Animals (Jul 2020)

Analysis of the Factors Influencing Body Weight Variation in Hanwoo Steers Using an Automated Weighing System

  • Hyunjin Cho,
  • Seoyoung Jeon,
  • Mingyung Lee,
  • Kyewon Kang,
  • Hamin Kang,
  • Eunkyu Park,
  • Minkook Kim,
  • Seokman Hong,
  • Seongwon Seo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10081270
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 8
p. 1270

Abstract

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This study aimed to determine the factors affecting the body weight (BW) of Hanwoo steers by collecting a large number of BW measurements using an automated weighing system (AWS). The BW of 12 Hanwoo steers was measured automatically using an AWS for seven days each month over three months. On the fourth day of the BW measurement each month, an additional BW measurement was conducted manually. After removing the outliers of BW records, the deviations between the AWS records (a) and manual weighing records (b) were analyzed. BW measurement deviations (a − b) were significantly (p p < 0.05), despite the constant availability of feeds in the feed bunk. These results suggest that there is a need to develop pattern recognition algorithms that consider variations in individual animals and their feeding patterns for the analysis of BW changes in animals.

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