Merck Animal Health Expands SenseHub® Dairy Monitoring with Bucket-Fed Calf Capability and New Herd-Level Insights

September 29, 2026

SenseHub Dairy Youngstock now monitors bucket-fed calves, while SenseHub Insights helps producers track herd-level performance and management trends.

RAHWAY, N.J., Sept. 29, 2026 – Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside of the United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE: MRK), today announced two advancements to its industry-leading SenseHub^® Dairy monitoring technology for U.S. dairy operations. SenseHub Dairy Youngstock now has the capability to monitor bucket-fed, preweaned calves, and the new SenseHub Insights herd management dashboard helps dairy owners and managers monitor key herd-level trends, evaluate management processes and make timely, informed decisions.

“Together, the advancements extend actionable monitoring technology across more dairies and management needs,” says Chase Milem, Merck Animal Health associate director, dairy monitoring. “The expanded technologies reinforce Merck Animal Health’s commitment to practical innovation, user-friendly tools and service-backed technology for dairy operations.”

Youngstock monitoring expands to bucket-fed calves

SenseHub Dairy Youngstock makes individual-animal monitoring possible from day one, regardless of the liquid feeding system. SenseHub Dairy Youngstock provides 24/7 behavior monitoring for bottle-fed and bucket-fed calves housed in hutches or groups. First introduced in 2024 for bottle-fed calves, the technology can now support virtually any dairy, no matter how calves are fed milk.

The new capability uses the same software, ear tags, and LED-light feature as for bottle feeding. No software updates or activation steps are needed to support bucket-fed calves.

Youngstock monitoring helps support labor efficiency and protect replacement investments

SenseHub Dairy Youngstock allows producers and veterinarians to focus valuable time, labor and resources on calves that require intervention for potential health issues.

In one research study, calf monitoring with SenseHub Dairy Youngstock technology was associated with a 63% reduction in mortality compared with the control group that was only monitored visually. The monitored group experienced nearly two fewer deaths per 100 calves and approximately $6,000 in replacement-cost savings per 100 calves, based on March 2026 replacement heifer prices. The study also documented 56 minutes of labor saved per day by eliminating the need to visually observe 140 calves.¹

These outcomes are especially meaningful given the long-term costs associated with calf disease and replacement animals. Calves diagnosed with bovine respiratory disease lose 267 pounds of milk production in first lactation,² while heifer replacement costs average approximately $3,000 per head.

SenseHub Insights simplifies herd-level performance monitoring

SenseHub Insights is the new web-based herd management dashboard that helps dairy owners and managers move from animal-level monitoring to herd-level management decisions. Connected directly to existing SenseHub Dairy data, the automated dashboard delivers trend analysis of key performance indicators without time-consuming manual analysis of retrospective data.

Dashboards measure fresh cow health, fresh cow rumination, fresh cow disease risk, herd heat stress, milking routine consistency and lock-up time consistency. These views help producers monitor the parameters that have the greatest impact on herd-level performance and identify changes before they become critical.

SenseHub Insights is available to all SenseHub Dairy users at no additional cost. Producers can also share the dashboard with trusted consultants, including veterinarians and nutritionists, to support management decisions and actions.

Practical innovation backed by customer support

SenseHub solutions are supported by Merck Animal Health customer success and technical service teams, helping producers apply technology readily with a dedicated resource for questions and troubleshooting.

For more information, contact your Merck Animal Health representative or visit SenseHub-Dairy.com.

References

Tejero C, Sales ML, Elvira L, Friedman Eran, Preto A. Comparative use of automated behavior monitoring system versus on-farm standard operation procedure for youngstock health in a commercial dairy farm. 2024.
Buczinski S, Achard D, Timsit, E. Effects of calfhood respiratory disease on health and performance of dairy cattle: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Dairy Sci. 2021;104(7):8214-8227. doi:10.3168/jds.2020-19941

This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease in animals. For the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of disease in animals, consult your veterinarian. The accuracy of the data collected and presented through this product is not intended to match that of medical devices or scientific measurement devices.

SenseHub^® Dairy Youngstock monitoring technology from Merck Animal Health now has capability to monitor bucket-fed, preweaned calves. The new capability uses the same software, ear tags, and LED-light feature as for bottle feeding.

About Merck Animal Health

Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, is a global animal health business committed to The Science of Healthier Animals™. For more than 130 years, we have pioneered groundbreaking science. Today, we are driven by continuous innovation to develop breakthrough medicines, vaccines and technology. Rooted in direct experience on the farm and in the clinic, we work hand in hand with our customers every step of the way. Our singular focus is to empower those who care for animals, helping them manage their vital responsibility with confidence. Because when it comes to animal health, no one sees it like we do. For more information, visit www.merck-animal-health.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

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