Wearable sensors, automated weighing systems, and image analysis are enabling continuous welfare monitoring in sheep flocks, allowing earlier detection of health problems in a species that is notoriously stoic and difficult to monitor.
Sheep welfare monitoring has historically been limited by the difficulty of identifying health problems in stoic animals until disease is advanced. Automated monitoring systems that continuously track individual sheep behavior and physiology enable welfare problem detection at a stage when treatment is most effective and welfare compromise is least severe. The combination of electronic identification, accelerometers, and automated weighing provides a comprehensive picture of individual sheep health status without requiring daily handling. This technological approach is particularly valuable for extensive flocks where daily close inspection of every individual is not feasible.