Poor heat detection leads to extended intervals between calvings, increasing metabolic stress and welfare problems; improved detection through technology and observation protects reproductive welfare.
Reproductive performance in dairy cows is a welfare indicator as well as a productivity measure. Cows that fail to conceive promptly after calving remain in prolonged negative energy balance, suffering the metabolic and welfare consequences of extended high-demand lactation without the physiological recovery that pregnancy initiation provides. Improved heat detection through activity monitoring or intensive observation reduces the proportion of cows cycling undetected, shortening calving intervals and the associated welfare burden.