Abstract #241

# 241
Using technologies to enhance respiratory disease detection in calves.
Courtney L. Henderson*1, Christina S. Petersson-Wolfe1, David R. Winston1, Kristy M. Daniels1, 1Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.

Diseases in dairy calves affect dairy herd profitability. The ability to identify respiratory diseases can be difficult, but is a critical part of calf care. With different technologies, such as accelerometers, pedometers, and automatic calf feeders, farmers are able to detect when a calf is becoming ill sooner. Bock et al. (2013) used accelerometers alone to monitor changes in calf activity to indicate onset of disease. Placement of the technology on the right hind leg was most effective. Swartz et al. (2016) used pedometers in addition to accelerometers to monitor lying bouts and calf activity in efforts to detect respiratory diseases in calves. Both steps from pedometers and lying bouts from accelerometers provided critical information to detect respiratory disease. Automatic calf feeders can provide information such as drinking speed, number of visits, and intake. Swartz et al. (2017) used a combination of an automatic calf feeder, accelerometers and pedometers to validate the ability of these technologies to detect respiratory disease. Sick calves ate less, drank slower, had an increase in lying bouts and took less steps than healthy calves. With the introduction of accelerometers, pedometers, and the automatic calf feeders, workers are able to indicate diseases in calves at an earlier stage to ensure that calves are treated promptly, thereby reducing recovery times and mortality rates.

Key Words: accelerometer, pedometer, automatic calf feeder