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Recording individual egg production in breeder geese typically requires cage-based systems. Artificial insemination is labor-intensive and geese are highly sensitive to handling stress, which impair laying performance. In Taiwan, breeder farms use floor-rearing systems, making it difficult to assess individual performance. Furthermore, their visible phenotypes are sometimes unreliable indicators of laying performance. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology offers a solution by enabling individual identification through embedded wireless chips. This study aimed to apply RFID technology via leg bands and electronic nests to investigate the reproductive performance and nesting behavior of breeder geese. A total of 500 White Roman geese in their first parity were equipped with RFID leg bands. Fifty electronic nests, each fitted with an RFID reader, along with 13 external surveillance cameras. When a goose entered a nest, the RFID reader detected the leg band signal and simultaneously activated the camera to record until the goose exited. The images were analyzed using image recognition software to document individual laying performance. Results showed that egg-laying peaked between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., with 62.4% of eggs laid during the day and 37.6% at night. Across the laying period, 86.9% of eggs were laid in nest boxes and 13.1% on the floor, with 90.9% of floor eggs located near the feeder area. Geese demonstrated a clear preference for central nests, indicating spatial bias in nest use. Nesting behavior was assessed by calculating the mean distance between nests where eggs were successfully laid (MDN) in high-producing geese. Use was dispersed in April but concentrated from May, showing greater spatial consistency. These findings confirm that RFID combined with image recognition effectively monitors individual laying behavior in floor-reared geese. The observed nest preference patterns provide valuable insight for improving selection strategies and the spatial arrangement of electronic nests
Keywords: Radio Frequency Identification, Electronic nest, White Roman geese
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- Lin, M. J., & Chang, S. C. 2022. Laying habit by radio frequency identification of breeding geese in environmentally controlled geese house. J. Chin. Anim. Sci. 51(3): 191~200.
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