Source: smaXtec news release
An optimal water supply is not only essential for health but is an early indicator for milk production. Chris Howarth, smaXtec’s Global Sales Director believes the credo ‘drink plenty of water’ applies as much to dairy cows as it does to humans.
“Water is often the forgotten nutrient in dairy herds,” says Mr. Howarth. “If a cow drinks too little, her feed intake will reduce, and her milk yield will drop. With TruDrinking, farmers can immediately detect any disruption to normal water consumption. This can be an early indicator of emerging health problems or flag a technical problem with the water supply.”
The technology behind TruDrinking records how often and how much water each cow consumes daily. Data is retrieved directly in the cow’s reticulum using a unique bolus and AI-supported applications which measure internal changes to body temperature after each drinking cycle. TruDrinking reliably tracks water intake, which is monitored without any additional effort using smaXtec’s system.
Since drinking behavior is an important indicator of health, TruDrinking provides particularly valuable information around calving. Only when a cow takes in enough water is her appetite stimulated and an optimal feed intake guaranteed. This insight provides invaluable early detection to prevent costly metabolic diseases.
TruDrinking also highlights facility or management challenges such as water supply failures, contamination, stray voltage, or overcrowding. This reduces the amount of time spent checking drinkers, as smaXtec alerts operators in the event of irregularities, helping to reduce labor costs.
“The addition of TruDrinking to the smaXtec system provides even deeper insights into animal health and further supports dairy producers in keeping their herds healthier, their milk yields consistently high and their farms more sustainable and successful,” Mr. Howarth adds.
TruDrinking is integrated into the existing smaXtec system and is immediately available as a new function to all smaXtec customers without further intervention.
About smaXtec
We offer professional dairy farmers the most technologically advanced health system aimed at preventing diseases in dairy cows. As a result, farmers achieve consistent high milk yields, reduce the use of antibiotics many times over and significantly increase animal welfare. Through 24/7 monitoring and optimization of time-consuming daily tasks, the entire work process on dairy operations can be made more efficient. In this way, we make an important contribution to the stability and profitability of dairy farming worldwide.
For more information, please visit us at smaXtec.com
