Abstract
Feeding behaviour can be used as an important indicator to support animal management. However, using feeding behaviour as a tool for dairy cow management an automatic sensor system is needed. Hence, the objective of this study was to setup, test and validate a ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for measuring time dairy cows spent at the feed fence using two types of passive UHF ear tags. In a first experiment, the reading area of the system was evaluated in two antenna positions. Subsequently, the UHF RFID system was validated with video observations and compared to the measurements of chewing time of a noseband pressure sensor and of the time spent at the feed fence registered by a sensor system with real-time localisation. Differences in the reading area were detected between the two antenna positions and types of ear tag. The antenna position leading to less false positive registrations was chosen for the experiment with cows. The validation with video data showed a high average sensitivity (93.7 ± 5.6%, mean ± standard deviation), specificity (97.8 ± 1.1%), precision (93.8 ± 2.3%) and accuracy (96.9 ± 0.9%) of the UHF RFID system for measuring the time spent at the feed fence. The comparison with the noseband pressure sensor and the real-time localisation resulted in high correlations with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.95 and r = 0.93, respectively. However, substantial absolute differences between the three systems pointed out differences between direct and indirect measures of feeding behaviour in general and between the different sensors in particular. Thus, detailed considerations are necessary before interpreting automatically measured feeding data generally.
Highlights
Feeding behaviour is among the most important behaviours of an animal and can be used as an indicator to support livestock management
The results show the difficulty of generating an evenly shaped reading area with a ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio-frequency identification (RFID)
This study shows that the performance of UHF RFID systems in animal monitoring is partially limited due to the physical properties of the radiation in the UHF frequency band
Summary
Feeding behaviour is among the most important behaviours of an animal and can be used as an indicator to support livestock management. The most precise way to measure feeding time, duration and daily pattern and feed intake, is the use of feed bunk weighing systems with electronic identification of single animals [3,4] These systems are widely used in research, but are too expensive for use on commercial farms. Another way to record feeding and rumination behaviour are sensor systems that either detect the jaw movements of the cow directly [5] or indirectly by measuring the movement of the head or neck [6] or ear [7]. Different RFID frequencies such as low-frequency (LF), high-frequency (HF) and ultra-high frequency (UHF) have been applied
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