The smaXtec® System
The unique, award-winning system measures key parameters at the safest and most accurate point in the body.
Inner body temperature and movement activity are monitored directly in the reticulum. smaXtec guarantees top quality real-time data.
The certified measurement device in the form of a bolus offers highest levels of safety. The measurement position inside the cow means there is no risk of loss of the device or injury to your animal. Both the sensor and the data are tamper-proof and all information can be clearly assigned to a specific animal.
It’s easy and convenient to use. Once the bolus has been administered there’s no more animal-side work to do. No adjustments to be made due to changes in weight, no checks to make sure the sensor is in place. The smaXtec system doesn’t need you to do any of that. You simply receive valuable, high quality data direct from the inside – with no additional workload or expense: all you need is a smartphone or PC and a functioning electrical outlet. smaXtec delivers valuable information that helps you to understand your cows even better.
Early detection means working preventatively. Using early detection means you’re informed about processes that are not visible to you from the outside. So you can take action early on – and the sooner you identify the problem, the more you can limit any impact it may have on the cow.
Early detection enables you to take preventative action.
This has a positive impact on your cows, your day-to-day workload and your farm.
But what does early detection mean exactly?
Inner body temperature changes as soon as the immune system reacts to germs and stress. Thanks to smaXtec, you no longer need to wait until initial clinical symptoms become visible. Early detection enables you to spot first signs of changes inside the cow’s body. smaXtec continuously measures inner body temperature as well as other parameters – so you can take appropriate action at an early stage, care for your cows in an optimal way and safeguard their milk production.
smaXtec detects
disease
Treatment with
weaker medication
thanks to early detection
Recovery process
Cow is completely healthy
again. Milk quality: 100%
up to 4 days before
clinical symptoms
are visible
Infection
Disease develops,
clinical symptoms
not visible yet
Climax of the disease
Farmer or vet
starts treatment
Recovery process
(Legal) waiting period
in case of strong
medication
Cow is healthy
and milk can
be sold again
Animal health is decisive for productivity and the efficient operation of a dairy farm. Only healthy and productive cows can give the best possible results. The sooner you identify a health problem, the faster you can take action and thus reduce development of serious disorders on your farm.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EARLY DETECTION?
You reduce disease outbreaks and prevent the development of serious disorders. This also enables you to minimize the use of strong medication and to considerably reduce length of treament. Cases that are detected early on may only require anti-inflammatory medication, or later on – unless it’s already too late – an antibiotic.
HEALTHY COWS SAFEGUARD OPERATING RESULTS
Using preventative health monitoring enables you to reduce the illness-related costs that have such a negative impact on profitability. From medication and additional work to milk loss due to legal waiting times through to shortened lifespan of your cows – the earlier you intervene, the sooner you can avoid production losses and ensure positive operating results for your farm.
CONTINUOUS TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
Inner body temperature is a highly reliable parameter for monitoring animal health. Why? As soon as the immune system reacts to germs or stress, inner body temperature changes. First indications are therefore visible long before the onset of the disease and you can take the necessary corrective action.
Inner body temperature measurement provides another advantage: it provides you with information about the type of illness. An increase in inner body temperature is often an indication of the presence of infections and inflammation whereas a drop in inner body temperature is an indicatior of metabolic diseases.
So thanks to smaXtec you know immediately what to check your animals for.
The reproductive status of a dairy herd is one of the main factors affecting farm profitability and closely correlates to animal health. Continuous monitoring has a positive effect on reproductive performance.
Because the healthier your cows, the more fertile and productive the herd.
INSEMINATION AT THE OPTIMUM TIME
Precise heat detection enables efficient insemination scheduling. It enables you to improve reproduction performance on your farm – insemination and conception rates go up, calving intervals are shorter. You’ll also see a reduction in workload and reproduction costs.
EVERY CALVING UNDER CONTROL
Using smaXtec means you can keep a close eye on your cows in the critical period around calving. You receive a notification about 15 to 20 hours before calving.1 This means you can put all the necessary preparations in place and if necessary are ready to intervene to provide support for the cow and calf during the birth. Particularly useful: if cows calve earlier than expected, your smaXtec system will detect it as it continuously monitors your animals.
OPTIMIZED HERD FERTILITY
Using the well-structured dashboards enables rapid identification of animals with fertility problems. This means you can intervene at an early stage and treat the animals accordingly. Here again, you save
Don’t miss heats anymore – thanks to the precise, reliable and automatic heat detection. This way, you know exactly when to inseminate a cow and improve the reproductive success on your farm.
Nowadays, dairy cows show shorter and weaker signs of heat, which additionally often takes place at night. Therefore, the risk of missing a heat is high, as the effort for observation is large and there are so many other things to do on the farm. Often, there is not enough staff to invest sufficient time in oestrus monitoring.
However, every missed heat is a cost factor. According to studies, the cost for missed heats is at 80 to 120 Euro.
smaXtec supports you in a way that this doesn’t happen to you: The smaXtec system detects heat for you and provides you with additional information on the ideal insemination time.
With smaXtec you do not need to set an alarm at night to check if the cow is giving birth. You are informed upfront. This way, you take necessary preparations and support the cow if necessary.
With smaXtec you do not only monitor your cows’ health in the critical phase around birth, you are also informed before calving takes place. How it works? The change in body temperature is commonly and scientifically accepted as an indicator of imminent calving. Temperature decreases considerably when the calving process starts.
Based on this scientific finding, smaXtec detects calving early. You receive notifications 15 hours before calving on average, and have a good overview of your animals.
Shorter
calving intervals
No need for
hormone programmes
Improved
pregnancy rates
Less time required for
heat monitoring and tracking
Reduced insemination cost
and ongoing productivity
Identification of
cows with fertility issues
Feed costs represent up to 70 % of operating costs. That makes it even more important that this essential area is managed in an optimal way as appropriate feeding is critical to your cow’s performance.
The rumen pH value is highly sensitive and immediately reflects feed management issues. Continuous measurement of pH values means feeding problems can be quickly identified and improvement potential in terms of rations and feed management are made visible.
Using smaXtec you know at all times whether feeding correlates to nutritional requirements in the current lactation phase so you can help the cow to perform at an optimum level without any negative impact on animal health.
EARLY DETECTION OF RUMEN DISORDERS
Subacute rumen acidosis is difficult to detect externally. But it has serious consequences: cows suffering from rumen acidosis remain less productive after recovery than animals that have never suffered from it. This is aggravated by the fact that rumen acidosis is also accompanied by secondary diseases.
Early detection enables a rapid response and helps you avoid secondary diseases and subsequent health problems.
KEEP AN EYE ON DRINKING BEHAVIOUR
Feed uptake and drinking behaviour are strongly correlated. If the cow doesn’t drink, feed uptake also decreases. Using smaXtec, water uptake frequency is continuously monitored. You are informed about any abrupt changes and can investigate the cause. Irregularities can be caused, for example, by diseases, problems with the water supply or social issues in the herd.
Find a visualization of how pH values change throughout the day in this graphic. After feed intake, pH value decreases. If a cow doesn’t eat for a longer time, it increases again. These fluctuations are completely normal. The more regular feed intake is, the lower the fluctuations – which is good for the rumen flora and feeding efficiency. Needs-oriented feeding with an appropriate amount of concentrates ensures that pH values don’t drop too low. This way, you avoid subacute rumen acidosis in your herd.
Feeding cost account for up to 70% of cost on a dairy farm, making it even more important to optimise this area. At the same time, rumen health of cows should always be safeguarded. Continuous pH measurement supports you as follows:
You detect diseases caused by feeding at an early stage. Continuous pH measurement is the most reliable method to detect subacute rumen acidosis. You will improve herd health and avoid secondary diseases and problems thanks to early detection.
Only a healthy herd with needs-oriented rations can produce high milk yields. pH measurement shows you if rations are needs-oriented.
In case of changes of feeding, you will see instantly how the new ration affects rumen pH and can react immediately.
You identify mistakes in feeding management and can take corrective action, e.g. related to feed provision, frequency or ration.
You can identify unused potentials and use them to increase milk production.
Based on the data, you will increase feeding efficiency of your cows, reduce cost while increasing productivity, resulting in better outcomes.