the at least one pen unit for raising a pig and equipped with at least one feed trough, a water supply pipeline corresponding to the at least one feed trough, and a feed supply pipeline, the management method including the following steps: (a) setting a daily water supply, a daily feed supply, and a feeding frequency according to the growth stage of the pig using the growth stage setting interface; (b) allocating the daily feed supply to at least one feeding session according to the feeding session, and setting at least one feeding time period corresponding to the at least one feeding session, each of the at least one feeding session including an enticing feed amount and multiple single feed amounts; (c) the control module controlling the water supply pipeline to intermittently supply the daily water supply to the at least one feed trough; and (d) During each feeding period, the control module controls the feeding pipeline to first deliver the amount of inducing feed to induce the pig to eat, and then delivers the amount of feed given in each feeding interval.

2. The automated pig feeding management method as described in claim 1, wherein the automated farm further includes a touch sensing element and a capacity detection element, the touch sensing element being electrically connected to the control module and correspondingly disposed in the at least one feed trough, and the capacity detection element being electrically connected to the control module and disposed in the at least one feed trough.

3. The automated pig feeding management method as described in claim 2, wherein in step (d), when the pig eats the amount of feed as an enticement feed and touches the touch sensing element, the feed is fed once at a time and the feeding interval timer is started, and the touch sensing element is turned off, and then the touch sensing element is restarted after the feeding interval timer ends.

4. The automated pig feeding management method as described in claim 1, wherein in step (d), when the feed supply pipeline delivers the amount of inducing feed and the amount of feed given in each single feeding, the water supply pipeline supplies a corresponding amount of water, so that the amount of inducing feed and the amount of feed given in each single feeding are mixed with water to form a wet feed, wherein the water-to-feed ratio of the wet feed is approximately between 1:0.1 and 1:

20.

5. The automated pig feeding management method as described in claim 2, wherein in step (d), after the control module determines through the touch sensing element and the capacity detection element that the feed supplied for each meal has been completely consumed by the pig, it further controls the feed supply pipeline to deliver an additional amount of feed during or after the last meal period.

6. The automated pig feeding management method as described in claim 2, wherein in step (d), the feed pipeline temporarily shuts off the capacity detection element before dispensing the inducing feed amount or each of the single feed amounts.

7. The automated pig feeding management method as described in claim 1, wherein in step (c), an idle period is set before each meal time, and the water supply pipeline stops supplying water during the idle period.

8. The automated pig feeding management method as described in claim 2, wherein in step (d), after the end of each meal period, if the control module determines through the touch sensing element or the capacity detection element that the pig has not eaten, a first warning signal is generated.

9. The automated pig feeding management method as described in claim 2, wherein in step (d), after each feeding period, if the control module determines through the touch sensing element and the capacity detection element that the pig has partially eaten but the feeding status is below a minimum feeding amount, a second warning signal is generated.

10. The automated pig feeding management method as described in claim 1, wherein in step (b), the daily feed supply is allocated to at least two feed distributions, and when the manager selects to enable an accumulation function, the control module accumulates one uneaten portion of the previous feed distribution to the next feed distribution.

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