Disruptions to cattle’s daily feeding behaviours can have a dramatic impact on feedlot profitability. Cattle spend a large portion of their day feeding on high-energy foods so they can grow efficiently. When their daily routines are disrupted, for one reason or another, their average daily growth can be impacted.
Feedlot cattle are fed a diet of forages, silages, and grains in order to gain weight in the most optimized way possible. They consume about 3 percent of their body weight per day. For example, the average 600lb steer would consume around 18lbs of feed on a daily basis. It is critical to keep a consistent supply of feed so that they can get the nutrients they need.
Cattle are creatures of habit, so any change in their common feeding behaviour is a clear indicator that there is a problem. For example, a sudden decrease in feeding is often an early sign that the animal has contracted some sort of illness or injury; or a sudden influx of feeding by an entire pen can indicate a problem with feed bunk management.
When cattle contract certain illnesses, their feeding behaviour will change days before any visible symptoms appear. The cattle will spend less time feeding, consume less volumes of feed, and visit the feed bunk less frequently. Many of the common cattle diseases suppress the animal’s appetite. This creates all kinds of costs for the feedlot operator, like lost weight gain, extra medical expenses, and extra feed costs.
When the feeding behaviour of the entire pen changes, this can indicate poor feed bunk management. Cattle become distressed when their daily feed is delivered late, or not enough feed is delivered. As a result, the animals in the pen will charge the feed bunk frantically when the feed truck delivers its feed. Animals in distress that rush the feed bunk are more likely to sustain an injury and create all kinds of problems for the feedlot operator.
Feeding behaviour tracking on the feedlot can reveal many insights into the operation. Doing it manually is simply unrealistic. There can be thousands of animals and hundreds of acres of land to monitor day in and day out. Using a Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) system to track them is the only solution. PLF is the concept of using smart technology to track individual livestock. It uses sensors, software, and data rather than visual observation.
HerdWhistle is a type of PLF system that tracks cattle feeding behaviour 24/7 on the feedlot. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors install along the length of each feed bunk and are able to read the cattle’s RFID ear tag every time they visit the feed bunk. The system extracts all kinds of insights, like early disease detection and potential discrepancies in feed bunk management. It gives feedlot operators a better look into their herd so they can boost performance and ultimately profitability.
