Development of estrus detection in dairy cattle in hilly and mountainous areas using an inertial measurement unit

Abstract

The conception rates on dairy cattle have been decreasing every year. To solve this problem, estrus detection in dairy cattle using sensors is required. The purpose of this study is to detect the estrus behavior of dairy cattle using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) in hilly and mountainous areas. The increase in acceleration was used in estrus detection based on the increase in activity during estrus in dairy cattle. The true positive rate and the true negative rate were 70 % and 8.4 % respectively. This result shows the potential of the proposed method for estrus detection in dairy cattle.