Assessment of Sensitivity and Profitability of an Intravaginal Sensor for Remote Calving Prediction in Dairy Cattle

Crociati, Martina; Sylla, Lakamy; Stradaioli, G.; Monaci, Maurizio; Zecconi, A.

doi:10.3390/s21248348

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…In this study, 32% of deliveries occurred during the night hours, that is, from 18:00 to 04:59. The prevalence of night-occurring calving was similar to the distribution observed in a previous study [17], while other investigations have either reported an opposite trend, especially in primiparous animals [9], or an equal distribution [18]. Herein, parity was not associated with day-or night-occurring calving.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Delayed First Milking in Unassisted Overnight Calving Did Not Affect the Quality of Colostrum but Influenced Serum Brix Refractometry in Holstein Calves at Two Days of Life

Manosalva¹,

Grispoldi

Spagnolo³

et al. 2022

Animals

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Timely administration of good-quality colostrum represents the first farm strategy to avoid the failure of passive transfer (FPT). However, calves born during the night are likely to be fed later than recommended. Our aim was to evaluate whether night-occurring calving and delayed first milking affected colostrum quality and immune passive transfer. The dataset included 463 calvings. Four liters of colostrum were administered by an esophageal tube feeder. The mean Brix% of colostrum was 27.43%, while serum Brix% at two days of life in calves was 10.19%. According to the Generalized Linear Model, parity ≥ 4, calving months of March, April, and from September to November positively influenced the quality of colostrum. Dams carrying a male calf produced lower quality colostrum compared with those carrying a female calf (−2.78 ± 1.04 % Brix, p = 0.008); heavier female calves were associated with greater colostrum quality (0.29 ± 0.05 for each Kg increase, p < 0.001). Night- or day-calving had no effect on the quality of colostrum. The only factor influencing the serum Brix% of female Holstein calves at two days of life was the day- or night-occurring birth (−0.386 ± 0.188 Brix% in calves born during the night, p = 0.04). Our results showed that calves born overnight and fed the day after had decreased serum Total Protein concentrations as indicated by reduced Brix refractometer readings, compared with calves born during the day and fed quickly after birth. However, the administration of 4 L of high-quality colostrum likely improved their serum Brix% at two days of life. Alternatively, where the prevalence of good-quality colostrum is lower, improving calving supervision and ensuring timely feeding are important to reduce the risk of FPT.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Delayed First Milking in Unassisted Overnight Calving Did Not Affect the Quality of Colostrum but Influenced Serum Brix Refractometry in Holstein Calves at Two Days of Life

Manosalva¹,

Grispoldi

Spagnolo³

et al. 2022

Animals

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“…Cow behavior was unaltered by the presence of the device in the vaginal cavity, as determined by a detailed cow behavior scoring system including observations of eight possible signs of discomfort and pain. Although the e-Synch device has a different shape and dimensions than other electronic IVG devices for cattle, our observations agree with the lack of changes in cow behavior or pain observed after insertion of IVG devices (Crociati et al, 2021;Stephen and Norman, 2021). The tail raising scores dynamic for cows that received an i.m.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

An automated system for cattle reproductive management under the IoT framework. Part I: the e-Synch system and cow responses

Ren¹,

Duhatschek²,

Bartolomeu³

et al. 2023

Front. Anim. Sci.

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The objective of this manuscript was to present the e-Synch system, integrating an intravaginal electronically controlled hormone delivery and sensing device with an IoT platform for remote programming and monitoring. Secondary objectives were to demonstrate system functionality and cow responses to e-Synch. External components of e-Synch include a 3D-printed case with retention wings, a flexible wideband antenna, and silicone membrane for pressure balancing. Internal components include a central control board, battery, wireless charging coil, and two silicone hormone reservoirs connected to individual peristaltic pumps. An accelerometer and a high-accuracy temperature sensor are integrated in the custom printed circuit board (PCB). The IoT platform includes a gateway consisting of Raspberry PI 3 and a CC1352 radiofrequency module that collects sensor data at 915 mHz. Data is transferred to the Google Cloud utilizing the IoT Core service through TCP/IP, and then is pulled by the Pub/Sub service. After routing to a BigQuery table by the Dataflow service, data visualization is provided by Data Studio. Drug delivery protocols are selected using an IOS device app that connects to e-Synch through Bluetooth. Experiments with lactating Holsteins cows were conducted to demonstrate proof-of-concept system functionality and evaluate cow responses. Despite unstable communication and signal discontinuity because of signal strength attenuation by body tissue, devices (n=6) communicated with the IoT platform in 89% (24/27) of use instances. Temperature and accelerometer data were received for at least one 15 min period during an 8 h insertion period from all devices that communicated with the IoT platform. Variation in accelerometer data (± 8.565 m/s2) was consistent with cow activity during experimentation and mean vaginal temperature of 39.1 °C (range 38.6 to 39.5 °C) demonstrated sensor functionality. Hormone release was confirmed in all instances of device use except for one. Cow behavior evaluated through signs of discomfort and pain, and tail raising scores was mostly unaltered by e-Synch. Vaginal integrity and mucus scores also remained unaltered during and after device insertion. In conclusion, the e-Synch device integrated with a controlling app and IoT platform might be used to automate intravaginal hormone delivery and sensing for controlling the estrous cycle of cattle.

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“…The remote system has been evaluated for use both in cattle [57] and buffaloes [58]. Field trials demonstrated an overall Se = 86.3% [60], a good local tolerance and a high retention rate, except in one case of recurrent vaginal prolapse in a buffalo heifer.…”

Section: Intravaginal Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Predict Parturition in Cattle? A Literature Review of Automatic Devices and Technologies for Remote Monitoring and Calving Prediction

Crociati

Sylla

Vincenzi

et al. 2022

Animals

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Cattle farming is facing an increase in number of animals that farmers must care for, together with decreasing time for observation of the single animal. Remote monitoring systems are needed in order to optimize workload and animal welfare. Where the presence of personnel is constant, for example in dairy farms with great number of lactating cows or with three milking/day, calving monitoring systems which send alerts during the prodromal stage of labor (stage I) could be beneficial. On the contrary, where the presence of farm personnel is not guaranteed, for example in smaller farms, systems which alert at the beginning of labor (stage II) could be preferred. In this case, time spent observing periparturient animals is reduced. The reliability of each calving alarm should also be considered: automatic sensors for body temperature and activity are characterized by a time interval of 6–12 h between the alarm and calving. Promising results have been shown by devices which could be placed within the vaginal canal, thus identifying the beginning of fetal expulsion and optimizing the timing of calving assistance. However, some cases of non-optimal local tolerability and cow welfare issues are reported. Future research should be aimed to improve Sensitivity (Se), Specificity (Sp) and Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of calving alert devices in order to decrease the number of false positive alarms and focusing on easy-to-apply, re-usable and well tolerated products.

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Assessment of Sensitivity and Profitability of an Intravaginal Sensor for Remote Calving Prediction in Dairy Cattle

Cited by 8 publications

References 38 publications

Delayed First Milking in Unassisted Overnight Calving Did Not Affect the Quality of Colostrum but Influenced Serum Brix Refractometry in Holstein Calves at Two Days of Life

Delayed First Milking in Unassisted Overnight Calving Did Not Affect the Quality of Colostrum but Influenced Serum Brix Refractometry in Holstein Calves at Two Days of Life

An automated system for cattle reproductive management under the IoT framework. Part I: the e-Synch system and cow responses

How to Predict Parturition in Cattle? A Literature Review of Automatic Devices and Technologies for Remote Monitoring and Calving Prediction

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