Monitoring Body Temperature - Nebraska Beef Cattle Report
Project Overview
Cattle must endure extremely high temperatures brought on by a combination of weather and high-energy diets. Cattle comfort is measured using core body temperature as an indicator. Core body temperature averages between 99.5 and 104.0 degrees Fahrenheit in healthy adult livestock.
Included in the 2009 Beef Cattle Report released by the Agricultural Research Division of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is an article titled “Effects of Environmental Factors on Body Temperature of Feedlot Cattle.” Written by Rodrigo A. Arias and Terry L. Mader, this study was conducted to monitor the tympanic temperature of 32 Angus steers using NexSens micro-T temperature loggers. The data was then assessed in relation to different environmental parameters.
System Description
On July 5, 2007, a one-week study was conducted to determine the relationship between tympanic temperature and the environment at the Haskell Agricultural Laboratory in Concord, Neb. A diet of dry-rolled corn was fed to 112 mostly Angus steers. Environmental data was collected every hour from a weather station located on-site, while the tympanic temperature of a select number of steers was recorded using the micro-T loggers.
In addition to core body temperature, the amount of the dry matter intake and daily water consumption was monitored. The environmental parameters measured included air temperature, soil temperature, soil surface temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and solar radiation.
The results of this study show that the average minimum tympanic temperature, 100.97 degrees Fahrenheit, was recorded between 6 and 7 a.m. The tympanic temperature rapidly increased throughout the day, maxing out at 104.68 degrees Fahrenheit, between 5 and 6 p.m. It was also determined that the core body temperature is primarily dependent on wind speed and solar radiation.
Further information, including the complete study, may be found here:2009 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report
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