PhD spies on how cows, goats and sheep eat
Highly sensitive cabling once used to bug rooms has been modified to spy on the eating habits of sheep, cows and goats instead.
For his PhD with the School of Veterinary Science and Animal Production at University of Queensland Gatton College, Suhubdy has developed a special device and non-invasive technique to monitor ruminant chewing and swallowing activity.
Dubbed the "Suhubdy Collar", it is connected to a computer providing a print-out of physiological functions inside the animal. Analysis of the print-out then provides a wide range of information including chewing, swallowing activity, meal numbers, meal sizes and rate of ingestion.
The ability to evaluate animal feeding is one of the biggest dilemmas currently facing animal production, according to Suhubdy's thesis supervisor, Professor Bruce Young.
Information about chewing and swallowing as well as feed intake was vital in assessing the ultimate productivity of the animal, he said.
"It also provides valuable insights into the amount and quality of feed and how efficiently an animal processes foodstuffs. For example, if a sensor showed an animal was taking a relatively long time to chew and swallow, this could indicate that available feed may be of a poor standard. Left undetected, the animal may not grow and end up being less productive," Professor Young said.
The Sububdy Collar was a cheaper and more efficient alternative to current methods for assessing ruminant chewing and swallowing, Suhubdy said. It also had potential for measuring feed intake in the pasture.
These involved either surgical techniques into the neck of the animal (oesophageal fistula) enabling food to be "caught" as it was consumed or collecting faeces containing chemical markers, he said.
Suhubdy, a lecturer from the University of Mataram in Indonesia, said trials were continuing on the collar and he and Professor Young hoped to have the equipment patented and commercially available shortly.
For more information, contact Suhubdy (telephone 07 54601180 or 07 54601251 or email suh@warigal.uqg.uq.oz.au) or Professor Young (telephone 07 54601252).
