Virtual fencing consists of wearable neck collars for precision animal tracking and delivery of auditory warnings, reinforced by mild electric pulses, to contain cattle. This study evaluated how Angus-Hereford (AH) and Rarámuri Criollo (RC) cows during the training to virtual fencing collars responded to a feeding challenge, where access to feed was dynamically included or excluded by the fencing collar. The AH cows exhibited greater activity, interacted with virtual boundaries more frequently, and required a higher frequency of electric pulse reinforcements to learn to respect the fence. In contrast, RC cows required fewer pulses and lower reinforcement frequency to avoid restricted feeding zones. Although breeds may adopt distinct strategies and levels of alertness when learning conditioned cues, overall containment success by the collars exceeded 97%. These findings demonstrate that animals of both breeds successfully learned to respond appropriately to the cues of virtual fencing collars, although their responses were influenced by breed-specific behaviors. This study offers insights for strategically applying this technology to manage grazing distribution and reduce pressure on extensive rangelands.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.