National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) has developed a method to easily and accurately determine body condition score (BCS), using two-dimensional images taken from the rear of dairy cattle (Holstein breed). BCS is an important indicator for nutritional management of dairy cattle. BCS was previously determined by experts by visual inspection and palpation. This research result enables the determination of BCS with high accuracy from images taken with mobile devices such as smartphones. This will lead to efficient & appropriate nutritional management and improved breeding. Hence it is expected to improve longevity and rebreeding ability.
Overview
For the nutritional management of dairy cattle, it is crucial to know whether they are lean or fat. It is known that being too thin or overweight increases the risk of disease and has a negative impact on their reproduction. During the non-lactating period and the perinatal period, careful observation and management are required to prevent excessive changes in body shape. Body condition score (BCS) is known as an important indicator for the nutritional management which determines the extent of subcutaneous fat accumulation in dairy cattle by visual inspection and palpation.
However, with conventional methods, it is necessary to visually and palpate multiple parts of the dairy cattle, so accurate knowledge and extensive experience are required for accurate determination. In recent years, the number of households raising dairy cattle has been on a decreasing trend. On the other hand, there are many producers who raise more than 100 cattle per household, and it is very difficult to closely monitor each one of them. An overseas BCS automatic determination device using a 3D camera is commercially available. However, it is difficult to introduce it into the stall barns that are mainstream in Japan. Hence there was a need to develop technology that could easily and accurately determine BCS even in stall barn.
Therefore, the consortium in the agricultural machinery technology cluster project formed by NARO has developed a method to determine BCS by quantifying the shape of the hook bone around the waist based on a two-dimensional image taken from the rear of a dairy cow (Holstein breed). This method is not influenced by knowledge, years of experience, or environment, and can easily and accurately determine BCS even from images taken with mobile devices such as smartphones. The development of a BCS determination application and its application to an unmanned BCS determination device is expected to lead to efficient & appropriate nutritional management and also enhance breeding, leading to improved longevity and rebreeding ability.
