Automated collection of heat stress data in livestock: new technologies and opportunities

Koltes, James E.; Koltes, Dawn; Mote, Benny E; Tucker, J. D.; Hubbell, D. S.

doi:10.1093/tas/txy061

Cited by 59 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Additionally, Jorquera-Chavez et al [28] and Hoffmann et al [29] found acceptable correlations between temperature calculated from thermal infrared images and those collected from intravaginal loggers. Such automated phenotyping could provide temperature data in real time that would allow immediate intervention to prevent animal health related loses [30]. In this study, therefore, SBT of cows was determined using a thermal camera FLIR T1050sc (FLIR Systems, Wilsonville, OR, USA).…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat Stress Impacts on Lactating Cows Grazing Australian Summer Pastures on an Automatic Robotic Dairy

Osei-Amponsah

Dunshea

Leury

et al. 2020

Animals

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The objective of this study was to measure the impacts of summer heat events on physiological parameters (body temperature, respiratory rate and panting scores), grazing behaviour and production parameters of lactating Holstein Friesian cows managed on an Automated Robotic Dairy during Australian summer. The severity of heat stress was measured using Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) and impacts of different THIs—low (≤72), moderate (73–82) and high (≥83)—on physiological responses and production performance were measured. There was a highly significant (p ≤ 0.01) effect of THI on respiratory rate (66.7, 84.7 and 109.1/min), panting scores (1.4, 1.9 and 2.3) and average body temperature of cows (38.4, 39.4 and 41.5 °C), which increased as THI increased from low to moderate to high over the summer. Average milk production parameters were also significantly (p ≤ 0.01) affected by THI, such that daily milk production dropped by 14% from low to high THI, milk temperature and fat% increased by 3%, whilst protein% increased by 2%. The lactation stage of cow had no significant effect on physiological parameters but affected (p ≤ 0.05) average daily milk yield and milk solids. Highly significant (p ≤ 0.01) positive correlations were obtained between THI and milk temperature, fat% and protein% whilst the reverse was observed between THI and milk yield, feed intake and rumination time. Under moderate and high THI, most cows sought shade, spent more time around watering points and showed signs of distress (excessive salivation and open mouth panting). In view of the expected future increase in the frequency and severity of heat events, additional strategies including selection and breeding for thermotolerance and dietary interventions to improve resilience of cows need to be pursued.

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Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat Stress Impacts on Lactating Cows Grazing Australian Summer Pastures on an Automatic Robotic Dairy

Osei-Amponsah

Dunshea

Leury

et al. 2020

Animals

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“…Indwelling thermal sensors such as rectal probes have the advantage over traditional thermometry as they enable producers to remotely measure temperature changes without removing animals from production [20]. Despite a relative degree of invasiveness, indwelling rectal probes record core temperature most consistently, particularly in male animals [14]. However, external physical attachment or support is necessary to maximise stability and resist expulsion during defecation.…”

Section: Rectal and Vaginal Probesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To circumvent the stress associated with handling and restraint, a number of remote sensing methods have been developed for the continuous and longitudinal measurement of body temperature. These technologies aim to closely monitor body temperature in real-time, allowing for early detection of heat stress, illness or disease [14]. The advantage of this technology is that it reduces the level of human interference, improves animal welfare and provides an accurate representation of thermal status.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technologies for the automated collection of heat stress data in sheep

et al. 2021

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The automated collection of phenotypic measurements in livestock is becoming increasingly important to both researchers and farmers. The capacity to non-invasively collect real-time data, provides the opportunity to better understand livestock behaviour and physiology and improve animal management decisions. Current climate models project that temperatures will increase across the world, influencing both local and global agriculture. Sheep that are exposed to high ambient temperatures experience heat stress and their physiology, reproductive function and performance are compromised. Body temperature is a reliable measure of heat stress and hence a good indicator of an animals’ health and well-being. Non-invasive temperature-sensing technologies have made substantial progress over the past decade. Here, we review the different technologies available and assess their suitability for inferring ovine heat stress. Specifically, the use of indwelling probes, intra-ruminal bolus insertion, thermal imaging and implantable devices are investigated. We further evaluate the capacity of behavioural tracking technology, such as global positioning systems, to identify heat stressed individuals based on the exhibition of specific behaviours. Although there are challenges associated with using real-time thermosensing data to make informed management decisions, these technologies provide new opportunities to manage heat stress in sheep. In order to obtain accurate real-time information of individual animals and facilitate prompt intervention, data collection should be entirely automated. Additionally, for accurate interpretation on-farm, the development of software which can effectively collect, manage and integrate data for sheep producer’s needs to be prioritised. Lastly, understanding known physiological thresholds will allow farmers to determine individual heat stress risk and facilitate early intervention to reduce the effects in both current and subsequent generations.

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“…Physiological traits such as body temperature or respiration rate are considered as gold standard measures for heat tolerance, but their use in large-scale selection programs is still limited because it is expensive to collect these measurements. Advances in the development of devices that can produce measures automatically at a low cost might change the possibility of using these types of measures in breeding programs in more intensive production systems (Koltes et al, 2018).…”

Section: About the Authormentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change: Impact on Livestock and How Can We Adapt

2019

Animal Frontiers

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This issue of Animal Frontiers, "Climate change: impact on livestock and how can we adapt," focuses on the effects of climate change (global warming) on livestock health, well-being, production and reproduction, and on possible adaptation and mitigation strategies that can be put in place to reduce negative impacts. Recently the intergovernmental group of experts on climate change gathered in South Korea to bring attention to the urgency of this situation: global warming is increasing and ecosystems, animal species diversity, and food security are at risk. It is now well accepted that the increasing concern with the thermal comfort of agricultural animals is justifiable not only for countries in tropical zones, but also for nations in temperate zones where high-ambient temperatures are becoming an issue. At a global level, animal production must increase in the next decades to satisfy the growing need for animal-sourced foods. We have to expect that livestock systems (based on grazing, mixed farming systems, or industrialized systems) will be more and more negatively affected by climate change, especially global warming. The article by Pasqui and Di Giuseppe (2019) clearly shows that climate is changing. In addition to the increase in temperature, there is an increase in the frequency of extreme events such as the number of hot days and the number of heat waves. Heat waves are the combination of duration and intensity of air temperature and can strongly affect human activities as well as the health and productivity of farm animals. In recent decades, the scientific community generated much new knowledge of the fundamental mechanisms of the Earth's climate system as well as the implications and impacts of climate change. Contemporarily, an effort has been directed to identify new actions for mitigating the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission trends, and on identifying new actions to adapt to the observed and expected changes in climate. In the last quarter century, the livestock sector was focused on improving productivity, modifying the environment, and improving nutritional management rather than improving stress resistance. This approach dramatically increased productivity of domestic animals but also increased their sensitivity (reduced their thermal plasticity) to hot environments. The processes by which domestic animals respond to changes in their environment are critical to survival but often negatively affect productivity and profitability of livestock systems. Understanding how these processes are controlled will offer opportunities for improving thermal stress resistance. Collier et al. (2019) describe the meaning of acclimation, acclimatization, and adaptation to environmental stressors, with emphasis on heat stress. Acclimation and acclimatization are a coordinated phenotypic response to environmental stressors and the response will decay if the stressors are removed. If chronic stress persists over several generations, the acclimatization response will become genetically "fixed" and the animal will ...

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Automated collection of heat stress data in livestock: new technologies and opportunities

Cited by 59 publications

References 35 publications

Heat Stress Impacts on Lactating Cows Grazing Australian Summer Pastures on an Automatic Robotic Dairy

Heat Stress Impacts on Lactating Cows Grazing Australian Summer Pastures on an Automatic Robotic Dairy

Technologies for the automated collection of heat stress data in sheep

Climate Change: Impact on Livestock and How Can We Adapt

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