EweAlert - Device to monitor and alert of lambing

[Lunnaa61212]

Hello,

We are Five Electrical and Electronic Masters students at Queens University Belfast, developing a wearable device for sheep called EweAlert. This device utilizes advanced sensors to monitor key physiological metrics like body temperature, ECG, movement patterns, and contractions in ewes approaching labour.

Our user-friendly app, available on mobile and web platforms, allows farmers to access real-time data conveniently. The device aims to empower farmers with timely information, enhancing care during the crucial pre-labour period. Notifications alert farmers when signs of labour are detected. We're conducting a survey to gather insights for refining our innovative solution.

Your input is valuable. Please take a moment to participate.

EweAlert

Hello, We are Five Electrical and Electronic Masters students at Queens University Belfast, developing a wearable device for sheep called EweAlert. This device utilizes advanced sensors to monitor key physiological metrics like body temperature, ECG, movement patterns, and contractions in ewes...

forms.gle

 

[Oldmacdonald]

Excellent way for those pedigree boys to be able to call the vet in time for the c section.

 

[Bury the Trash]

just right for the Scottish guy with the Suffolk and the big single that he loves while he s indoors drinking iron bru and eating a fatty takeaway .

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Hello,

We are Five Electrical and Electronic Masters students at Queens University Belfast, developing a wearable device for sheep called EweAlert. This device utilizes advanced sensors to monitor key physiological metrics like body temperature, ECG, movement patterns, and contractions in ewes approaching labour.

Our user-friendly app, available on mobile and web platforms, allows farmers to access real-time data conveniently. The device aims to empower farmers with timely information, enhancing care during the crucial pre-labour period. Notifications alert farmers when signs of labour are detected. We're conducting a survey to gather insights for refining our innovative solution.

Your input is valuable. Please take a moment to participate.

EweAlert

Hello, We are Five Electrical and Electronic Masters students at Queens University Belfast, developing a wearable device for sheep called EweAlert. This device utilizes advanced sensors to monitor key physiological metrics like body temperature, ECG, movement patterns, and contractions in ewes...

forms.gle

Sheep need to be able to live outside, lamb themselves, give enough milk to rear two healthy lambs and not suffer from foot problems and any other diseases.
You need to look at how they leave sheep to lamb on their own in countries like New Zealand.

If you really want to look at a way of improving sheep efficiency then work out a way of linking lambs to ewes and rams in extensive systems to get the best genetics so you never lamb a sheep again!
There is a thread on here about recording for dummies which you might find useful.
See if you can find a cheaper and more efficient way than using DNA (Probably unlikely in the long term!).

 

[yellowbelly]

Hello,

We are Five Electrical and Electronic Masters students at Queens University Belfast, developing a wearable device for sheep called EweAlert. This device utilizes advanced sensors to monitor key physiological metrics like body temperature, ECG, movement patterns, and contractions in ewes approaching labour.

Our user-friendly app, available on mobile and web platforms, allows farmers to access real-time data conveniently. The device aims to empower farmers with timely information, enhancing care during the crucial pre-labour period. Notifications alert farmers when signs of labour are detected. We're conducting a survey to gather insights for refining our innovative solution.

Your input is valuable. Please take a moment to participate.

EweAlert

Hello, We are Five Electrical and Electronic Masters students at Queens University Belfast, developing a wearable device for sheep called EweAlert. This device utilizes advanced sensors to monitor key physiological metrics like body temperature, ECG, movement patterns, and contractions in ewes...

forms.gle

Sorry lads (and lasses) but generations of wizened shepherds, without so much as an O level between them, have been painstakingly selecting easy lambing ewes for donkey's years.

FFS, the wilder hill breeds, with hardly a brain cell between them, have been doing it on their own by the process of natural selection.

As @Frank-the-Wool says please use your talents to solve a real problem rather than a perceived one 'just because you can'.

I don't wish to be too critical, but you must have a professor or tutor or whatever you call them, who you've run this idea past?

Did he/she think it was a good idea?
Even if we did actually need something like that, just think of the ball ache of catching thousands of sheep up to strap your gadget on - let alone the cost of them in the first place.

 

[andybk]

Sheep need to be able to live outside, lamb themselves, give enough milk to rear two healthy lambs and not suffer from foot problems and any other diseases.
You need to look at how they leave sheep to lamb on their own in countries like New Zealand.

If you really want to look at a way of improving sheep efficiency then work out a way of linking lambs to ewes and rams in extensive systems to get the best genetics so you never lamb a sheep again!
There is a thread on here about recording for dummies which you might find useful.
See if you can find a cheaper and more efficient way than using DNA (Probably unlikely in the long term!).

yea but : those c section lambs will be worth north of 4 figures at the tup sales " look at the power" commercial men will fall over themselves to buy them with 8 months plus full of creep .They will be lauded in the farming press like returning heros .
The real fault is the way we judge results and buy stock .

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

yea but : those c section lambs will be worth north of 4 figures at the tup sales " look at the power" commercial men will fall over themselves to buy them with 8 months plus full of creep .They will be lauded in the farming press like returning heros .
The real fault is the way we judge results and buy stock .

I believe this type of ram production is coming to an end .
I will pay 4 figures for a maternal breed with the best EBV's that can be trusted.

Look at the number of tups that are now sold through breeding companies like Innovis and others which never appear on any market report.

Don't even get me started on Swaledale and Blackies and what is the best colour to use on Tups!!!!

 

[David1968]

Hello,

We are Five Electrical and Electronic Masters students at Queens University Belfast, developing a wearable device for sheep called EweAlert. This device utilizes advanced sensors to monitor key physiological metrics like body temperature, ECG, movement patterns, and contractions in ewes approaching labour.

Our user-friendly app, available on mobile and web platforms, allows farmers to access real-time data conveniently. The device aims to empower farmers with timely information, enhancing care during the crucial pre-labour period. Notifications alert farmers when signs of labour are detected. We're conducting a survey to gather insights for refining our innovative solution.

Your input is valuable. Please take a moment to participate.

EweAlert

Hello, We are Five Electrical and Electronic Masters students at Queens University Belfast, developing a wearable device for sheep called EweAlert. This device utilizes advanced sensors to monitor key physiological metrics like body temperature, ECG, movement patterns, and contractions in ewes...

forms.gle

I think the gist of the comments, serious or otherwise, is the potential market for such a device would be limited to small numbers of high value pedigree sheep. And as such may not be commercially viable.

 

[delilah]

More mileage in developing one for cattle ? Or is it already out there ?

 

[yellowbelly]

More mileage in developing one for cattle ? Or is it already out there ?

MooCall and a bit of stockmanship

 

[crashbox]

More mileage in developing one for cattle ? Or is it already out there ?

Already out there and common in dairy, but primary focus is fertility (heat detection), health benefits can be valuable but are secondary.

 

[spin cycle]

is there an 'calibration' that could 'modify' the device to tell a shepherd if ewe did something 'unexpected'. errr....for instance if she went thru an 'obstacle thought to be inpervious'?

asking for a friend

 

[David1968]

is there an 'calibration' that could 'modify' the device to tell a shepherd if ewe did something 'unexpected'. errr....for instance if she went thru an 'obstacle thought to be inpervious'?

asking for a friend

I think what you're really looking for is a long range tracking device

 

[Al R]

I think what you're really looking for is a long range tracking device

Aka, 223

 

[matthew]

I think what you're really looking for is a long range tracking device

Like the one advertised on the televisuals, that tracks an errant mutt on an app? It tells you where said dog is, but not what mischief (sic) it has been up to en route. Even with banded sheep.

 

[neilo]

More mileage in developing one for cattle ? Or is it already out there ?

It's already out there, but shouldn't the same comments about sheep lambing themselves, also apply to cattle?

 

[neilo]

I think the gist of the comments, serious or otherwise, is the potential market for such a device would be limited to small numbers of high value pedigree sheep. And as such may not be commercially viable.

I'd agree it would be a limited market. Presumably the OP(s) are from Northern Ireland though, where there are lots of small, terminal X flocks? That could make for a small market, as well as having influenced their decisions up to this point?

I would also argue that terminal sire breeds shouldn't necessarily be looking for lambs that are always born assisted, if out of heavily muscled, terminal sire ewes. Obviously there is a compromise to be struck, and selection should be against big heads, wide shoulders, etc, but the easiest born terminal sire lambs are always out of big framed, plain ewes IME, which is the exact opposite of what you want in genetics that are to breed easily finished, well fleshed lambs out of plain maternal breeds like mules, romneys, shedders, etc.

But no, I wont be investing.

 

[Henarar]

Depends on the price/running costs/accuracy/ease of use

plenty saying that ewes should lamb on their own which is fair comment and I will take it they never help lamb a ewe, also how many have cameras? why if they are fine on their own ? plenty regularly check ewes for signs of lambing why if they are fine one their own ?

 

[Henarar]

It's already out there, but shouldn't the same comments about sheep lambing themselves, also apply to cattle?

yes,
we have a moocall and I am quite happy to admit to non perfection when it comes to cows calving on their own, others may be perfect or just not ready to admit to non perfection

there are other reasons for wanting to know if a cow is calving or a ewe lambing other than the need to assist with the actual birth, we very often get an alert from the moocall watch the cow calve on the camera then go and pen them up and dip the calves navel and so on...

 

[andybk]

Depends on the price/running costs/accuracy/ease of use

plenty saying that ewes should lamb on their own which is fair comment and I will take it they never help lamb a ewe, also how many have cameras? why if they are fine on their own ? plenty regularly check ewes for signs of lambing why if they are fine one their own ?

not really a lambing issue ,more to do with getting lambs mixed up at birth , and more to do with shepherd comfort , most useful beginning and end of lambing saves getting cold in night for no reason . As we have a small farm and need to lamb indoors , means i can spread my lambing out over a longer period , which suits us .