In recent years, the dimensional expansion of intensive dairy cow systems is shifting the focus of Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) technologies from individual animal productivity to animal welfare. The potential of PLF to improve animal welfare refers to the early and more accurate identification of welfare issues in real time and the continuous monitoring of welfare indicators. In this paper, the moving mean-based algorithm for dairy cow's oestrus detection, previously developed and discussed by the authors in a contribution to EPCLF 2022, was refined within the CowTech Project focused on the development of a prototype of an automatic monitoring system of cow behavioural activities. The data processed by the algorithm were acquired by a stand-alone smart pedometer (SASP), designed to be connected to the LoRa Wide Area Network (LoRa WAN). The algorithm was implemented in a software tool and a customized WebApp was developed for farmer use. The module of the CowTech system related to cow oestrus detection made it possible to detect in real time several oestrous events validated by farmer direct observations, veterinary laboratory analyzes and pregnancy tests. The system was found to be over 70% reliable in detecting an oestrus event and nearly 90% reliable in detecting a probable oestrus.
The Cowtech Project: a module for cow oestrus detection in free stall barns by LoRaWAN services
Bonfanti M.
;Azzaro G.;
2024-01-01
Abstract
In recent years, the dimensional expansion of intensive dairy cow systems is shifting the focus of Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) technologies from individual animal productivity to animal welfare. The potential of PLF to improve animal welfare refers to the early and more accurate identification of welfare issues in real time and the continuous monitoring of welfare indicators. In this paper, the moving mean-based algorithm for dairy cow's oestrus detection, previously developed and discussed by the authors in a contribution to EPCLF 2022, was refined within the CowTech Project focused on the development of a prototype of an automatic monitoring system of cow behavioural activities. The data processed by the algorithm were acquired by a stand-alone smart pedometer (SASP), designed to be connected to the LoRa Wide Area Network (LoRa WAN). The algorithm was implemented in a software tool and a customized WebApp was developed for farmer use. The module of the CowTech system related to cow oestrus detection made it possible to detect in real time several oestrous events validated by farmer direct observations, veterinary laboratory analyzes and pregnancy tests. The system was found to be over 70% reliable in detecting an oestrus event and nearly 90% reliable in detecting a probable oestrus.Pubblicazioni consigliate
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
