Ruminant death

Ruminant mortality was previously handled in the Grow ruminants activity and the number of options and settings in Ruminant type were becoming cumbersome with no transparent understanding of the animal death or ability to apply a different approach.

Animal death has now been moved to this activity to be placed below the Growth activity used. This activity has a range of special Ruminant group components which are used to specify the individuals upon which to consider a type of mortality to apply and the settings required.

Any number of the following Ruminant groups can be supplied, and mortality is only applied once to each individual specified across all groups in this activity.

Any number of Ruminant Death activities can be included in the simulation with the mortality of individuals across these activities additive. For example if Rate and Condition based mortality is provided in two activities the effects will be additive to all individuals found in the two populations.

At least one of the following Ruminant Group Death are required to define the style of mortality and specify the individuals in the herd upon which to apply the mortality rate.

Ruminant Death Group

A Ruminant death group providing all previous mortality functionality of Grow ruminants

Ruminant Death Group by rate

A Ruminant death group by rate will apply a specified daily mortality rate to the specified individuals.

Ruminant Death Group by condition

A Ruminant death group by condition will apply a specified daily mortality rate to the specified individuals based on a condition metric and cut-off.

This functionality can be achieved by the Ruminant death group by rate if a specified rate is used rather than requiring a breed parameter.

A herd is needed.

Ruminant herd

A Ruminant herd with at least one Ruminant type. The ruminant herd must have an initial population defined using Ruminant initial cohorts