Spring calving is an exciting, but often chaotic, time on farm. With cows springing up, milk starting to flow and pastures bouncing back, there is a lot to juggle. And if you are using wearable technology, you have probably noticed the health alerts start coming in thick and fast.
The alert avalanche: a blessing or burden?
Wearables provide valuable insights into such as changes in rumination, eating time, temperature, and activity, but when dozens of alerts pop up daily during spring, it can feel like drowning in data. The trick is not to ignore them, but to systematically manage them so that you get the value without being overwhelmed.
So, how do you make alerts useful rather than stressful?
Set clear priorities and start the day with a quick health check. Before bringing the cows in each morning, take a few minutes to review your wearable system for any Distress Alerts or cows flagged as seriously unwell. Identify which mob they are in, and note their tag numbers. In spring, severely sick cows are often either calving, down, suffering from a uterine prolapse, or battling severe mastitis. You will usually find them lying down in the paddock. Do a quick assessment, bag them if necessary, call the vet immediately if there is a prolapse, and check calving cows to see if they need help right away or can wait until after milking.
Acting on these cases before milking, rather than afterwards, can make all the difference to the outcomes.
Cows showing standard health alerts do not typically require immediate intervention. A good approach is to draft them after milking for a check-up. Common post-calving issues include mastitis, twin complications, lameness, uterine infections (endometritis), twisted stomachs, and ketosis.
Every cow listed on your health report is there for a reason and should be assessed to determine next steps. Your veterinarian can help by creating a custom decision tree for your farm to guide staff through assessments. Cows that stay on the alert list or show worsening signs should be seen by a veterinarian without delay.
Need help building a health alert response system for your team?
Ask your veterinarian for support in creating a customised protocol/flow chart for your farm.
Review the bigger picture
Rather than reacting to each alert individually, take a step back. Look for patterns. Are alerts concentrated around a certain stage of lactation? Do they mainly occur in the heifers? Could diet or group changes be a factor? Combine data with visual checks. Technology is a flag, not a diagnosis.
Train and empower staff
Give staff the confidence to make first-line decisions using the flow chart. Clear boundaries help avoid alert fatigue and ensure quick action where it is needed.
Keep notes, record events to unlock valuable insights
Spring is packed with critical health events, so log what was done in response to each alert. This helps with follow-ups, vet visits, and refining the alert system for next season.
With or without wearable technology, it is important to log cases such as:
- Down cows and metabolic issues
- Retained foetal membranes and endometritis
- Mastitis
- Calving difficulties.
This will provide you with valuable insights, not just for reviewing how the season went, but for making real-time decisions that impact:
- Mating readiness
- Recovery strategies for at-risk cows
- Optimising milk production
- Learning and improving for next season.
Even a simple spreadsheet, whiteboard, or shared app can reveal patterns, such as which mobs are most affected, how fast cows recover, or whether a change in nutrition is making a difference.
In short: Good records are good management. Do not let crucial events disappear into memory — write them down, review them weekly, and use that data to guide smarter decisions.