Could we develop drones for outdoor lambing?

Cow1

Member
I was just doing my last check around our outdoor lambing field tonight before dark.

I had my 14 year old daughter with me as we zig zagged around the field and checked every ewe and she said "imagine if we could do all this with a drone?"

After that we had a discussion as to how it would work. Rather than it being a lazy way of checking them, I could see maybe the benefit on doing a discreet check over them especially after dark maybe using night vision.

Our current policy is to check last thing at night then first light. This generally works well as a large percentage of ewes lamb first light. I also prefer this as I don't try to disturb the ewes after dark by driving through them.

However imagine if during the night you could check them by drone and observe the odd one that does lamb during darkness. Think of it as having a massive outdoor shed with a lambing camera.

If you could link this into GPS and send it over a pre planned path it would be even better.

Would this ever work or is it just a fanciful idea of the future, a bit like hover boards and living on foreign planets?
 

exmoor dave

Member
Location
exmoor, uk
I was just doing my last check around our outdoor lambing field tonight before dark.

I had my 14 year old daughter with me as we zig zagged around the field and checked every ewe and she said "imagine if we could do all this with a drone?"

After that we had a discussion as to how it would work. Rather than it being a lazy way of checking them, I could see maybe the benefit on doing a discreet check over them especially after dark maybe using night vision.

Our current policy is to check last thing at night then first light. This generally works well as a large percentage of ewes lamb first light. I also prefer this as I don't try to disturb the ewes after dark by driving through them.

However imagine if during the night you could check them by drone and observe the odd one that does lamb during darkness. Think of it as having a massive outdoor shed with a lambing camera.

If you could link this into GPS and send it over a pre planned path it would be even better.

Would this ever work or is it just a fanciful idea of the future, a bit like hover boards and living on foreign planets?


I really like the idea of using a drone to check stock, particularly checking for cast sheep beyond the first thorough check of the day.

But checking for lambing problems at night, the problem I can see is if you do see a problem, how much disturbance (&damage) are you going to do going out trying to deal with it.


Another useful idea though for a drone with NV- if you're having fox trouble you could potentially find the culprit then go lie in wait
 
Don't think the consumer level of affordable and able tech is there yet. Have been looking into it a lot and talking to people. Battery endurance, wind and weather issues, line of sight controls, plus the IMO oppressive regulations relating to operating a drone all go against the practicalities of actually doing the job in real world conditions at present.
 

exmoor dave

Member
Location
exmoor, uk
Don't think the consumer level of affordable and able tech is there yet. Have been looking into it a lot and talking to people. Battery endurance, wind and weather issues, line of sight controls, plus the IMO oppressive regulations relating to operating a drone all go against the practicalities of actually doing the job in real world conditions at present.


Completely agree............ still find myself keep looking at a Mavic
 

GTB

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
What do you think the benefits of checking them after dark would bring though? Either you go out & disturb or you'd spend all night worrying.

Are you losing lots between last & first check?? If something ain't broke.....
I have pretty much the same opinion on calving cameras. If you need to check the cows every couple of hours you may as well sleep in the shed with them.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
I have pretty much the same opinion on calving cameras. If you need to check the cows every couple of hours you may as well sleep in the shed with them.

Comes back to the argument of breeding functional livestock which are fit for purpose. Id think if farmers correctly accounted for their time they'd find that these kinds of livestock are more profitable as well.

I'd concede that dairy cows maybe the exception.
 

GTB

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
The good thing is that the technology is there and you can see it's going to happen eventually. 5m above ground would be plenty for me anyhow. sh!t scared of heights.
 
IMG_0519.jpg
Here is a drone pic of my ewe mob just starting to lamb. Easy to cheack for down ewes or problems without going in the paddock.
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Well.......now....... HSE won't like that.......no roll cage :nailbiting::rolleyes::LOL:



Looks awesome :cool:

Think the second system with the small car is a system being developed by Airbus with the drone type module for short journeys commuting by air.

When you look back at sci-fi films from the 60's these things are looking scarily like reality.

The basic thing is battery technology,the rest is available.
 

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