What is the Possible Birth Alert
The possible calving alert warns you, up to 2 days before, that a cow is about to calv. This way you can organize yourself and be aware at the moment that matters most.
It is designed for extensive livestock farming: cows that move freely next to their flock. It is in this scenario that the behavior prior to calving can be detected more reliably.
How it works
The alert combines two sources of information: the data sent by each cow's collar and the pregnancy date you record in its file. With the date, the system knows when calving is approaching. With the data from the collar, it detects the changes in behavior that announce it.
To interpret these changes, the algorithm compares each cow with two references:
- Its own history. Each cow has its own way of moving, and the alert learns what is normal for her.
- Your flock. The system compares your activity with that of the rest of the group, so it adapts to each herd and each flock.
Thanks to these references, the alert is able to:
- Notify up to 2 days before delivery.
- Recognize when a cow leaves the flock to calve.
- Watch day and night, wherever you are.
- Warn only once per animal, without repeating alerts.
That's why the accuracy of the alert depends largely on you: the more accurate the data on the file and the more stable the cow's environment, the better it can anticipate calving.
How to get the most out of it
- Record the pregnancies in the animal's file. This is the most important step: without this information, the system does not know when the estimated date of delivery is approaching.
- Update the pregnancy date when you have better data. You can edit the pregnancy event at any time. If an ultrasound, palpation, or veterinary checkup gives you a more accurate date, change it in the app. The more accurate it is, the more fine-tuned the alert will be.
- Check that the collar is working and has coverage. The device must be active and not have the status "To check" or "To return". Also check that the area has good coverage, so that the collar sends data constantly during the end of pregnancy.
- Avoid locking the cow in a pen or small farm before calving. With less space, the cow moves less naturally, and the alert can't interpret that change well. In that scenario, the accuracy drops, and the alert may even not appear.
- Register the birth as soon as it occurs. By recording the birth in the file, the system terminates the monitoring of the pregnancy and stops sending alerts about that cow.