During the course of the trial at SAC the accuracy rate was 86% confirmed by progesterone sampling, between 10% and 20% higher than previous devices that the researchers have investigated.

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Early pioneer with Silent Herdsman, Sam Dickinson from Preston, Lancashire has been using it on his 230-cow Holstein herd for the past four months.  

"I'm picking up cows on heat from the system," he says.  "I check for changes before I start milking or when I'm passing through the office and I then cross check these with the InterHerd reports.

"I'm sure we're starting to catch more heats and serve cows on time.  It's picking up the quiet cows that weren't showing obvious signs of heat, which is great news for us as it's these silent heats that were proving a challenge.

"And this isn't the only benefit.  If Silent Herdsman picks up heats early and cows can be served at the best time the number of services - and semen costs - should drop and annual milk production should increase."

Sam Dickinson recognises signs that show cows have come into heat