Utilizing Noseband Sensor Technology to Evaluate Rumination Time as a Predictor of Feeding and Locomotion Behaviors in Dairy Cows

Ramūnas Antanaitis (), Karina Džermeikaitė, Justina Krištolaitytė, Samanta Arlauskaitė, Akvilė Girdauskaitė, Kotryna Tolkačiovaitė, Renalda Juodžentytė, Giedrius Palubinskas, Aistė Labokojytė, Greta Šertvytytė, Gabija Lembovičiūtė and Walter Baumgartner
Additional contact information
Ramūnas Antanaitis: Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Karina Džermeikaitė: Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Justina Krištolaitytė: Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Samanta Arlauskaitė: Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Akvilė Girdauskaitė: Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Kotryna Tolkačiovaitė: Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Renalda Juodžentytė: Department of Animal Breeding, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Giedrius Palubinskas: Department of Animal Breeding, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Aistė Labokojytė: Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Greta Šertvytytė: Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Gabija Lembovičiūtė: Large Animal Clinic, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilžės Str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania
Walter Baumgartner: Clinical Centre for Ruminant and Camelid Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between rumination time and various parameters related to eating and locomotion, including other chews, eating chews, eating time, drinking gulps, bolus counts, chews per minute, activity, and activity change, utilizing RumiWatch technology. The RumiWatch noseband sensor (RWS; ITIN + HOCH GmbH, Feeding Technology, Liestal, Switzerland) was utilized to record time and frequency related to rumination, eating, and movement behaviors. The RumiWatch system (RWS) was put into operation from 1 June 2023 to 30 June 2023. The first two weeks, from 1 June to 14 June 2023 at 7 a.m., served as a period for the cows to acclimate to the RWS, acting as an adjustment phase. Monitoring activities with the RWS commenced on 7 a.m. and lasted until the end of the month, 30 June 2023, with data being recorded daily on an hourly basis. Our findings indicate a significant negative correlation between rumination time and other activity time (r = −0.50), which represents the duration cows allocate to behaviors outside of eating, chewing cud, or distinct movement activities. Additionally, a significant negative correlation was observed between rumination time and eating time (r = −0.54). Furthermore, we observed strong positive correlations with rumination chews (r = 0.84) and bolus (r = 0.75). A weaker positive correlation was found with chews per minute (r = 0.29), while no significant correlation was detected with drinking gulps (r = 0.10). Based on our findings, we recommend the implementation of the RumiWatch System for monitoring rumination and feeding behaviors in lactating dairy cattle. This technology provides valuable insights into cow health and welfare, enabling early detection of potential health issues and improving herd management practices.

Keywords: innovations; dairy cows; feeding; locomotion behavior; rumination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/3/296/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/3/296/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:296-:d:1580044

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().