Back to Search
Start Over
Assessment of Sensitivity and Profitability of an Intravaginal Sensor for Remote Calving Prediction in Dairy Cattle
- Source :
- Sensors; Volume 21; Issue 24; Pages: 8348, Sensors, Vol 21, Iss 8348, p 8348 (2021), Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2021.
-
Abstract
- One critical point of dairy farm management is calving and neonatal first care. Timely calving assistance is associated with the reduction of calf mortality and postpartum uterine disease, and with improved fertility in dairy cattle. This study aimed to evaluate the performance and profitability of an intravaginal sensor for the prediction of stage II of labor in dairy farms, thus allowing proper calving assistance. Seventy-three late-gestating Italian Holstein cows were submitted to the insertion of an intravaginal device, equipped with light and temperature sensors, connected with a Central Unit for the commutation of a radio-signal into a cell phone alert. The remote calving alarm correctly identified the beginning of the expulsive phase of labor in 86.3% of the monitored cows. The mean interval from alarm to complete expulsion of the fetus was 71.56 ± 52.98 min, with a greater range in cows with dystocia (p = 0.012). The sensor worked correctly in both cold and warm weather conditions, and during day- or night-time. The intravaginal probe was well tolerated, as any cow showed lesions to the vaginal mucosa after calving. Using sex-sorted semen in heifers and beef bull semen in cows at their last lactation, the economic estimation performed through PrecisionTree™ software led to an income improvement of 119 € and 123 €/monitored delivery in primiparous and pluriparous cows, respectively. Remote calving alarm devices are key components of “precision farming” management and proven to improve animal welfare, to reduce calf losses and to increase farm incomes.
- Subjects :
- Male
Cattle Diseases
temperature sensor
TP1-1185
Cattle
GSM
Intravaginal device
Light sensor
Remote calving alert
Temperature sensor
Biochemistry
Article
Analytical Chemistry
remote calving alert
Pregnancy
Semen
Animals
Lactation
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Instrumentation
Monitoring, Physiologic
light sensor
intravaginal device
cattle
Labor, Obstetric
Chemical technology
Parturition
Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Female
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14248220
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Sensors; Volume 21; Issue 24; Pages: 8348
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....775eed8b5eac19e385bac527cdf47719
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/s21248348