Closely monitoring changes in a cow’s activity patterns through activity monitoring solutions can help improve the efficiency in a dairy herd.
One system that records data is the Datamars livestock active tag or collars, which measures and streamlines the activity straight to your fingertips through the cloud based Datamars Livestock app.
These transformative systems with integrating pedometers, accelerometers, and RFID tags, represent a fundamental leap in dairy farming, offering real-time insights into the behaviour, health, and productivity of cows.
It allows the tracking of steps, movement patterns, and individual cow behaviour, which is helping in delivering vital, actionable data for farmers. Central to this innovative solution, is its capacity for streamlined heat detection.
Active cow monitoring
By closely monitoring changes in a cow’s activity patterns, farmers can accurately pinpoint when a cow enters oestrus. With this data-driven approach, it optimises artificial insemination (AI) timing, significantly improving breeding programmes’ success rates whilst minimising associated costs.
Also with an active tag, it is vital in health management and will identify any variation from normal activity levels or behaviour and is able to serve as an early indicator of potential health issues. With timely alerts, this enables swift intervention for issues like lameness or illness, therefore preventing any further impact, on the herd’s productivity.
The key benefits to the active tags or collars include:
Early detection of health issues
By establishing comprehensive behavioural baselines for each cow, deviations from these norms can be quickly identified. This enables early detection of potential health issues before they manifest into more serious problems.
Prompt intervention
Alerts triggered by variations from established norms allow for prompt intervention. Farmers can address specific issues quickly, which helps safeguard the health of individual animals and prevents the escalation of health problems.
Reduced veterinary costs
Preventing health issues before they become serious reduces the need for extensive veterinary intervention. This can lead to significant cost saving for farmers by minimising the need for expensive treatments and procedures.
Minimised production losses
Illness or delayed breeding can result in significant production losses for farmers. By detecting health issues early and addressing them promptly, farmers can minimize production losses associated with decreased milk production, reduced fertility, or other health-related issues.
Improved animal welfare
Proactive monitoring and intervention based on individual cow analysis contribute to improved animal welfare. By addressing health issues promptly, farmers can ensure that their cows receive the care they need to maintain optimal health and well-being.
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