Detecting the calving moment on time has a vital importance for both dairy and beef farmers. With the latest technology, farmers can determine calving before it starts. With the new Partusense Calving Sensor, farmers can easily be informed and take necessary precautions.
Calving is one of the most complex events occuring in the farm. For profitable and sustainable dairy/beef farming, the health of both the cow and the calf should be protected. To ensure this, calving must occur in a clean environment. At the end of approximately 280 days of pregnancy, the calving process starts and the management of this process has a great impact on both animals’ health and the economy of the business. The course of calving is affected by many parameters such as calf size, birth weight cows’ BCS at calving, breeds and parity. The cows whose calving process has started should not be moved. Latest studies show that the second stage of parturition gets longer when the cows are moved at the beginning of the calving. For this reason, risk of dystocia increases. Cows in calving process should be monitored remotely and no intervention should be made unless necessary. Therefore, regular control of late-pregnant heifers/cows should be ensured. If the calving time is determined, necessary preparations can be made and so calf loss can be prevented.
Dystocia is the most costly event due to calf death, veterinary cost, reducing milk yield, productivity and reproductive performance of dams, even injury or death of the cow. Determining the calving time also allows dystocia to be detected earlier and to intervene on time. Although it is not possible to eliminate dystocia completely, yet good management and close observation may reduce the possibility of calf loss.
Since most of calving occurs at night, it is overlooked frequently. Workforce is required for continuous monitoring. Also the intensity of daily work in livestock farming requires a great amount of labor. Recently, in order to reduce this, new technologies such as automatic feeding, heat detection systems and robotic milking systems hit the marketplace. Due to the difficulties in determining the estimated calving time, it is important to develop sensor-based technologies.
Partusense: Calving Detection Device
There are some behavioral changes such as an increase in the frequency of lying and standing in cows / heifers close to calving, as well as physiological changes such as a decrease in body temperature. With 4 different sensors (temperature, activity, pressure and conductivity sensors) in the Partusense, daily activities, frequency of lying down, vaginal body temperature, vaginal conductivity and pressure changes are monitored daily and the moment of calving is determined. In this way, you will have time to take your cows to the calving area and you can ensure that the process is maintained in a clean environment. By notifying the moment of calving, you can follow all the process and intervene if necessary. In addition, it is possible to follow up the necessary care for the calf (umbilical cord care, etc.) and health parameters after calving happens.
