scholarly journals Embedded Imaging System Based Behavior Analysis of Dairy Cow

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-154
Author(s):  
Dr. Samuel Manoharan
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
True Positive Rate ◽  
Video Stream ◽  
Integrated Sensor

It is essential to develop ambient environmental conditions for counteracting the heat stress in dairy cows by efficient and reliable monitoring of the activities of the cow and existing environmental conditions. For this purpose, we present a system with an array of integrated sensor modules that continuously measure and record humidity and ambient temperature while simultaneously monitoring the dairy cows drinking behavior using a cost-efficient embedded imaging system. Video streams are collected by installing embedded imaging modules over the drinking troughs for testing and experimentation in the dairy farm. Convolutional neural network (CNN) model using deep learning techniques is used for analysis of the video stream by detection of the head of the dairy cow above the drinking trough. The values obtained as true positive rate and F1 score of the detection of the head of the cow are both 0.98. The dairy cows drinking behavior and the effect of heat stress is analyzed and recorded for varied environmental conditions over a period of twelve months. Based on the results of analysis, it is evident that the temperature and humidity index (THI) greatly influence the total frequency and length of everyday drinking habits of dairy cows. The drinking behavior of dairy cows and the effects of heat stress is demonstrated clearly using the automated imaging system with long-term monitoring and data collection. Quantitative assessment and automation are possible using this novel monitoring system to be implemented in dairy farms.

scholarly journals Effect of heat stress on milk production and its composition of Holstein Friesian crossbred dairy cows

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmud Al Reyad ◽  
Md Abid Hasan Sarker ◽  
Md Elias Uddin ◽  
Raihan Habib ◽  
Md Harun Ur Rashid
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Milk Composition ◽  
Mustard Oil ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Significant Difference

The aim of this research was to observe the effect of heat stress on milk yield and milk compositions of Holstein Friesian crossbred (HF) dairy cows. To fulfill the objectives, a total of 9 Holstein Friesian crossbred cows were selected for this study. Green grasses (German, Para) were supplied adlibitum and concentrate feeds (mixture of wheat bran, rice polish, mustard oil cake, di-calcium phosphate and salt) were supplied at the rate of 2.0 kg/day/cow. Management practices for all the cows were similar following the BAU Dairy farm practices. Data were collected on milk yield (l/h/d), relative humidity (%) and barn temperature (0C). The obtained temperature humidity index (THI) of July, August, September and October were 84.95, 81.99, 81.40 and 79.57, respectively. The highest THI was found in July which indicated higher heat stress during this month. A significant difference (p<0.05) in milk yield of cows was found among different months of July to October. The highest milk yield (6.10±0.50 l/h/d) was found in October among observed months. The compositions of milk such as total solids (TS), solids-not-fat (SNF), fat, protein, lactose, and ash also differed significantly (p<0.01). The highest values (%) of TS, SNF, fat, protein, lactose and ash content of milk were found in October as 12.63, 8.80, 3.83, 3.69, 4.39 and 0.72, respectively and lowest values (%) were in July as 12.20, 8.50, 3.71, 3.50, 4.30 and 0.69, respectively due to the high THI value. From these results, it is concluded that heat stress has strong effect on milk yield and milk composition of HF cows in Bangladesh. Management strategies are needed to minimize heat stress and attain optimal dairy animal performance.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2016, 2(2): 190-195

scholarly journals Effect of Temperature-Humidity-Index on Milk Performances of Local Born Holstein Dairy Cows Under Saharan Climate

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-36
Author(s):  
Lazoumi Ouarfli ◽  
Abdelmadjid Chehma
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
Temperature Humidity Index ◽  
Lactation Length ◽  
Humidity Index ◽  
Milking Frequency

Abstract The objective is to study the effect of heat stress on milk yield (MY) relative to milking records (n=18178) of native Holsteins (n=187), in the region of Ghardaia, according to periods of HS, using the temperature-humidity index (THI). With THI >72 during 07 months in the study area, which significantly (P<0.001) decrease the MY (-15.5% corresponding to 21.73 kg). Also, calving periods led to a significant drop (P < 0.001) in overall MY (7030.35 kg) of the order of (-14.6%), and over the lactation length (353.43 d), which explains 41% of the variations in MY. In addition, the non-significant effect (P=0.212) of the lactation range on the increase in MY, moreover, the lactation length shows a non-significant (P = 0.108) decrease (-4.68%) during heat stress (HS). Furthermore, the significant effect (P <0.001) of the interaction (Milking frequency × THI) on MY, when THI variates from < 74 to > 84, with regression of (-16.82% and -08.82%) of the MF (2X and 3X), respectively. Again, the NH cow is less sensitive to hyperthermia, so THI explains only 2% of the variation in MY levels. Thus, NH in arid regions have the ability to acclimatize to Saharan environmental conditions.

scholarly journals WSN Spatio-temporal Correlation Data Fusion Method for Dairy Cow

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Huaji Zhu ◽  
Yisheng Miao ◽  
Huarui Wu
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Wireless Sensor Network ◽  
Data Fusion ◽  
Power Consumption ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Sensor Network ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Wireless Sensor ◽  
Average Power Consumption

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: DE; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;" lang="EN-GB">The cowshed environment has significant impacts on the yield, diseases and behaviors of dairy cows. Heat stress, in particular, has a great impact on yield. The cowshed environment monitoring system based on wireless sensor network can accurately sense the temperature and other environmental parameters in real time and provide basis for manual environmental intervention and control. Energy constraint is one of the important problems that affect the long-term stable monitoring by the dairy cow wireless sensor network. So, the weighted Markov chain method is used to predict the time series of cowshed temperature. Replacing the actual values with the predicted values at the cluster head can effectively reduce data traffic in the cluster, thereby reducing network power consumption. Test data show that, the average variance of the cowshed environment temperature predicted by the method proposed in this paper is 0.185, and the average power consumption is reduced by about 40% when the compression ratio is 0.3, which effectively prolongs the network lifetime. In addition to that, the cowshed environment prediction can also help make pre-judgments for environmental control, reduce or avoid the heat stress of dairy cows after the environmental parameters exceed the thresholds and provide the basis for the multi-source data fusion for dairy cow.</span>

scholarly journals Dihydropyridine Enhances the Antioxidant Capacities of Lactating Dairy Cows under Heat Stress Condition

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1812
Author(s):  
Meng-Fei Yu ◽  
Xin-Mao Zhao ◽  
Hang Cai ◽  
Jian-Ming Yi ◽  
Guo-Hua Hua
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Antioxidant Capacity ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Feed Additives ◽  
Feed Consumption ◽  
Standard Diet ◽  
Antioxidant Capacities

Heat stress (HS), a nonspecific response to environmental heat, can seriously affect dairy cow health. Feed additives may alleviate HS in dairy cows by improving rumen fermentation efficacy, stimulating feed consumption, enhancing vasodilation, and/or improving antioxidant capacity. The temperature–humidity index (THI) indicates that spring is a non-HS season, and summer is an HS season. HS results in the decrease in dairy cow antioxidant capacities. Our results indicated the decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidation (T-AOC) levels and the increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level during HS season. Meanwhile, antioxidant indexes (SOD, GSH-Px, and T-AOC) were positively correlated with milk yield (p < 0.01), whereas MDA exhibited a significant negative correlation with milk yield (p < 0.05). In addition, the effects of dihydropyridine (DHP) on antioxidant capacity and ruminal microbial communities in dairy cows under HS were investigated. During summer, dairy cows were randomly assigned into two groups under HS, including a standard diet (S-ND) group and standard diet with 3 g/day/cow DHP (S-D) group. DHP treatment significantly restored SOD and GSH-Px levels under HS. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis results indicated that the DHP altered ruminal bacterial community mainly composed Proteobacteria and Firmicutes in dairy cows under HS. Our results suggest that DHP can enhance the antioxidant abilities of dairy cows with favorable effects on ruminal microbial communities under HS, further alleviating HS on dairy cows.

scholarly journals Improving detection of dairy cow estrus using fuzzy logic

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 503-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro dos Anjos Brunassi ◽  
Daniella Jorge de Moura ◽  
Irenilza de Alencar Nääs ◽  
Marcos Martinez do Vale ◽  
Silvia Regina Lucas de Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Fuzzy Inference ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Lactating Cows ◽  
System Validation ◽  
Estrus Detection ◽  
The Right ◽  
Production Losses

Production losses due to lack of precision in detecting estrus in dairy cows are well known and reported in milk production countries. Nowadays automatic estrus detection has become possible as a result of technical progress in continuously monitoring dairy cows using fuzzy pertinence functions. Dairy cow estrus is usually visually detected; however, solely use of visual detection is considered inefficient. Many studies have been carried out to develop an effective model to interpret the occurrence of estrus and detect estrus; however, most models present too many false-positive alerts and because of this they are sometimes considered unreliable. The objective of this research was to construct a system based on fuzzy inference functions evaluated with a receiver-operating characteristic curve, capable of efficiently detect estrus in dairy cows. For the input data the system combined previous estrus cases information and prostaglandin application with the data of cow activities. The system outputs were organized in three categories: 'in estrus', 'maybe in estrus" and 'not in estrus'. The system validation was carried out in a commercial dairy farm using a herd of 350 lactating cows. The performance of the test was measured by calculating its sensitivity towards the right estrus detection; and its specificity towards the precision of the detection. Within a six months period of tests, over 25 thousands cases of estrus were analyzed from a database of the commercial farm. The sensitivity found was 84.2%, indicating that the system can detect estrus efficiently and it may improve automatic estrus detection.

scholarly journals Changes in Blood Metabolites and Immune Cells in Holstein and Jersey Dairy Cows by Heat Stress

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 974
Author(s):  
Sang Seok Joo ◽  
Sang Jin Lee ◽  
Da Som Park ◽  
Dong Hyeon Kim ◽  
Bon-Hee Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Blood Metabolites ◽  
Cell Populations ◽  
Immune Cell Population ◽  
Peripheral Blood Mononuclear

Owing to increasing global temperatures, heat stress is a major problem affecting dairy cows, and abnormal metabolic responses during heat stress likely influence dairy cow immunity. However, the mechanism of this crosstalk between metabolism and immunity during heat stress remains unclear. We used two representative dairy cow breeds, Holstein and Jersey, with distinct heat-resistance characteristics. To understand metabolic and immune responses to seasonal changes, normal environmental and high-heat environmental conditions, we assessed blood metabolites and immune cell populations. In biochemistry analysis from sera, we found that variety blood metabolites were decreased in both Holstein and Jersey cows by heat stress. We assessed changes in immune cell populations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using flow cytometry. There were breed-specific differences in immune-cell population changes. Heat stress only increased the proportion of B cells (CD4–CD21+) and heat stress tended to decrease the proportion of monocytes (CD11b+CD172a+) in Holstein cows. Our findings expand the understanding of the common and specific changes in metabolism and immune response of two dairy cow breeds under heat stress conditions.

scholarly journals Impact of Heat Stress on Selected Parameters of Robotic Milking

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3114
Author(s):  
Roman Gálik ◽  
Gabriel Lüttmerding ◽  
Štefan Boďo ◽  
Ivana Knížková ◽  
Petr Kunc
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Performance Parameters ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Humidity Index ◽  
Robotic Milking ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Two Parameters

The values of the temperature-humidity index and its influence on the performance parameters of dairy cows were monitored on four farms located in the southern part of the central Slovakia during a period of three years. The observed parameters included: the milk yield per cow per day, average milk speed and maximum milk speed. The thermal-humidity index was calculated based on a formula. The individual periods were divided according to the achieved THI. The results of dairy cows with a milk yield of 29 kg to 31 kg show that there is not a decrease in the milk yield per milking if the THI value is lower than 68. It was also found that there was a decrease in the milk yield per dairy cow in the robotic milking parlor for a THI value greater than 72. The influence of a THI value higher than 68 in these dairy cows results in a higher average milk speed, as well as a higher maximum milk speed. These two parameters are not yet in the main area of research interest. This study enriches the area with new knowledge, according to which dairy cows can show thermal stress by increasing the milk speed as well as the maximum milk speed.

scholarly journals Dairy Cows Activity under Heat Stress: A Case Study in Spain

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2305
Author(s):  
Adrián Ramón-Moragues ◽  
Patricia Carulla ◽  
Carlos Mínguez ◽  
Arantxa Villagrá ◽  
Fernando Estellés
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Precision Livestock Farming ◽  
Activity Sensors

Heat stress plays a role in livestock production in warm climates. Heat stress conditions impair animal welfare and compromise the productive and reproductive performance of dairy cattle. Under heat stress conditions, dairy cattle modify their behavior. Thus, the assessment of behavior alterations can be an indicator of environmental or physiological anomalies. Moreover, precision livestock farming allows for the individual and constant monitoring of animal behavior, arising as a tool to assess animal welfare. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat stress on the behavior of dairy cows using activity sensors. The study was carried out in Tinajeros (Albacete, Spain) during the summer of 2020. Activity sensors were installed in 40 cows registering 6 different behaviors. Environmental conditions (temperature and humidity) were also monitored. Hourly data was calculated for both animal behavior and environmental conditions. Temperature and Heat Index (THI) was calculated for each hour. The accumulated THI during the previous 24 h period was determined for each hour, and the hours were statistically classified in quartiles according to the accumulated THI. Two groups were defined as Q4 for no stress and Q1 for heat stress. The results showed that animal behavior was altered under heat stress conditions. Increasing THI produces an increase in general activity, changes in feeding patterns and a decrease in rumination and resting behaviors, which is detrimental to animal welfare. Daily behavioral patterns were also affected. Under heat stress conditions, a reduction in resting behavior during the warmest hours and in rumination during the night was observed. In conclusion, heat stress affected all behaviors recorded as well as the daily patterns of the cows. Precision livestock farming sensors and the modelling of daily patterns were useful tools for monitoring animal behavior and detecting changes due to heat stress.

scholarly journals Serum thyroid hormone evaluation during transition periods in dairy cows

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Fiore ◽  
G. Piccione ◽  
M. Gianesella ◽  
V. Praticò ◽  
I. Vazzana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Multiple Comparison Test ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Northeastern Italy ◽  
Serum Thyroid Hormone

Abstract. Thirty-five multiparous Holstein dairy cows were selected from a high-producing dairy farm in northeastern Italy: 16 in second lactation (L2), 10 in third lactation (L3) and 9 in fourth lactation (L4). Blood sampling was carried out 7 ± 5 days before calving (Pre/C) and 7 ± 5 days after calving (Post/C). Serum triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were assessed. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed statistically significant effects of class (L2, L3, L4) and of period (Pre/C, Post/C) on the parameters studied (T3, T4, TSH). In particular, Bonferroni's multiple comparison test showed lower values in post-calving than in the pre-calving in L2 and L3 for TSH; lower values in post-calving than in the pre-calving in L2 for T3; and lower values in post-calving than in the pre-calving in L2, L3 and L4 for T4. Our results improve the knowledge of endocrine and metabolic changes occurring in dairy cows during transition periods and may be useful to supply a new strategy for the improvement of dairy cow farm management and reproductive performance.

scholarly journals Diet optimization for dairy cows to reduce ammonia emissions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dzidra Kreismane ◽  
◽  
Elita Aplocina ◽  
Kaspars Naglis-Liepa ◽  
Laima Berzina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Ammonia Emission ◽  
Ammonia Emissions ◽  
Nitrogen Emissions ◽  
Balanced Diet ◽  
Emission Reduction Potential ◽  
Lactation Phase

Feeding livestock a balanced diet with a differentiated crude protein (CP) content, depending on the lactation phase can reduce nitrogen emissions from livestock excrement and urine. A higher content of non-starch polysaccharides in livestock diets improves feed absorption in the livestock body and, consequently, nitrogen is emitted more from protein present in livestock manure than from urea acid present in livestock urine. The aim of the study is to calculate the ammonia emission reduction potential in Latvia by optimizing the feeding of dairy cows and ensuring life longevity, as well as provide justification for ammonia emission reduction in dairy farms. Calculations made by using the NorFor Model for optimization of dairy cow (Bos primigenius f. taurus) diets revealed that compared with lowyielding cows, a higher CP content diet fed to high-yielding cows at the beginning of lactation increased the amount of nitrogen (N) in their excrement and urine by 90–180 g d-1. Reducing the CP content in the cow diet by an average of 10 g kg-1 dry matter (DM) during mid-lactation resulted in the same trend. Reducing the CP content in the cow diet during late lactation and the dry period by another 20–30 g kg-1 of DM, N emissions from excrement and urine significantly decreased. Increasing the lifespan of dairy cows also means reducing ammonia emissions from the farm. By increasing the number of lactations per cow on dairy farm, it is possible to reduce the number of heifers per cow. The total reduction of ammonia emissions in Latvia was calculated based on a long-term projection of a decrease of 0.1 heifer per dairy cow. Ammonia emissions could be reduced by 0.051 kt by decreasing the number of heifers by 12.54 thou. at the planned increase in the lifespan of dairy cows by 2030.

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