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Description and evaluation of a telemetry system for measuring body temperature in cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

D. J. S. Hetzel ,
I. L. Bennett ,
C. R. Holmes ,
R. O. Encarnacao  and
M. J. MacKinnon
D. J. S. Hetzel
Affiliation:
CSIRO, Division of Tropical Animal Science, Tropical Cattle Research Centre, Box 5545, Rockhampton Mail Centre, Queensland 4702, Australia
I. L. Bennett
Affiliation:
CSIRO, Division of Tropical Animal Science, Tropical Cattle Research Centre, Box 5545, Rockhampton Mail Centre, Queensland 4702, Australia
C. R. Holmes
Affiliation:
CSIRO, Division of Tropical Animal Science, Tropical Cattle Research Centre, Box 5545, Rockhampton Mail Centre, Queensland 4702, Australia
R. O. Encarnacao
Affiliation:
CSIRO, Division of Tropical Animal Science, Tropical Cattle Research Centre, Box 5545, Rockhampton Mail Centre, Queensland 4702, Australia
M. J. MacKinnon
Affiliation:
CSIRO, Division of Tropical Animal Science, Tropical Cattle Research Centre, Box 5545, Rockhampton Mail Centre, Queensland 4702, Australia
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Summary

A telemetry system based on calibrated radio transmitters implanted in the right sublumbar fossa of cattle is described. It was evaluated in different situations. Rectal temperature was used as a standard measure of body temperature. Implant temperatures were on average 0·2 °C higher than rectal temperatures. The magnitude of changes in the two temperatures in response to environmental stimuli were very similar but the implants changed faster in response to heat stress, feeding and exercise. When cattle were confined in unshaded yards the repeatability (within-animal correlation) of implant temperatures measured at different times of the day was 0·41 ± 0·05, compared with 0·30 ± 0·05 for rectal temperatures. It was concluded that there was less extraneous variation associated with telemetric measurement.

The telemetry system proved effective for monitoring the body temperature of grazing cattle within a range of 300 m. The repeatabilities of individual daily maximum and minimum temperatures were 0·43 ± 0·12 and 0·43 ± 0·11 respectively. Observations confirmed that cattle in part regulate their body temperatures by behaviours such as shading, grazing and exposure to wind. Thus body temperature whilst grazing was alone not a good index of physiological heat tolerance.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 110 , Issue 2 , April 1988 , pp. 233 - 238
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

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