Allflex Livestock Intelligence has launched an updated version of its intelligent SenseHub monitoring ear tag which not only boasts improved battery life but also features a multi-function LED to make it easier to find individual animals in a group environment.
The new monitoring ear tag constantly monitors subtle fertility and rumination behavioural patterns in dairy and beef cattle of all ages to provide an accurate assessment of when animals are in heat or in need of additional attention or treatment.
The addition of a bright flashing LED makes it easier for herd managers and their staff to spot which animal(s) the SenseHub system has highlighted as being in need of attention either for heat, health or routine examination purposes, while an improved battery extends the outgoing tag’s three year lifespan to up to five years.
“The new monitoring ear tags have been developed as a result of feedback from existing SenseHub users who told us they wanted a system which would make it easier to spot individual animals when housed in a group environment,” explains Paul Mitcham, Allflex’s monitoring sales manager for the UK. “The new tags not only make it easier and less time-consuming to find individual animals, but can also be configured to the user’s preferred settings. For example, the LED can be programmed to flash quickly (every 0.6 seconds) or slowly (every 1.6 seconds) to differentiate between animals in heat and those which have been highlighted as requiring additional medical attention or treatment.”
To further enhance their functionality and ease of use, and to extend battery life, the new tags can also be configured to only flash at certain times of the day. For example, the LED can be set to be on during the day and off at night, and to flash for a set duration ranging from 10 minutes to 10 hours.
The small (70mm x 38mm x 17mm) and lightweight (24.5gr) tags are fully waterproof (IP68 rated) and are ideally suited for placement in the ears of cattle of all ages. They are also easy to remove and can be re-fitted to another animal, and are compatible with all existing SenseHub Dairy, SenseHub Beef, Heatime Pro+ and DataFlow II monitoring systems. They are also covered by a full 4-year warranty.
