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Detecting play behaviour in weaned dairy calves using accelerometer data.

Ciara McKay1, Kathryn Ellis1, Marie J Haskell2

  • 1Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health and Food Safety, University of Glasgow School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, Glasgow, UK.

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|October 14, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Accelerometers can effectively detect play behaviour in young dairy calves, offering a more efficient welfare assessment. The motion index (MI) accurately identifies play, improving on traditional observation methods.

Keywords:
Accelerometer technologycalf welfareplay behaviour

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Area of Science:

  • Animal Behaviour
  • Animal Welfare Science
  • Agricultural Technology

Background:

  • Play behaviour in young animals is a key indicator of positive welfare.
  • Traditional methods for observing calf behaviour are time-consuming.
  • Accelerometers offer a potential solution for objective and efficient behavioural monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To validate the use of IceTag accelerometers for detecting play behaviour in weaned dairy calves.
  • To compare accelerometer-derived data with direct visual observations of play.
  • To establish a reliable threshold for accelerometer data to indicate play behaviour.

Main Methods:

  • Eight Holstein Friesian calves (3-5 months old) were fitted with leg-mounted accelerometers for 48 hours.
  • Calf activity was recorded, including step count, lying times, and a 'motion index' (MI).
  • Behaviour was simultaneously filmed and analysed using one-zero sampling for play presence/absence in 15-min intervals.

Main Results:

  • A significant positive correlation was found between the motion index (MI) and visually recorded play behaviour.
  • A motion index (MI) threshold of ≥69 was identified as optimal for detecting play.
  • The established threshold demonstrated high accuracy (balanced accuracy = 94.0%), with excellent sensitivity (94.4%) and specificity (93.6%).

Conclusions:

  • Accelerometer-derived motion index (MI) data can reliably detect play behaviour in weaned dairy calves.
  • This technology provides a more time-efficient and objective method for assessing calf welfare compared to visual observation.
  • IceTag accelerometers show promise for routine welfare monitoring in young cattle.