Telemetry System for Measuring Core Body Temperature in Livestock and Poultry Tami M

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Digital Repository @ Iowa State University Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Conference Proceedings and Presentations 7-2001 Telemetry System for Measuring Core Body Temperature in Livestock and Poultry Tami M. Brown-Brandl United States Department of Agriculture Tadayuki Yanagi Jr. Iowa State University Hongwei Xin Iowa State University, [email protected] Richard S. Gates University of Kentucky Ray A. Bucklin University of Florida See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/abe_eng_conf Part of the Agriculture Commons, and the Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons The ompc lete bibliographic information for this item can be found at http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ abe_eng_conf/198. For information on how to cite this item, please visit http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ howtocite.html. This Conference Proceeding is brought to you for free and open access by the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Conference Proceedings and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Authors Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Tadayuki Yanagi Jr., Hongwei Xin, Richard S. Gates, Ray A. Bucklin, and Gary S. Ross This conference proceeding is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/abe_eng_conf/198 This is not a peer-reviewed paper. Paper Number: 01-4032 An ASAE Meeting Presentation Telemetry System for Measuring Core Body Temperature in Livestock and Poultry T.M. Brown-Brandl Agricultural Engineer; USDA-ARS USMARC T. Yanagi Graduate Assistant; Iowa State University H. Xin Associate Professor; Iowa State University R.S. Gates Professor; University of Kentucky R. Bucklin Professor; University of Florida G. Ross Herd Health Veterinarian; USDA-ARS USMARC Written for presentation at the 2001 ASAE Annual International Meeting Sponsored by ASAE Sacramento Convention Center Sacramento, California, USA July 30-August 1, 2001 Abstract. Core body temperature is an important measure of animal thermal stress and thermoregulation. A short- range telemetry system was evaluated in poultry, beef, and dairy cattle. This system provides good temperature accuracy, excellent temperature resolution, and adequate response time. However, this system would need some improvement before it could be implemented into the livestock industry. Keywords. Beef cattle, dairy cattle, poultry, body temperature, telemetry system The authors are solely responsible for the content of this technical presentation. The technical presentation does not necessarily reflect the official position of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE), and its printing and distribution does not constitute an endorsement of views which may be expressed. Technical presentations are not subject to the formal peer review process by ASAE editorial committees; therefore, they are not to be presented as refereed publications. Citation of this work should state that it is from an ASAE meeting paper. EXAMPLE: Author's Last Name, Initials. 2001. Title of Presentation. ASAE Meeting Paper No. xx-xxxx. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASAE. For information about securing permission to reprint or reproduce a technical presentation, please contact ASAE at [email protected] or 616-429-0300 (2950 Niles Road, St. Joseph, MI 49085-9659 USA). 1Introduction Measurement of body temperature is an important parameter when studying livestock stress. The most common method has been to make spot measurements with a mercury rectal thermometer, and more recently with electronic dataloggers, continuous measurements are commonly taken either rectally or tympanically. Rectal probes are easy to insert, and are generally non-invasive. The disadvantage to rectal probes in cattle is that they can only be inserted for a short period of time (5 days) without causing tissue irritation. In poultry, an additional disadvantage is that the birds movement is restricted, and the probe tends to fall out. Tympanic probes can be inserted into the cattle’s ear canal without anesthetizing the animal by using a headgate or a squeeze chute. Tympanic probes are secured by either prosthetic foam, which fills the ear canal, or the button method, developed at MARC, which secures the probe by using nylon tie straps and a modified ear tag (Brown-Brandl et al., 1999; Paul et al., 1999). The tympanic probes need to be reinstalled every 7 to 10 days; if the probes are left in longer, there is a potential for ear infection. Tympanic probes can be switched between ears, but the process becomes increasingly stressful for the animal. With these time constraints, an improved method of measuring body temperature continuously for an entire study was needed. Telemetry systems have been used in wildlife, livestock, and medical research for approximately 40 years. Telemetry systems have been used to monitor a variety of measurements including body temperature, blood pressure, movement (of the whole animal or in distinct structures, such as the rumen of cattle, or the jaw), fluid flow, pH, heart rate, respiration rate, and brain activity (Bligh and Heal, 1974; Data Sciences, Intl., 2000). The first telemetry systems had several disadvantages including short transmitter battery life, long-term drift in the temperature sensors (0.2 C in one month; Riley, 1970), and some temperature sensors had the transmitter outside the body and a wire running into the animals body to measure the temperature (Bligh and Heal, 1974; Dorminey and Howes, 1968). Currently, telemetry systems commonly available can be divided into one of two types, one commonly used in the wildlife industry and the other commonly used in the medical research industry. The systems used in the wildlife industry monitor animals over long distances, and are mainly designed to allow for animal tracking, however temperature sensors and heart rate monitors are available. Temperature sensors have an accuracy of 0.1 C, have some known drift associated with their use, and have a non-linear response within the calibration range. The biomedical systems were designed to be used in laboratory environments, therefore have weak signal strength, which travels less than 2 meters, and are very expensive, making them unsuitable (in their current form) for the livestock industry. However, medical industry has a more extensive list of sensors available and while temperature sensors are not more accurate, they are more precise (0.01 C instead of 0.1 C), which allows researchers to study the micro-dynamics of the response. These temperature sensors have little drift associated with them and have a linear response. One critical detail that needs to be addressed is FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval for use in food animals. Neither system was designed for nor is ideal for monitoring physiological parameters in livestock/poultry research or industry, and few companies are currently addressing the livestock industry needs. However, telemetry systems are continuing to improve, making them a viable alternative that needs to be reevaluated. 1 Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable. 2 Objectives The objectives of this report are to present an overview of core body temperature measurement using a new telemetry system (HTI Technologies, 9th Street Drive West Palmetto, FL 34221) in poultry, beef cattle and dairy cattle, including installing transmitters, recording data, comparison of data with rectal temperature data, and to overcome difficulties. Materials and Methods The telemetry system manufactured by HTI Technologies (Palmetto, FL) was selected based on resolution of temperature transmitters, overall accuracy of the system, and flexibility of taking measurements both on free roaming cattle and on caged poultry. Transmitters were specified based on battery life, size of transmitters, and calibration drift potential. Descriptions of Data Logging Systems A CorTempTM miniaturized ambulatory logger was used in the trials with the feedlot steers and dairy cattle. These loggers are small (12 x 6 x 2.5 cm), lightweight (193 g), and record data from only one 262kHz transmitter at a time (Figure 1). A nine-volt battery powers the logger; lithium batteries can be used to extend the data recording period. Battery life is dependent on the sampling frequency; the power usage is 5 mA in the standby mode and 20mA when the logger is taking a reading. At one-minute sampling intervals, a lithium battery will last approximately 10 days. Because the transmitter transmits only a short distance and the logger needs to be setup for each individual transmitter, each animal is required to either be in close proximity to the logger (for example in a tie stall) or have the logger physically secured on the animal (e.g. in a pouch on a harness). This logger can store up to 25,000 data points. Figure 1. CorTempTM telemetric receiver and logger A prototype four-channel wireless temperature monitoring system was used for the poultry studies. The system can be directly interfaced with a computer via a RS-232 port.

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