In dairy farming, understanding when cattle are ready for insemination is like finding the right time to plant seed. This critical stage is called 'heat,' which occurs every few weeks in female cattle. Heat detection in cattle isn't just a science—it's a key to successful breeding.
Heat is also referred to as the 'estrus cycle.' The estrus cycle, occurring every 18 to 24 days in sexually mature female cattle, marks the fertile period. The cycle consists of different phases: proestrus, estrus, metestrus, and diestrus.
'Heat Detection' is a generic term defined to identify behavioral signals and changes in cattle. It is a crucial stage of cattle breeding where artificial insemination is practiced. Heat detection in cattle is essential to enhance the reproduction rate and decrease the calving period. Regular heat detection techniques involve visual observation of physical actions displayed by the cattle.
For accurate heat detection in cattle, it is essential to understand the different signs of heat, i.e., primary or secondary signs.
One of the most prominent signs of heat is a cow allowing mounting by other mates while standing. This behavior, known as 'standing heat' typically lasts for about 8 to 12 seconds. Standing behavior differentiates cows truly in heat from those resisting mounting.
Some of the secondary signs of heat in cattle are as follows:
It is observed that the cattle can enter into heat at any time of the day. On average, the duration of heat lasts for 15-18 hours in cows. It takes about 21 days for the next heat cycle to appear. Also, the symptoms of heat can be so subtle that a farmer can easily miss its detection. So, to avoid this failure of determining the heat in cattle, you can opt for any cattle management solution.
Fortunately, various technologies like collars, ear tags, and pedometers have been developed and are being accepted as an alternative for identifying the behavioral changes in cattle. Now the difficulty is to choose the best software suited for your farm. One of the best solutions for cattle management is GauSamriddhi.
GauSamriddhi is a platform that strives to help dairy farmers to manage their cattle and farm with efficiency. It uses modern technologies like collars, ear tags, and pedometers to monitor the physical activity of cattle and generate data for interpretation to software to indicate when a heat cycle will occur.
The collar monitors the rumination and activity of the cattle to detect heat. Ear tags monitor the jaw movements, and a pedometer will indicate the cattle in heat by analyzing their changes in the activity.
GauSamriddhi accurately monitors the movement of the cattle and sends actionable alerts by capturing real-time cattle behavior data, thus, prompting you to make the breeding decision to serve the cow.
In the dairy industry, inadequate heat detection is one of the major factors that limit cattle productivity. Effective heat detection can enhance the performance of the farm. Earlier, it required a little extra effort and management, but now everything is available at your fingertips. The modern heat tracking system now does all the tasks on your behalf and allows your cattle to live in a healthy environment.
