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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #244733
Title: Free-ranging cow behavior pre and post-weaning

Author
item Anderson, Dean
item Libeau, Roy
item RUS, DANIELA - Massachusetts Institute Of Technology
item DETWEILER, CARRICK - Massachusetts Institute Of Technology
item NOLEN, BARBARA - New Mexico State University

Submitted to: Society for Range Management Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/26/2009
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The optimum husbandry of free-ranging cattle requires not only nutritional knowledge but also an understanding of how to manage and use behavioral information. With the advent of global positioning technology (GPS) it is now possible to monitor animal travel with relative ease over extended periods of time without the observer influencing the observation. Between March and April 2009 five cows in each of two similar large (433 ha) arid rangeland pastures were individually monitored at a 1 Hz rate before as well as following weaning. The ten cows ranged in age between three and fifteen years with six of the cows suckling male calves while the remaining four calves were female. Accelerometer and magnetometer data used to quantify foraging and non-foraging behaviors together with animal travel will be discussed in light of directional virtual fencing (DVF™) hardware and software that was used to obtain the data.