SCR collars - in calf and in heat

[box]

I've got a one year old SCR system (marketed & sold by Allflex here in NZ), currently fitted to 200 cows on a pasture based system.

It seems to detect cows on heat reasonably well (although not as well as tail paint, but that's just my opinion). My main problem is that about 10-15% of the presented cows are either not actually on heat, or already in calf from a previous insemination.

The herd is about to grow to 300, so I'll shortly be pulling the trigger on another 100 collars.....or maybe I'll go with the ear tags. I'm thinking I might have to tail paint before AI starts so I've got a secondary confirmation that shes actually bulling and not the collars bullshitting. I'd hate to be AIing in calf cows.

-Any experience with the ear tags? Half the up front cost but half the lifespan.

-What are your thoughts and opinions on this particular system and the way it operates? I know they've been through a few different iterations over the years but you lot in the UK seem to have had them for over a decade now in some form or another.

-Did anyone ever have any luck splitting the units and replacing the batteries? There was talk of it but it doesn't look like anyone ever actually successfully did it.

-Do you just trust the system to tell you the cow is "in heat" or do you check the rumination & activity to come up with your own conclusion before AIing the cow?

For reference, this is the system I'm talking about

SenseHub Portal - Allflex Livestock Intelligence Global

New SenseHub® monitoring:Find freedom and flexibility through a deeper connection to your livestock SenseHub’s state-of-the-art capabilities monitors the status of […]

www.scrdairy.com

 

[Scholsey]

Don’t think you can have some collars some tags, thought it was all one or the other. Got collars here and think they are fantastic, had 23/26 at a pd session the other day and the 3 that weren’t had all had mastitis that was also picked up by the collars (rumination drop) before the robots had noticed.

 

[coomoo]

Finally managed to put 120 on my cows 6 months ago and think there fantastic. Got collars here not tags know someone with 1000 cows who puts the tags in maiden heifers and been impressed with them.

 

[vantage]

The collars indicates raised activity. The cow can be bulling with no raised activity if she just stands there to be ridden. If you have rumination monitors on your collar. ( I don’t,) then a most cows show a spike in activity and sharp drop in rumination when bulling. To get the highest submission rates go tail paint as well to catch the lazy bullers . Also useful if your cows break out and the system says you have 200 bulling,

 

[coomoo]

SenseHub on iPhone. As said purple rumination goes down, yellow activity goes up and green heat makes a triangle. Will admit have sense + heat makes the system.

 

[Grassman247]

It seems to detect cows on heat reasonably well (although not as well as tail paint, but that's just my opinion). My main problem is that about 10-15% of the presented cows are either not actually on heat, or already in calf

SenseHub Portal - Allflex Livestock Intelligence Global

New SenseHub® monitoring:Find freedom and flexibility through a deeper connection to your livestock SenseHub’s state-of-the-art capabilities monitors the status of […]

www.scrdairy.com

Chuck them in the bin. Your driving your fertility down by presenting those incalf cows again for insemination.

Why do people fit these systems? Everyone knows fertility is the key driver to profitability yet we fit these systems and let a third party take control of the breeding. It’s like allowing feed reps to do the cows diet.

There’s only one way to get good fertility and that’s to spend time and man hours doing it. If you don’t want to do it all year round go block calving.

 

[Scholsey]

Chuck them in the bin. Your driving your fertility down by presenting those incalf cows again for insemination.

Why do people fit these systems? Everyone knows fertility is the key driver to profitability yet we fit these systems and let a third party take control of the breeding. It’s like allowing feed reps to do the cows diet.

There’s only one way to get good fertility and that’s to spend time and man hours doing it. If you don’t want to do it all year round go block calving.

I guess could just go back to milking by hand into a bucket aswell?

 

[Grassman247]

I guess could just go back to milking by hand into a bucket aswell?

That’s not the same comparison. It’s like saying milk by robots or use a basic swingover. We all know who spends more time fixing things instead of farming.

 

[Scholsey]

That’s not the same comparison. It’s like saying milk by robots or use a basic swingover. We all know who spends more time fixing things instead of farming.

Just dont understand the problem some people have with someone using robots/activity monitors etc, getting up at 5am every morning and the fumes from tail paint must give some people a chip on their shoulder.

 

[Grassman247]

Just dont understand the problem some people have with someone using robots/activity monitors etc, getting up at 5am every morning and the fumes from tail paint must give some people a chip on their shoulder.

I don’t have a chip on my shoulder about tech. It bothers me that this tech isn’t made to last and then those who invest in it moan that they can’t make any money when the milk price drops which we all know it does at least every 5 years.

If this tech was well proven and reliable these companies would publish proper fertility results. Not one single company on there website publishes any results.

 

[Scholsey]

I don’t have a chip on my shoulder about tech. It bothers me that this tech isn’t made to last and then those who invest in it moan that they can’t make any money when the milk price drops which we all know it does at least every 5 years.

If this tech was well proven and reliable these companies would publish proper fertility results. Not one single company on there website publishes any results.

cant see how they can, the system isn’t doing the ai’ing or the feeding, knowing when the cow is bulling is just a small part of fertility management.

 

[Bald Rick]

I don’t have a chip on my shoulder about tech. It bothers me that this tech isn’t made to last and then those who invest in it moan that they can’t make any money when the milk price drops which we all know it does at least every 5 years.

If this tech was well proven and reliable these companies would publish proper fertility results. Not one single company on there website publishes any results.

We’re on 1.8 straws per conception exclusively using collars so they work fine

 

[Spudley]

We trialled collars last year. After a month we had to take them off, we had less than 20% conception, cows that were flagged up and served were actually properly bulling 3 or 4 days later. Thank goodness they were only on hire and we hadn't actually bought them.

 

[Bald Rick]

We trialled collars last year. After a month we had to take them off, we had less than 20% conception, cows that were flagged up and served were actually properly bulling 3 or 4 days later. Thank goodness they were only on hire and we hadn't actually bought them.

You’ve got to give the collars at least a month to start working properly as they need to sort themselves out.
Hence we collar heifers at 11 months so the collars are detecting proper heats by the time the animal is 13 months old

 

[Scholsey]

We trialled collars last year. After a month we had to take them off, we had less than 20% conception, cows that were flagged up and served were actually properly bulling 3 or 4 days later. Thank goodness they were only on hire and we hadn't actually bought them.

What system was that, i leased to different system to prove to fullwood theirs wasnt working and it was better than fullwoods but still not brilliant, sensetime wiped the floor with both of those.

 

[coomoo]

Cow alert aswell pile of scrap

 

[Rossymons]

I used to run SCR collars at home when we were milking. After 2 years I gave up and went to paint - heat detection rose by 20% but conception rate doubled. Tried to sell them a year later and couldn't give them away.

There is one company in Dairy Farmer mag promising some ridiclously high figures for their collars. Some collars DO work and they wok very well. But there are a lot of collar systems on the market currently, all promising to be exceptional and the majority just aren't.

 

[vantage]

The first generation SCR collar, which were read when cows passed under a reader on the way into the parlour were OK at best. The SCR LD collar is in a different league, radio contact makes the vast majority of heats unmissable, bar the lazy buller. At the end of the day it’s an aid, like tailpaint, it does need interpretation, that’s where stockmanship comes in. If you’re a large concern with many front line staff then you’ll catch the majority of heats, add tail paint even more. As a smaller concern I cannot be on duty 24/7, even to observe tail paint, but the SCR collar is.

 

[Splitpin]

I’ve the same system @box , haven’t experienced any of the problems you have had. Have a word with who supplied it , they may be able to tweak a few things. I do tho pull mine off at p+ so they are not on pregnant cows very long. I think they are great

 

[Sid]

I know someone who put robots in with no heat detection and has blamed the robots for the poor fertility.
The problem he has is that he now farms from his tractor rather than watching the cows.

It's all swings and roundabouts as every block calving herd I know runs a bull to sweep up the ones they have missed.

Place for tech and a place not to have tech.