Merck Animal Health a member of Bio Nebraska, announced the release of SenseHub® Feedlot, an Allflex Livestock Intelligence product that is proven to detect sick cattle earlier, more efficiently and more accurately than traditional visual observation.
Announcement from Merck Animal Health
Merck Animal Health announced the release of SenseHub® Feedlot, an Allflex Livestock Intelligence product. The state-of-the-art technology is proven to detect sick cattle earlier, more efficiently and more accurately than traditional visual observation. SenseHub Feedlot features an illuminating electronic ear tag that makes it easy to identify and sort cattle needing attention with less labor and minimal disruption to other animals.
“SenseHub Feedlot offers those who manage and care for cattle an innovative new approach to detecting illness, including bovine respiratory disease (BRD),” said Jason Nickell, D.V.M., Ph.D., DACVPM, director of insights and outcomes at Merck Animal Health. “Cattle’s defense mechanisms mean they often hide symptoms of illness, making it very challenging for even experienced pen riders to find sick animals. SenseHub Feedlot assists the pen rider by removing the guesswork. Animals can be pulled and treated more quickly and more accurately.”
How SenseHub Feedlot works
The electronic ear tag tracks behavioral and biometric data to monitor the health of each animal. Body temperature is captured by an infrared thermistor, and a built-in accelerometer measures animal activity. Using collected data, SenseHub Feedlot applies proven machine learning algorithms to identify individual calves that vary from baseline norms.
Caregivers receive a daily pull list on their mobile device and/or computer that includes individual animals identified by the system for further assessment. In parallel, an LED light on the respective sick animals’ tags illuminates and flashes, so pen riders can spot them at a glance. After an animal is pulled, the caregiver determines the cause – BRD, lameness or whatever the issue may be – and provides appropriate treatment.