Assessing Consistency in Radiated Thermal Output of Beef Steers by Infrared Thermography

Measurements of radiated thermal output are claimed to reflect the metabolic efficiency of mammals. This is important in food-producing animals because a measure of metabolic efficiency may translate to desirable characteristics, such as growth efficiency or residual feed intake, and permit the grouping of animals by metabolic characteristics that can be more precisely managed. This study addresses the question of whether radiated thermal parameters are characteristic of individual animals under normal and metabolically-challenging conditions. Consistency in radiated thermal output was demonstrated over a period of four weeks on condition that a sufficiently representative sample of measurements could be made on individual animals. The study provided evidence that infrared thermography could be used as an automated, rapid, and reliable tool for assessing thermoregulatory processes.