Source: K-State News
Researchers at Kansas State University are developing a Bovine Rate of Consumption Index (BROCI) to assess pain and thermal stress in cattle based on their eating behavior. Led by Hans Coetzee and Eduarda Bortoluzzi, the project is part of a $17.6 million USDA-NIFA investment, with $4.8 million allocated to animal welfare research.
The study uses precision feed intake measuring technology to validate BROCI as a tool for on-farm welfare assessment. Researchers have already noted that high temperatures reduce feed intake, weight gain, fertility, and milk yield while increasing lameness. The project, in collaboration with Irvine Ranch, will focus on three objectives: optimizing BROCI for pain assessment after castration, comparing surgical and non-surgical pain management methods, and evaluating BROCI’s ability to measure heat stress impacts on beef calves. The research aims to develop noninvasive, automated methods for improving livestock welfare and sustainability.