The use of electronic pedometers in determining activity to predict oestrus in dairy cattle

Abstract

It is well documented that cows exhibit an increase in physical activity around the time of oestrus (Kiddy, 1977). Pedometers are receiving a great deal of attention to automate and record the cow activity data. Some previous field studies indicate that pedometers are superior to casual observations (Kiddy, 1977 and Redden et al, 1993). However, others show limited success due to a large number of false positive identifications (Moore and Spahr, 1991). The aim of the experiment was to investigate the possibility of using twice daily pedometer readings in determining activity to predict oestrus in dairy cattle under UK management.