Buffalo breeding is common in Southern Italy. Dystocia compromises dam's and newborn health and welfare. Difficult parturition could be solved through prompt calving assistance, even if the identification of the beginning of delivery is challenging. Herein, we aimed to evaluate a remote calving alarm system in 15 Mediterranean buffalo heifers. An intravaginal probe was placed close to the external cervical os once premonitory signs of delivery were observed. No vaginal discharge nor signs of discomfort were notified in the days following the insertion of the probe. Heifers calved from 48 to 72 hr after the alarm was activated. The system correctly warned the farm personnel at the beginning of stage II of parturition, except for 2 cases. In the former, the intravaginal probe was expelled but the poor carrier network coverage negatively affected phone's signal quality; in the latter, recurrent vaginal prolapse was responsible for non‐retention of the probe. Overall median expulsive phase was 68 ± 8 min, while the expulsion of a female calf took 54 ± 22.0 min and 90 ± 34.0 min in males, with significant difference (p =.02). Deliveries were homogeneously distributed across a 24‐hr interval. No retention of foetal membranes nor metritis was identified at postpartum clinical examination. The calving alarm system used in this work was well tolerated in buffalo heifers. The introduction of smart technology in buffalo farming could contribute to the overall farm net return by reducing calf losses, especially for calves born from sexed‐sorted semen, and by increasing animal welfare through quick resolution of dystocia. Further studies will be necessary to evaluate the net return in buffalo farms which will implement a remote calving alarm system on a wider population.

中文翻译：

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远程监控系统，作为地中海水牛（Bubalus bubalis）产犊管理的一种工具。

水牛的繁殖在意大利南部很普遍。难产会损害大坝和新生儿的健康与福利。即使要确定分娩的开始是有挑战性的，也可以通过迅速的产犊帮助来解决难产。在此，我们旨在评估15个地中海水牛小母牛的远程产犊警报系统。一种阴道内探针放置在靠近外部颈口一旦观察到分娩前的迹象。插入探头后的几天没有白带或不适的迹象。警报激活后，小母牛从48到72小时产犊。该系统在分娩第二阶段开始时正确警告了农场人员，除了2例。在前者中，阴道探针被驱除，但运营商网络覆盖率低，对电话的信号质量产生了负面影响。在后者中，阴道反复脱垂是导致探针无法保留的原因。总体中位排出期为68±8分钟，而雌性小牛的排出时间为54±22.0分钟，雄性小牛的排出时间为90±34.0分钟，差异有统计学意义（p = .02）。交付在24小时间隔内均匀分布。产后临床检查未发现胎膜残留或子宫炎。在这项工作中使用的产犊报警系统在水牛小母牛中被很好地耐受。在水牛养殖中引入智能技术可以通过减少小牛的损失，特别是对有性别精液出生的小牛的损失，以及通过快速解决难产而增加动物福利，从而为整个农场的净收益做出贡献。有必要进行进一步的研究来评估水牛农场的净收益，这将在​​更广泛的人群上实施远程产犊警报系统。