Sensor technology to support herd health monitoring: Using rumination duration and activity measures as unspecific variables for the early detection of dairy cows with health deviations

A significant number of lactating dairy cows are affected by health disorders in the early postpartum period. Precision dairy farming technologies have tremendous potential to support farmers in detecting disordered cows before clinical manifestation of a disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate if activity and rumination measures obtained by a commercial 3D-accelerometer system, i.e. "lying", "high active", "inactive", and "rumination" times, can be used for early identification of cows with health deviations before the clinical manifestation of disease. A total of 312 Holstein cows equipped with an ear attached accelerometer (Smartbow GmbH, Weibern, Austria) were monitored and analyzed from 14 days prior to parturition to eight days in milk (DIM). Animals were checked daily for clinical disorders from zero to eight DIM using standard operating procedures and by blood beta-hydroxybutyrate measurements at three, five, and eight DIM. Cows that presented no symptoms of health problems and with BHB concentrations <1.2 mmol/L in the first eight DIM were classified as healthy (n = 156) and used as the reference in this study. Cows with disorders were allocated in groups with one disorder (n = 65) and >1 disorders (n = 91). "Rumination" durations per day were already shorter five days before the clinical diagnosis (D0) in diseased cows (401.9 +/- 147.4 min/day) compared with healthy controls (434.6 +/- 140.3 min/day). "Rumination" time decreased before the diagnosis, with a nadir at Day -1 for healthy cows and cows with >1 disorder (392.0 +/- 147.9 vs. 313.4 +/- 162.6 min/day). Cows with one disorder reached a nadir on Day -3 (388.8 +/- 158.6 min/day). Similarly, the "high active" time started to become shorter three days before the clinical diagnosis in diseased cows compared to healthy cows (164.1 +/- 119.1 vs. 200.3 +/- 111.5 min/day). The times cows spent "inactive" were significantly longer three days before clinical diagnosis in diseased cows compared to healthy cows (421.7 +/- 168.3 vs. 362.8 +/- 117.6 min/day). "Lying" time started to become significantly longer one day before the diagnosis of disorders in disordered cows compared to healthy cows (691.8 +/- 183.3 vs. 627.3 +/- 158.0 min/day). On average, these results indicated a strong disturbance of physiological parameters before the clinical onset of disease. In summary, it was possible to show differences between disordered and healthy cows based on activity and "rumination" data recorded by a 3D-accelerometer. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.