CONTINUOUS ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE FOR DETECTION OF ESTRUS IN DAIRY CATTLE

THE OVERALL GOAL IS TO DEVELOP A LOAD SENSITIVE DEVICE FOR SUBCUTANEOUS IMPLANTATION WHICH WILL ELECTRONICALLY RECORD THE EVENT OF STANDING TO BE MOUNTED IN DAIRY CATTLE. INFORMATION STORED BY THE DEVICE CAN BE RETRIEVED THROUGH AN EXTERNAL ELECTRONIC INTERROGATION SYSTEM. THE DEVICE WILL BE INSERTED SUBCUTANEOUSLY (LOCAL ANESTHESIA WILL BE REQUIRED) DORSAL TO THE JUNCTURE OF THE SACRUM AND THE FIRST CAUDAL VERTEBRA. IT WILL BE PERMANENTLY FIXED UNDER THE SKIN FOR THE PRODUCTIVE LIFETIME OF THE COW. FOLLOWING STANDING ACTIVITY BY THE COW IN ESTRUS, THE LOAD SENSITIVE DEVICE WILL BE AN "ACTIVE STATE" FOR A SUFFICIENT PERIOD OF TIME (14 HOURS) FOR AN INTERROGATION SYSTEM TO RETRIEVE THE STORED INFORMATION AND INTERPRET THAT A COW HAS PARTICIPATED IN THE STANDING ACTIVITY. THE RATIONALE FOR A 14 HOUR ACTIVE STATE IS THAT THIS PERIOD OF TIME WILL GUARANTEE THAT THE COW WILL PASS THROUGH THE MILKING PARLOR AT LEAST ONCE. WITH COMPLEMENTARY DISPLAY EQUIPMENT, ANIMALS IN ESTRUS CAN BE IDENTIFIED AND CAN BE TARGETED FOR ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION AT THE OPTIMUM TIME. INTERROGATION SYSTEMS CAN BE LOCATED AT THE ENTRANCE OF A MILKING PARLOR OR AT COMPUTERIZED FEEDING STATIONS AND CAN ALSO BE INCORPORATED INTO HAND HELD UNITS.