Drones with cattle

[Dronesandcows8]

Would the Roku F11 be a good drone for checking cattle?

 

[JDS]

I'm not real familiar with the ROKU Drones, but I can tell you that flying over livestock can spook them. I have flown over cows at 100 ft AGL and they have taken off running. If the camera is good enough to see what you want high enough over them, I'm going to guess it would work.

I would also offer that you fly offset of the livestock to mitigate crashing into the livestock. If your drone goes down, I'm sure the rancher would not be pleased if you injured his cows.

Glad to see someone as young as 13 looking for good uses for Drones! What are you looking to accomplish? Head counts, clustering, heard well being, etc?

 

[Dronesandcows8]

Thanks for the advice! The drone has a really good camera so I should be able to fly it high and still see. As for purposes, mine is head counts and making sure pregnant cows aren’t having trouble giving birth.

 

[Volatus Drones]

According to the Roku F11 specs the live video transmission is limited to 300-500 meters. Depending on how big your fields are this may work. Just keep in mind the low end of that spec; 300 meters which is a little less than 1000 ft. You may find yourself wishing you had bought something with a longer range like a Mavic Mini or Mavic 2. Good luck!

 

[Dronesandcows8]

I see the possible issue here and i thank you for the advice. If there is another drone that you would recommend please tell me. My needed specifications are below.
Range: It needs to be able to keep up a live video feed for at least a mile.
Camera: I might need to fly high so as not to scare the cows, so i need something powerful enough to see cows from up high.
Battery life: At least an hour.
Motor: A silent motor would be preferred so as not to disturb the cattle to much.
Budget: Maximum of $500 (I would really not like to go that high in price unless I have to. $300-$400 would be much better)

I hope you can help and again, thank you for the advice.

 

[Mavic Mac]

Currently I am not aware of many (if any) drones that have that much battery time, especially under $500.00
Not sure which country you are in but in the USA the drone has to be kept within visual sight, so unless you have real good eyes (and you may at age 13) the mile range is pushing the visual sight.
And not trying to sound like a wise guy - for $500.00 you probable could buy a used 125 cc dirt bike and "ride" the herd and do your head count and check the cows dropping their calves.

Good luck with you endeavor

 

[R.Perry]

I have flown over cattle with the Inspire 2 and hadn't seen it spook them. Cousin has a cattle ranch a few miles from us. Cattle are stupid, they just follow their noses so the drone is used to locate them. What we did was launch from the top of one of the hills then used the drone to spot stray cattle so the guys could go round them up. He has since got his own drone and uses it extensively and has told me he now considers it a must have tool. So used properly it's a good tool, just don't try to herd them with the drone.

 

[Volatus Drones]

I see the possible issue here and i thank you for the advice. If there is another drone that you would recommend please tell me. My needed specifications are below.
Range: It needs to be able to keep up a live video feed for at least a mile.
Camera: I might need to fly high so as not to scare the cows, so i need something powerful enough to see cows from up high.
Battery life: At least an hour.
Motor: A silent motor would be preferred so as not to disturb the cattle to much.
Budget: Maximum of $500 (I would really not like to go that high in price unless I have to. $300-$400 would be much better)

I hope you can help and again, thank you for the advice.

The closest you'll get to these specs with $500 is the DJI Mavic Mini. The specs are in that link as well. Go for the Fly More Combo for $499. You get extra batteries, prop guards, bag, and some other good stuff for only $100 more. I'd sell you one but they are on back order. Your best bet is to buy from DJI directly here; Buy DJI Mavic Mini - DJI Store

Good luck!

SEAN FALCONER
Co-Founder | Empire Drone Company LLC
office: (315)-743-4285 ext. 101
direct: (315)-592-2271
www.empiredroneco.com
14 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

 

[Dronesandcows8]

Currently I am not aware of many (if any) drones that have that much battery time, especially under $500.00
Not sure which country you are in but in the USA the drone has to be kept within visual sight, so unless you have real good eyes (and you may at age 13) the mile range is pushing the visual sight.
And not trying to sound like a wise guy - for $500.00 you probable could buy a used 125 cc dirt bike and "ride" the herd and do your head count and check the cows dropping their calves.

Good luck with you endeavor

According to the Roku F11 specs the live video transmission is limited to 300-500 meters. Depending on how big your fields are this may work. Just keep in mind the low end of that spec; 300 meters which is a little less than 1000 ft. You may find yourself wishing you had bought something with a longer range like a Mavic Mini or Mavic 2. Good luck!

I'm sorry, i Didn't type

The closest you'll get to these specs with $500 is the DJI Mavic Mini. The specs are in that link as well. Go for the Fly More Combo for $499. You get extra batteries, prop guards, bag, and some other good stuff for only $100 more. I'd sell you one but they are on back order. Your best bet is to buy from DJI directly here; Buy DJI Mavic Mini - DJI Store

Good luck!

SEAN FALCONER
Co-Founder | Empire Drone Company LLC
office: (315)-743-4285 ext. 101
direct: (315)-592-2271
www.empiredroneco.com
14 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

I'm sorry I didn't type the drone name correctly. The drone I was asking about earlier is the Roku F11 pro. Is this drone different from the one you said went 300-500 meters? The specs I have say live video transmission for over a mile. Also, i will look into the Mavic Mini. Thank you!

 

[Dronesandcows8]

I'm sorry I didn't type the drone name correctly. The drone I was asking about earlier is the Roku F11 pro. Is this drone different from the one you said went 300-500 meters? The specs I have say live video transmission for over a mile. Also, i will look into the Mavic Mini. Thank you!
Here is the link Roku F11

 

[Dronesandcows8]

I'm sorry I didn't type the drone name correctly. The drone I was asking about earlier is the Roku F11 pro. Is this drone different from the one you said went 300-500 meters? The specs I have say live video transmission for over a mile. Also, i will look into the Mavic Mini. Thank you!
Here is the link Roku F11

I just looked again and the link says it is not pro.

 

[Meta4]

I'm sorry I didn't type the drone name correctly. The drone I was asking about earlier is the Roku F11 pro. Is this drone different from the one you said went 300-500 meters? The specs I have say live video transmission for over a mile. Also, i will look into the Mavic Mini. Thank you!
Here is the link Roku F11

Here's a link with specs: Amazon.com: Ruko F11 Pro Drone 4K Quadcopter UHD Live Video GPS Drones, FPV Drone with Camera for Adults Beginner 30 Mins Flight Time Long 2500mAh Battery Brushless Motor-Black（1 Extra Battery + Carrying Case）.…: Toys & Games

They always quote the best case maximum range and the actual range that can be achieved will depend on local interference.
It''s an entry level drone using wifi so actual range will mostly be up to 500 metres.
To get reliable performance at greater ranges you need a drone using Lightbridge or Occusync, but they cost a lot more.

 

[Geoff G UK]

I'm not real familiar with the ROKU Drones, but I can tell you that flying over livestock can spook them. I have flown over cows at 100 ft AGL and they have taken off running

I have flown over cattle with the Inspire 2 and hadn't seen it spook them. Cousin has a cattle ranch a few miles from us.

My experience in the UK is that they don't like drones at all. Our inspire 2 produces a consistent response when within 200 - 300' - heads go up and they run! For that reason I'm always cautious when cattle are penned, just in case they panic.

All the farmers I've worked with say that the drone sounds like one of the flies species which plague cattle during the summer. No evidence of this myself but it sounds possible.

 

[Airmapper]

If you end up with a Mavic of some flavor, Master Airscrew makes quieter props for some models. If anything it just lowers the pitch some, but that might be enough to keep it from alarming the cows as much. They don't seem to have any for the Mini though.

 

[R.Perry]

My experience in the UK is that they don't like drones at all. Our inspire 2 produces a consistent response when within 200 - 300' - heads go up and they run! For that reason I'm always cautious when cattle are penned, just in case they panic.

All the farmers I've worked with say that the drone sounds like one of the flies species which plague cattle during the summer. No evidence of this myself but it sounds possible.

Wonder if the breed has any bearing on that, cousin raises Black Angus, however what the drone was used for is finding them spread over a few thousand acres.

 

[Blakey]

I have a MAVIC Pro 2 and use it for checking my cattle every few days. It is so much quicker than getting on the quad and opening and closing all the gates. My cattle are not spooked at all and I keep the drone around 50 meters away from them. With the 20MP lens, you can easily see their condition and spot any injuries. Its also a great way to check all the water troughs, dams and pumps. My farm is not that large, only 1.3km end to end, but it is difficult to see the drone when its that far away.

 

[Geoff G UK]

Wonder if the breed has any bearing on that, cousin raises Black Angus, however what the drone was used for is finding them spread over a few thousand acres.

I think that could well be. The key to filming animals (rather than their backsides as they run away!), is understanding their temperament and behaviour.

I found an ebook - Cow Talk, Moran & Doyle CSIRO Publishing. Good or bad I know not, but they do make the following points, summarised below, about behaviour and senses. Bracketed comments [ ] are mine:

4.6.1 ..........For example, Friesian cattle are more sensitive to sound and touch in auctions than beef breeds.
[most of the cattle I have filmed have been friesians]

4.2.1 [summarised] ] Although cattle have a wide field of view they have a blind spot at the back end

4.2.2 [summarised] They have a wider audio spectrum then humans, 23Hz - to 35kHz. [They may hear sounds from the drone that we can't hear]

4.3.2 ........As they have evolved as prey animals, cows are naturally reactive or fearful in several different situations, including a fear of novelty. As a result cattle can find unfamiliar objects, situations and smells and sudden movements and noises frightening...................repeated exposure to situations or environments and a consistent routine can help to create calm animals.

So, if you want to frighten cattle, find a herd of friesians that have never heard or seen a drone before, approach from behind, and low down, and get drammatic stampede shots (or someone to repair your stalls). Common sense applies.

Anyway, all food for thought. Plenty of time for thought at the moment!

 

[Dronesandcows8]

how does the mavic mini do against wind?

 

[Mavic Mac]

@Dronesandcows8

There are numerous threads in the sister forums MavicPilots.
HERE is a link to one of them. I don't own a mini but it sounds like they don't like the wind.

 

[SanCap]

A little off topic but there are cattle involved