Retention and recovery of different on-animal sensors for monitoring behavior of beef bulls during breeding

Abstract

On-animal sensors (OAS) are utilized to monitor behavioral and physiological characteristics remotely, allowing producers and veterinarians to make inference about the health and reproduc­tive status of livestock. Breeding soundness evaluations (BSEs) performed on bulls prior to the breeding season are useful for identifying preexisting conditions, however, these are not reli­able for identifying breeding impediments (e.g., lameness) that develop during the breeding season which can result in subfer­tility or even infertility. Thus, there is potential for the applica­tion of OAS for the monitoring of beef bulls during breeding, however, relatively little research has been done on this topic. The objective of this study was to characterize retention and functional recovery for different OAS on beef bulls during the breeding season. In addition, we explored potential risk factors associated with retention and functional recovery.