Rumination Time, Reticulorumen Temperature, and Activity in Relation to Postpartum Health Status in Dairy Cows During Heat Stress

Abstract

Effective health management during the transition period depends on early disease detection, which can be achieved through continuous monitoring using precision livestock farming tools. This study assessed reticulorumen temperature, rumination time, and activity in dairy cows during the periparturient period under summer heat stress. We hypothesized differences in these parameters between healthy (HE) cows and those developing postpartum disorders (DI). Forty clinically healthy, multiparous cows were monitored from 5 days prepartum to 14 days after calving (days in milk; DIM). A cow was considered healthy and allocated to the HE group (n = 26) if she was not affected by any postpartum health disorders until the end of the study period. A cow was considered diseased and allocated to the DI group (n = 14) if she had been diagnosed with mastitis, metritis, lameness, or ketosis. Weather loggers recorded barn microclimate data, while rumination, activity, and rumen temperature were tracked using a microphone-based sensor in the neck collar (Ruminact HR) and rumen bolus (Smaxtec). THI values remained above 68 throughout the study, peaking at 80, indicating sustained heat stress. Rumen temperature ranged between 39 and 41 °C and moderately correlated with THI (correlation coefficient was 0.27; 95% CI: 0.20; 0.33; p < 0.0001). Both groups exhibited a nadir in rumen temperature at calving, with no differences. Rumination time declined prepartum, reaching its lowest at 2 DIM in DI cows. It was significantly affected by days around calving, postpartum disorders, and THI. Activity increased prepartum and normalized by 4 DIM in HE cows, while DI cows showed higher activity at 4 DIM, stabilizing by 5-7 DIM. These findings underscore the value of precision monitoring tools for early disease detection and intervention.

Keywords: body temperature; calving; precision livestock farming.

Figure 1

Average daily maximum reticulorumen temperature (RRT; mean ± SE; green line) of all cows and daily maximum temperature–humidity index (THI; red line) around parturition.

Figure 2

Correlation between daily maximal reticulorumen temperature (RRT) and temperature–humidity index (THI). The colored lines represent the relationship for each cow. The dots in different colors represent the RRT values of each cow at the given THI value.

Figure 3

The average daily reticulorumen temperature (RRT; mean ± SE) around parturition.

Figure 4

Average rumination (mean ± SE) time in healthy and diseased cows during the study period. Asterisks indicate the days where a significant difference (p < 0.05) exists between groups. These periods are also marked with a gray background.

Figure 5

Average rumination time (mean ± SE) in healthy and sick cows in the close peripartum period. Asterisks indicate the differences between the groups; the letters represent the differences between the days within each group. If none of the letters match between the labels of two days, the difference between their averages is significant.

Figure 6

Average daily activity (mean ± SE) in the study period. The asterisk indicates a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the two groups.