24 Wearable Technologies in Livestock
24.1 Overview
This chapter provides a detailed examination of wearable sensors (collars, ear tags, leg bands) for monitoring livestock.
24.2 Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
- Identify major types of wearable sensors and their applications
- Explain how accelerometers are used for estrus detection and health monitoring
- Understand how wearable data can be used in genetic evaluations
- Recognize challenges in deploying wearable technologies
- Interpret activity and behavior data from wearable sensors
24.3 Types of Wearable Sensors
Chapter Status
This chapter is currently under development.
24.3.1 Collars
- Accelerometers
- GPS
- Microphones
- Body temperature sensors
24.3.3 Leg Bands
- Accelerometers
- Pedometers (step counting)
24.3.4 Rumen Boluses
- pH monitoring
- Temperature
- Pressure
24.4 Accelerometers and Activity Monitoring
24.4.1 Measured Parameters
- Activity level
- Lying time
- Standing time
- Step count
- Rumination time
24.4.2 Applications
- Estrus detection: Increased activity during estrus (dairy cows)
- Calving/farrowing detection: Changes in lying patterns before parturition
- Lameness detection: Reduced activity, altered gait, increased lying time
- Health monitoring: Reduced activity as early indicator of disease
- Welfare assessment: Lying time, rumination time as welfare indicators
24.4.3 Commercial Systems
- Allflex
- SCR by Allflex
- IceQube
- RumiWatch
- Nedap
24.5 Temperature Sensors
24.5.1 Core Body Temperature
Early indicator of: - Fever - Heat stress - Disease
24.5.2 Rumen Boluses
Continuous temperature and pH monitoring
24.6 GPS and Location Tracking
24.6.1 Applications
- Grazing behavior
- Pasture utilization
- Locating animals in large pastures or rangeland
- Social interactions and resource use
24.7 Acoustic Sensors (Microphones)
24.7.1 Applications
- Cough detection (respiratory disease)
- Vocalization analysis (stress, pain, estrus)
- Rumination detection
24.8 Wearables for Genetic Evaluation
24.8.1 Novel Phenotypes
- Feed efficiency: Activity data helps explain variation in energy expenditure
- Health traits: Early disease detection enables phenotyping for resistance
- Fertility: Improved estrus detection increases accuracy of fertility EBVs
- Temperament: Activity patterns indicate stress response
24.9 Data Quality and Validation
- Comparing sensor data to gold-standard measurements
- Calibration and drift correction
- Battery life and maintenance
- Missing data due to sensor failure or loss
24.10 Challenges
- Cost per animal (especially for large herds)
- Battery life and replacement
- Data management infrastructure
- Validation of sensor accuracy
24.11 Summary
Wearable sensors enable continuous, automated monitoring of behavior and physiology, providing novel phenotypes for genetic evaluation.
24.12 Key Points
- Accelerometers are widely adopted for estrus and health detection
- Wearable data provides novel phenotypes for genetic evaluation
- Data quality and validation are critical for reliable use