An option to automatically
record suckling bouts and duration in calves under extensive conditions is of interest
for scientific purposes and possibly also for agricultural practice. During a
pilot study in a suckler herd, 16 continuous direct observations of two of 21
different cow-calf pairs yielded 39 suckling bouts. In parallel, the tilt of
the calf-head was recorded using a tri-axial accelerometer in 1 sec-logging
intervals. Loggers were fitted to a halter in the region of the calf’s cheek.
Data from 26 bouts/19 calves were analysed using an Excel macro. Automatic
recording of suckling bouts and minutes with suckling in comparison to direct
observation, led to good specificity and accuracy, however sensitivity was
insufficient. Suckling duration of true-positive bouts was very reliably
recorded (r=0.9). An additional recording of lying (yes/no) and the use of machine
learning for data recognition may improve results further.