Calving time identified by the automatic detection of tail movements and rumination time, and observation of cow behavioural changes

Sensor and Video: Two Complementary Approaches for Evaluation of Dairy Cow Behavior after Calving Sensor Attachment

“…Since a potential perception of calving sensors as disturbing depends on sensor position on the tail, we observed two further behaviors, tail raising [5] and rubbing the tail on objects, which may indicate that the cow was trying to change the position of the sensor on the tail. To differentiate between slight tail movements, tail raising was defined as lateral >90 • .…”

“…Therefore, they are attached to the cow's tail only a few days before the estimated calving date. As tail-attached calving sensors are only applied for a short period before calving, the behavioral analysis focused on a short-term adaptation period (see also [5]). The user has no insight into the recorded raw data from the calving sensors, but only receives messages in the case of an imminent calving.…”

“…Saint-Dizier and Chastant-Maillard [3] described four different types of commercially available calving detection devices: accelerometers and inclinometers that are attached to the tail and measure activity, abdominal belts to monitor uterine contractions, vaginal probes to monitor vaginal temperature, and devices in the vagina Animals 2021, 11,1917 2 of 21 or on the labia that detect expulsion of the calf. Predicting the onset of calving through the continuous monitoring of tail movement is possible due to changes in the behavior of a cow before calving, such as a significant increase in the frequency and duration of tail raising [4,5]. There are currently three different market available sensors for attachment to the tail, which differ in the way they are attached: with a ratchet (Moocall, Moocall Ltd., Dublin, Ireland), with an adhesive and tape (CalveSense, Allflex Group Germany GmbH, Bad Bentheim, Germany), and with a clamp and tape (Calving Alert Set, Patura KG, Laudenbach, Germany).…”

“…Parameters such as activity, temperature, or rumination are used for this purpose. The available literature shows that some sensors on the market have the potential to achieve satisfying results in the early detection of calving [5][6][7][8][9]. Studies on tail-attached sensors have reported sensitivities of up to 95% [5].…”

“…However, the interviewed farmers' assessment that the cows' behavior changed in a way that was judged to be negative after attaching a Moocall sensor [10] was a visual and subjective one, as it was not recorded according to a uniform classification scheme. Recently, Giaretta et al [5] investigated precision of calving prediction with the Moocall sensor and dairy cow behavior after its attachment. They visually analyzed walking, eating, lying down, standing, and tail movement one day before and on the day of calving sensor attachment, concluding that the Moocall sensor was well tolerated by the cows, as only eating behavior showed an increase after its attachment to the tail.…”