Development and validation of an activity-based system to monitor individual drinking behaviour and water intake of grazing cattle: A field solution
Creators: name: Williams, Lauren Renee
Publisher: name: Central Queensland University
Year: 2019
Subjects: Drinking behaviour
Water intake
Cattle
Activity-based system
Monitoring
Grazing systems

description: Drinking is a critical behaviour for cattle health, welfare, production and survival. Water is an essential nutrient and is involved in most bodily functions including metabolism and thermoregulation. Cattle productivity, health and welfare can be compromised if physiological water requirements are not fulfilled. The distances that cattle must travel to access drinking water in a grazing environment affects the frequency that cattle drink and may affect an animal’s ability to meet its water needs. Ambiguity regarding sufficient water provision for grazing cattle, in terms of the number and distribution of water points (e.g. dams or bores), and optimum drinking behaviour under field conditions represent serious knowledge gaps that are required to maximise cattle health, welfare and performance. The aim of this thesis was to review, develop and validate an automated system to monitor the individual drinking behaviour of grazing cattle under field conditions. The first part of the thesis examines the literature on cattle water requirements and drinking behaviour. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the northern Australian beef industry, upon which the research is focused, and highlights the importance of drinking water for cattle in grazing environments. The need to record cattle drinking behaviour under field conditions is demonstrated and existing automated monitoring systems are explored. Chapter 3 uses a systematic review methodology to quantify relationships between drinking frequency and cattle performance. The detailed analysis provides evidence that suboptimal drinking frequency can negatively affect water and feed intake and in turn cattle performance (live weight, milk yield, milk fat). The next part of the thesis examines the potential of automated technologies to record grazing cattle drinking behaviour. Chapter 4 investigates the use of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) panel readers to monitor cattle water point use. The chapter shows that information on the time of day and frequency that cattle visit water points can be obtained from automated technologies. Behavioural variation according to climate and water availability can also be detected. Chapter 5 tests an approach to detect cattle drinking from a trough using neck mounted accelerometers. The chapter shows that acceleration measures of cattle head-neck position and activity can identify drinking from some behaviours (standing with the head up and walking) but not from behaviours with similar head-neck characteristics (standing with the head down). The final chapters of the thesis build on the work completed in Chapters 4 and 5 and evaluate a sensor-based system to monitor cattle drinking behaviour in a grazing environment. The combination of RFID panel readers and neck mounted accelerometers are validated in Chapter 6 as a combined approach to monitor various aspects of drinking behaviour. A water flow meter is also validated to record herd water intake from a trough. Potential future applications of the solution are discussed in Chapter 6 and conclusions are drawn in Chapter 7. The thesis demonstrates that drinking has important implications on cattle performance. Information on cattle drinking behaviour, particularly in a grazing environment, is critical to understand water requirements and ensure sufficient water provision to maximise cattle health, welfare, performance and survival. The activity-based monitoring system developed through this research, which combines RFID panel readers, accelerometers and a water flow meter, can be used to monitor individual cattle drinking behaviour and herd water intake in a range of grazing systems, including extensive grazing systems. The monitoring system has the potential to provide benefits to research and industry.