Rumination activity
Lely Qwes HR
New Lely Qwes-HR collars offer you the earliest available information on cow health problems. Monitoring cow health with the Qwes-HR rumination, heat control and cow identifi cation system offers the dairy farmer a completely new tool to monitor his cows. With the aid of this information, dairy farmers can improve the general health of their herds.
The improved health status will increase milk production. Changes in rumination are the earliest sign we can obtain from cows to warn us about potential problems. The earlier a farmer can obtain critical information on a health problem, the cheaper the problem normally is to deal with. The Lely Qwes-HR measures the rumination of the cows together with their activity. This information combined with a cow identifi cation system, creates a totally new concept for neck collars.
Rumination activity is critical for every ruminating animal’s health. The chewing activity of a cow produces saliva. Saliva buffers rumen Ph. Saliva production will decrease when the rumination of the cow decreases. When a cow eats too much concentrate in relation to effective fi bre, the cow’s rumination, saliva production and rumen Ph will decrease. The use of Lely Qwes-HR collars enables the dairy farmer to obtain information about the whole herd as well as individual cows. If either the feed management or feed quality changes, the farmer can follow the cows’ rumination activity and make the necessary adjustments at an early stage. A good example of this practice is the transition of cows from one paddock to another. Qwes-HR collars also indicate the infl uence of weather on a cow’s performance and general herd appetite. In addition, Lely Qwes-HR rumination control makes herd management easier.
The dairy farmer can set and modify the parameters according to his specifi c requirements. The system also enables the preparation of feeding programmes according to rumen performance and milk production. With the aid of early indication of any illness infl uencing a cow’s appetite, a farmer can also reduce the incidence of clinical and sub-clinical metabolic diseases of the entire herd.
