I am looking to replace a silent herdsman heat detection system and would like to know what people think of the various systems that are available at the moment. I like the silent herdsman system apart from having reliability issues with the collars. So far I have looked at Genus breeder tag, SCR Sense time and Wordwide sires cow manager ear tags. I would particular be interested to here from anyone that has changed from collars to either ear tags or pedometers and how they compare to collars for easy of use.
Heat Detection Systems
- Thread starter Iclose
- Start date
- Location
- North Yorkshire
We very briefly used collars and have since swapped and stayed with peds. Cows didn’t particularly like the collars and they often gave us false bulling markers from daft things like using the brushes in the sheds or scrapping over cake in the parlour. Peds work well for ours (unless our ID is having a bad day, or the parlour just feels like being unhelpful...!) the only thing we dislike about them is the cost of the sodding straps. They are much better than the collars we tried but then perhaps things have improved collar wise in the last 12 ish years? They stay on well though and other than an occasional midnight marauding causing hell with bulling markers it’s usually spot on. Ours are westfalia/GEA same as the parlour.
- Location
- cornwall
We use the smaxtec boluses, pretty pleased with them as they measure the temperature as well, good for mastitis detection etc, especially useful at calving time as there is a small temperature drop 24hrs before calving.
the activity measuring part of them is pretty accurate too, I’d say around 90 or 95% right
the activity measuring part of them is pretty accurate too, I’d say around 90 or 95% right
- Location
- Buxton Derbyshire
I use Track a cow from Dairy Mac which is the same as Genus Breeder tag for my heifers. I really rate the system. Listened to a presentation by WWS about cow manager tag and it's a lot more than just a heat detection system but as it's a subscription model it could end up costing quite a lot depending on what modules you have activated.
The subscription model makes it unaffordable for me. Last two Heatime systems we bought outright, financed and warranted for five years at an acceptable cost.
Sense time here great couldn’t fault it ,
Haven’t had a single issue with it to date touch wood ,
Haven’t had a single issue with it to date touch wood ,
So what did you go for in the end?
Looking at pedometer system here, either Genus or ICE robitics
Pleased?
Only installed it Yesterday so to early to say much. The installation was straight forward and the guys doing it did a good job. Collars are easy to fit and look well made. Will take about 10 days to calibrate itself then I should be able to tell how well it is working.
Ideal hope it works out well
What length warranty did you go for? Did you have to upgrade your pc? It's a fair spec requirement they need, bit annoying after buying 2 computers last year that are no good. I've just ordered 300 collars, my existing SH ones are dropping like flies at the minute.
I think it is a 7 year warranty. I got a new PC the one I had runs crystal and wasn't high enough spec, got a KVM switch so I can use the same screen, keyboard and mouse. Got the PC built by a local firm to the Afi Spec was about £750 + £20 for the switch. Working well so far. Doing a good job of picking up heats and picked up a couple of sick cows before they where showing clinical signs. Still learning how to use it so I am sure it can do more than I am using it for at the moment.
Will Blackburn
Member
- Location
- Cheshire
3 or 5 warranty years when I spoke to them, I think it's a good system to go for
2 years on and I am wondering how you are getting on with the SmaXtec bolus
It seems to try and do a lot
Particularly curious to calving alerts and most importantly due breeding notifications
Thanks
Regards Hugh
- Location
- cornwall
Still using them. They’ve added rumination now, which makes heat detection even more accurate as there is a massive drop in rumination for a bulling cow.
Calving detection is 98% accurate. There’s always a couple of cows who just don’t seem to have a temperature drop before calving
98% calving accuracy is impressive (I would consider this a useful bonus, but I would be mainly considering them for heat detection)
how accurate is the heat detection for you even without rumination
If you don't mind, I am also wondering
Are your cows always in range of the station (or can they be out of range when grazing)
And have you tried them on heifers?
Thanks
Regards Hugh
- Location
- cornwall
Haven’t tried them on heifers yet as always run bulls with heifers, but will definitely change if we decide to ai heifers.
I rely totally on boluses for heat detection, plus what ever I see as I let them in from the field that morning, which usually tallies with the bolus.
there is a 500 metre range, so about half our grazing ground is within range. Otherwise, it only takes about 5 to 10 minutes after the last cow has come in for it to be completely updated and all notifications to be sent to my phone, so easily before you let the first row out