Philippine E-Journals

Automatic Feeds Dispenser for Sow and Milk Feeding of Piglets with SMS Notification

Gem M. Buenaflor | Reinan M. Carlos | Kimberly T. Plata

 

Abstract:

This design project created an automatic feeding system for a sow which can be applied to backyard piggeries or large-scale commercial pig breeders. Additionally, it provided an alternative milk supply for piglets, equipped with a pH sensor to monitor the pH level of the milk. The feeding system included a scheduling system that allows owners to set the time and amount, to eliminate the problems encountered in manual feeding of pigs and to save on labor costs. The automated feeder can be remotely accessed through messages and the SMS notifications will be sent after the system has dispensed the pellet feeds or milk. The researchers concluded that the system can dispense pre-determined amount of feeds at the scheduled time to allow owners to control feeds cost easily with less labor cost. Furthermore, the remote access of the system will greatly help the owners when the pig housing is far from their home or when they are needed somewhere else. The remote access function is one of the advantages of the Automatic Feeds Dispenser compared to the manually operated feeding system. Moreover, the system delivers SMS notification to the owner after every feeding time. Lastly, an alternative milk supply decreases the pre-weaning mortality of the piglets as it provides them with equal opportunities to feed and potentially avoid crushing of disadvantaged piglets. The researchers recommended that future researchers improve the accuracy of dispensing the feeds by using a load cell or level sensor on the cup to measure actual weight before dispensing. Secondly, future researchers can use other models of the GSM module and a SIM card with better network reception and cheaper services. Also, they can use other modes of notifications such as push notifications or develop an Android application. Additionally, surveillance cameras can be used to provide real-time monitoring that can be added as a feature on an Android application. Thirdly, for further improvement of the alternative milk supply, more bottles can be added and a heater can be attached to the milk solution to ensure that more piglets can be fed and that the milk lasts longer. Lastly, the future researchers can use an uninterruptible power supply or solar panels to ensure that the system will continue to run during a power outage.