Abstract
The rumination behavior of dairy cows could provide valuable information, thereby allowing the examination of the physical structure of the diet and the health status of dairy cows. This study was designed to develop a rumination monitoring device, which is wearable around the cow’s neck, and to evaluate its accuracy for practical use in future. In experiment 1, we made a prototype of the rumination monitoring device with a highly sensitive pressure sensor for detecting low-frequency waves. The data obtained were categorized into ruminating, eating and non-chewing activities, followed by spectral analysis using the cepstrum technique. Characteristic peaks appeared in the frequency band around 1.3 and 2.6 Hz during rumination. We then developed a program for the automatic identification of rumination behavior based on its characteristic. In experiment 2, behavioral data were collected from dairy cows in both free-stall and tie-stall barns, and rumination time measured by the device was compared with that obtained by visual observation to verify the accuracy and reliability of the device. The overall average accuracy rate of determination of rumination time was 91.1%, demonstrating that the device has the possibility of practical use.
