AfiWeigh ™ Automatic Cow Body Weighing System Oded Nir (Markusfeld) Consultant to SAE Afikim Dealers Meeting, Dead Sea, Israel, 2008

2 AfiWeigh™ - Cows Body Weight  Evaluation the energy balance f or backing up decisions such of feeding and breeding policy  Monitoring stress and health  Body weight & body condition score  Reliability

AfiWeigh™ (1) Evaluation the energy balance  In the dry period  From calving to service

4 Loss of body weight in the dry period

5 When over the dry period do cows lose BW? (n=268) cows SJ

6 Diagnosis (risk factors for ketosis) loss of BW compared to loss of BCS in the dry period (odds ratios)

AfiWeigh™ Automatic cow body weighing system May we use BW instead of BCS for evaluation of Energy Balance?

8 Dry matter intake & energy requirements BCS compared to BW Calculations NRC 2001 Lactating cow, 4 th lactation, 46 DIM, 51.2 kg 3.5% FCM/day

AfiWeigh™ Prediction

10 Individual Cow Models (1) Should I inseminate or wait for the next heat?

11 Individual Cow Models (2) AFIfarm AFIfarm Calving & Fertility Data Health Traits Milk solids Body Weight Season

12 Individual Cow Models (3) AFIfarm AFIfarm The Chances of the Cow to get pregnant from the present AI are 35% Compared to 45% from the Next One

AfiWeigh™ AfiWeigh needs constant care

14 At drying off After calving r=1 Credibility of the Data: Correlations (r) of Body Condition Scores & Body Weights (1)

15 At 50 days in milk At drying offBCS r=.306**r=.449**At calving At 50 days in milk At drying offBW r=.846**r=.843**At calving Correlations (r) of BCS & BW (2) 273 cows

Correlations of BW in farms using AfiWeigh 7 countries It can, and should be done!

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