Assessment of periparturient behavior in beef cattle using accelerometers

Abstract

A large percentage of calf death loss in cow-calf operations occurs during the intrapartum period, with the majority a result of dystocia. The usefulness of commercial activity monitors to detect changes in behavior indicative of impending parturition has not been fully explored. Research objectives included characterization of behavioral indices during the periparturient period in beef cattle and the ability of changes in behavioral indices from baseline to accurately predict impending parturition in individual cows.