Rumen ph
Up to 20% of dairy cows develop acidosis after calving. A condition known as sub-acute rumen acidosis (SARA) may also be present in larger numbers of cows. This will reduce milk fat and milk output and in some cows to cause more serious disease such as lameness, mastitis and sub-fertility which can cost hundreds of dollars per affected animal.
Sub-acute rumen acidosis (SARA) is an increasing health problem in most dairy herds in the US and has been estimated to cost the US dairy industry between $500m and $1 billion per annum. Results from field studies indicate a high prevalence of SARA in high-producing dairy herds as producers respond to the demands for increased milk production with higher grain, low fibre diets to maximize energy intake during early lactation. SARA poses a challenge for dairy farmers and dairy nutritionists to implement feed management practices to prevent or reduce the incidence of this disease.
Monitoring rumen pH levels in sentinel cows within a herd would provide farmers with important information indicative of the state of dietary health of the herd. When the sentinel cows exhibit increasing acidosis, this allows a farmer to adjust feeding to prevent major problems developing.
Methods for monitoring the rumen pH in cows are currently limited to either invasive veterinary techniques for off-line analysis or pH sensors inserted through a cannula and connected by a wire to a data collection device outside the animal.
What is required is a radio transmitter based device which can be inserted into the rumen and send data remotely to farm information systems to alert the farmer to the potential onset of problems. Such devices are available with a short lifetime and have been used to validate the approach of remotely monitoring rumen pH. Long lifetime sensors which will last for 100 days and which transmit data remotely to farm information systems are under development and are currently being used in trials.
Well Cow Ltd. is the leader in the development of wireless rumen pH monitoring devices.
For further detailed information read the following article within the link.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chas_Sims
Many dairy cows will develop acidosis in the period
after calving. This will reduce milk fat and total output
and in some cases can lead to more serious diseases
such as ketosis and lameness. The cost of these diseases
has been estimated at up to $350 per cow.
Monitoring rumen pH levels in some of the cows in a
herd can provide farmers and vets with vital information
that is indicative of the state of health of the whole
herd. If such sentinel cows exhibit acidosis, a rumen
pH of less than 5.5, then a change in feeding strategy
can be made to avoid the developing problem.
The only current methods of monitoring the rumen pH
are invasive veterinary procedures to collect fluid
samples for off-line analysis or the use of wire connected
pH sensors with data collection devices external to
the animal. These sensors can be inserted inserted through
a cannula but are inferior to wireless telemetry devices
which can be inserted directly into the rumen. Such
devices which can last for a sufficient time are however
not yet available commercially, although they are under
development. Rumen pH monitoring devices which can last
for short periods of up to about 14 days, are available
and have been trialled and used to prove the feasibility
of such monitoring approaches.
The development of devices which can last for up to
100 days and which can be read remotely and report back
to farm information systems is now well advanced and
prototype devices are in current trials.
Well Cow Ltd. is the leader in the development of wireless
rumen pH monitoring devices.
For further detailed information Click Here
http://www.wellcow.co.uk