Research

• Feed intake gain and carcass composition can be determined on a daily basis
• Individual, pen, and herd disease can be identified within hours after behavior modifications (symptoms) occur
• Diet formulations that improve animal performance and reduce waste volume can be developed
• Sire and progeny evaluation can be conducted
• Market timing decisions based on estimatable carcass value may be accomplished

Conventional Feed Intake Measurement Equipment

One way to measure individual feed or water intake is to house animals individually. Studies in swine and cattle have demonstrated that animals housed individually alter their performance significantly from those fed in production environments.

Conventional electronic feeders isolate one animal to an individual feeding gate. When the animal enters and exits the feeding gate an individual ID is recorded and the feed consumed during this period is recorded as a feeding visit. Little to no behavioral information is acquired. The effect of competition on intake feeding behavior is not adequately measured by these systems. Moreover the equipment itself may have a direct impact on animal behavior.

The simplest electronic gate feeders require substantial labor to weigh feed in and out of feeders. More complex and expensive systems can record feed supply through data integration with feed truck records but they may also require system lock down during feed supply.

GrowSafe - The Next Generation of Feed Intake Measurement Equipment

GrowSafe technology has overcome the problems faced by scientists using conventional feed intake equipment through an integration of advanced hardware and software solutions.

GrowSafe research technology continuously measures individual consumption of feed, minerals or supplements under commercial feeding conditions without obstruction of typical feeding behaviors. Automatic monitoring can be conducted in commercial pens or small pen environments.

A GrowSafe Model 4000 system provides researchers with cattle feeding and watering equipment with comprehensive individual animal consumption measurement, electronic animal identification, feed trough monitoring and a fully integrated data acquisition, analysis and management system.

Treatment and management can be automatically monitored in the chute when animals are processed or pulled. Automatic measurement includes individual animal ID and may include rectal temperature, weight, automated medication delivery and ultrasound.

External sensors can be interfaced to the system recording ambient temperature, humidity and other study relevant conditions. Specialized equipment such as self-restricting individual feeders and digital time lapse imaging can be integrated into a comprehensive monitoring system.

Conventional feed intake measurement assumes constant feeding rates and activities through feeding visits. GrowSafe measurement has confirmed that feeding characteristics are individual and variable during a feeding event; and are often indicative/predictive of health, performance, carcass merit and other considerations.

GrowSafe data acquired during a visit include:

• Individual bite sizes
• Number of bites within an event
• Feeding rates within a feeding event
• Animals seeking specific feed particles
• Force applied to the feed while taking bites
• Feeding patterns created by individual animals

GrowSafe continuous measurement is enabling a new frontier of scientific discovery. (pdf)

GrowSafe Animal Behavior Monitoring System

GrowSafe has developed a feeding behavior monitoring system that continuously monitors the individual feeding behaviors of animals feeding in commercial pen environments.

This system collects feeding behavior information at the bunk consisting of frequency, duration and location.

GrowSafe Mat Monitoring Animal Behavior - Texas

Pharmaceutical and Supplement Studies

GrowSafe ensures the generation of quality data and analysis that is required for submission to a regulatory agency. GrowSafe technology may shorten the product approval process to market through its ability to continuously monitor individual animal behavior, ascertain individual animal intake and determine individual animal product effectiveness in commercial pen environments.

Based on unique feeding behavior information, GrowSafe can validate whether a product is performing consistently as intended and within the pre-determined limits.

Field studies using GrowSafe enable a new generation of protocol development and study design. GrowSafe offers unique insight into the efficacy of drugs used to enhance production and moreover may provide unparalleled strategies for testing therapeutic drugs. In dose response studies GrowSafe automatically monitors dosage and delivery through use of integrated automated delivery systems and can electronically monitor the behavioral response to the treatment.

Research studies conducted using GrowSafe systems indicate that behavioral responses can be objectively measured prior to the onset of certain diseases, and in advance of temperature indication. In field studies testing treatment effectiveness against naturally occurring infection, GrowSafe may electronically identify onset of disease through selection criteria based on behavioral response; and will electronically monitor treatment efficacy through research protocols designed to utilize the early 'sickness' identification capability of GrowSafe systems.

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