Calving cameras can be a double-edged sword: When working properly, they are an effective tool for livestock farmers to ensure minimal losses during calving season – but sometimes they can let you down, often just as calving season is about to start.
With this in mind, AgriLand caught up with Alan Minnock of ACS in Birr, Co. Offaly, to get the latest on calving cameras – and ensuring that, when installed, they’re in for the long haul.
Alan broke the process into different components that farmers should watch out for when getting camera systems installed.
The camera
First off, the type and quality of camera is important, Alan said, explaining:
“In terms of cameras, typically what I’m putting in is a Hikvision PTZ camera. It’s 25X [25 zoom] and it’s IP65 rated. That’s what I’m fitting as standard in farmers’ yards now.”
While pricey, the difference between these – and ones you can buy on eBay for a fraction of the cost – is the longevity, Alan explained.
“The ones from eBay are usually designed for internal use – workshops or your kitchen – they don’t last outside.
If you buy a camera that’s designed for indoor use, that’s not IP rated, it will work perfectly for six months or a year and then collapse. If you buy something cheap like that it’s not designed for the humidity or the moisture; it’s going to corrode and fail – and possibly when you need it most.
If done properly, the technician explained, when fitting cameras, a control box should be installed with IP glands. “This means everything is watertight and left clean and tidy,” he added.
IP Rating
A key factor that should be taken into consideration when choosing and installing cameras is the Ingress Protection (IP) rating, which is used to determine how well sealed electrical enclosures from moisture, dust and dirt.
IP ratings are given in double-digit formats: The first digit refers to the degree of safety from moving parts and protection from dust and dirt; the second digit indicates the level of protection from different forms of moisture.
IP rated control box
On this, Alan said: “IP-based means they’re the same as a coated internet cable, a CAT6 cable; they’re weather resistant – and that’s what I’m using at all stages.
“If somebody decides to fit their own stuff, they’re going to buy a camera with a 20m cable that’s pre-crimped and pre-terminated.
If the head is on it they mightn’t be able to get the wire through the holes; every wire that I put in is outdoor-rated CAT6 cable and is cut to length.
Turning to common problems he sees, he said: “If you leave a loop of cable left in the shed – you might have a 5m cable rolled up and cable-tied – moisture is getting on it; fodder is getting on it, rats are getting on it and they’re going to chew into the wires over time.
“You don’t have a nice neat and tidy job left of it.”
Typically, the technician noted, when a farmer makes up a wire for himself, he’ll usually go for a CAT5 cable.
“That’s designed for indoor use. If you put that out in a farmer’s yard, in the open air and direct sunlight, what will happen is that will all start corroding,” Alan warned.
The UV gets at it and starts cracking the plastic and eventually you’ll see that fray.
Pointing to two options when one is connecting to a camera, the technician said:
“A lot of guys will just get their cable and do the lazy thing of plugging the wire in. They’ll have made a good connection but moisture is going to get into that connector; it’ll corrode the wires in there – and then you’ve no camera.”
Protective cable gland
What professionals do, Alan said, is make off a fresh wire cut to measure, and put a crimp on the end.
“Then on the end of the wire I put a rubber on it and then a gland. That is then tightened and sealed completely,” he said.
‘Proper wireless link’
Highlighting the importance of weather-resistant set-ups for other uses in the farmyard, Alan said: “If you have an IP-based system, you can link into robots and calf feeders.
“With the robots, if you have a PC in your parlour, and you need to be able to know what cows did or didn’t come in, from your house you need to be able to access that, so if you put in the proper infrastructure with the proper wireless links, you’re ready for your robots.
Then with your camera in your shed, you can see what cows are going in, you can see them going out – you know if there’s an issue.
“If there’s a heifer and she’s kicking at the robot, you know what’s going on. You need a good link-up at all given stages.
“The proper wireless link is where we start off – if you’ve got your wireless link you can link it up with your robots; you can link it up with your calf feeders,” the technician said.