Aaron O'Connor

Citation

Thesis Title
Automated Condition Scoring System

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Body condition scoring is a highly subjective method used for measuring changes in energy reserves in many animals, including dairy cattle. This information allows for greater management of the herd by adjusting the feeding strategies to ensure that each cow is at an optimal condition score. Maintaining an optimal condition throughout the year has implications for milk yield, reproductive performance, animal welfare, and overall farm profits. Currently, scoring methods are manual, highly subjective, and require a high level of training and competency. These limitations have created a demand for an accurate and objective scoring system. Mr O’Connor successfully developed a fully automated computer vision system that could accurately determine the true condition score of a cow. This system can objectively measure a herd to provide valuable information to the farmer, which can have significant benefits to the health of the cow and profitability of the farm.

Supervisors
Professor Ian Yule
Professor Gourab Sen Gupta