TY - CONF T1 - Training beef cattle to use virtual fence systems T2 - 2nd US Precision Livestock Farming Conference May 2023 Y1 - 2022 A1 - S. Nyamuryekung'e A1 - Andrew Cox A1 - Perea, A. A1 - Richard E. Estell A1 - Andrés F. Cibils A1 - J P Holland A1 - Tony Waterhouse A1 - G. Duff A1 - M. Funk A1 - Skye Aney A1 - Matthew M. McIntosh A1 - S. Spiegal A1 - Brandon T Bestelmeyer A1 - S. A. Utsumi KW - animal wearable collars KW - beef cattle KW - fence boundary KW - training KW - virtual fence systems AB - Virtual fencing (VF) is an alternative method to control livestock dispersal. This method consists of the use of animal wearable collars that employ auditory-electric pulse cues to deter animals from trespassing a virtually determined fence boundary. Despite VF suggesting promising applications for Precision Livestock Farming, there is limited information on best practices to train groups of cattle to VF configurations effectively. Eleven Brangus cows of the New Mexico State University’s Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center were allocated three days to feeding areas (0.19 ha) treated with or without VF exclusions. The process was repeated for two periods (1 vs. 2), lasting six days each. The VF collars communicated real-time animal positions and activity at 15-minute and 30-minute intervals. Treatment effects of study (with vs. without VF-exclusion), period, and its interaction were analyzed via an ANOVA to compare auditory-electric pulses emitted during the deployment. The number of auditory-electric pulses per cow differed (P < 0.001) due to a study by period interaction. Exposure to VF in period 1 triggered a greater (P <0.003) frequency of auditory (3.3 vs. 0.7 ±0.3) and pulses (1.3 vs. 0.1 ±0.1) per cow than in period 2. Activation of VF reduced differently (P =0.05) the time spent on excluded areas in period 1 (7.8 vs. 1.7 ±0.4 h) and period 2 (4.8 vs. 0.0 ±0.4 h) due to treatment by period interaction. Results indicate that cows adjusted rapidly to VF configurations by minimizing the frequency of pulses and relying increasingly on auditory to alter behavior. CN - 396802 JA - 2nd US Precision Livestock Farming Conference May 2023 ER -