Heat Detection System: Making Life Easier for Dairy Farmers

(The Weekly Times) – A NEW heat detection system for cows is making life easier for third-generation dairy farmers Craig and Deb Allott, from Hazel Park in South Gippsland.

Released last year in Australia, Flashmate is a disposable electronic device that monitors riding activity in dairy cows to work out when an animal is in standing heat.

It looks for specific patterns of riding or mounting by other cows — such as frequency, amount and duration of activity — and flashes red for 26 hours to indicate when a cow is ready for artificial insemination.

If a cow doesn’t come back into heat within 25 days of being AI’d, the Flashmate will flash green to indicate a possible conception.

If the same cow returns to heat, Flashmate will again go red.

The device is glued to the animal’s rump and operates 24 hours a day, as a large percentage of mounting activity takes place after dark.

Mr Allott said he had used traditional methods for detecting heats before, but with mixed results.

“In the past, we’ve used tail-paint and tried scratchies, which have not been really successful,” he said.

“The cows will find trees across the property they can scratch against — and that’s given us false readings. Likewise, tail-paint is okay, but sometimes you can’t really tell if the cow is definitely ‘on’ and ready for AI.

“I did consider Flashmate was a bit more expensive than other options, but if you’re picking out more cows — and more accurately, more easily and faster — then that helps balance the cost.

“Applying the devices was also pretty easy. We did it during milking while the cows were on the platform. I went along and sprayed the glue while others were milking, then went back to the start and popped them on.”

Mr Allott applied Flashmates to 150 of his herd last season. “Within about a month, you could look across the farm at a certain paddock at night and there were green and red flashes flickering all over the place,” he said.

“It was like a light show. The Flashmate lets anybody know what’s going on, so it’s saving us time and effort and cutting out the guesswork.”

The devices cost from $8.99 to $10.50 each, depending on the quantity purchased.