Design and Experiment of Non-stress Measuring System for Sheep’s Conformation Parameters

Abstract:

The parameters of body size and weight in sheep’s conformation appraisal can reflect its growth development, production performance and genetic characteristics. However, the present way of determining these parameters is normally by manual, e.g., the sheep has to stand on a flat place with correct posture when measuring the body size with measuring stick, tape measure etc., the sheep has to be tied up or hung up on the scales when weighting, which has the shortcomings of causing the stress reaction of the sheep. This paper was trying to develop a nonstress method for determining the sheep’s conformation parameters. A nonstress measuring system for sheeps conformation parameters based on machine vision technology was presented, including the design of the measuring device, the architecture of the monitoring controlling hardware and the software program. The common Modbus protocol and virtual instrument technology were used to build the system. Experimental results showed that the new method could ease the livestock measuring workload greatly and overcome the limitations of manual measurement, which was especially suitable for the current situations of feeding sheep in intensive and largescale way, and suitable for the trend in developing and applying the technologies of information and sensor in livestock industry. It provided a basis for improvement of the rational management and welfare production in sheep breeding since it prevented the animal’s stress reactions and anthropozoonosis, which was an ideal method in conformation parameters measurement for livestock. Furthermore, the research results can be extended to other industries, such as the pig industry, and have broad significance.