Forced traffic in automatic milking systems effectively reduces the need to get cows, but alters eating behavior and does not improve milk yield of dairy cattle

Bach, À.; Devant, M.; Igleasias, C.; Ferrer, Alexis

doi:10.3168/jds.2008-1443

Cited by 40 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Average lactation figures differed between the two farms: on the conventional farm, the monitored group was only made up of primiparous cows whereas in the AMS group there were also multiparous cows. Milking frequency of monitored cows on the AMS farm was an average 2.48 per day, similar to results reported by other authors for AMS (Bach et al, 2009;Wagner-Storch and Palmer, 2003). On both farms, lactating cow rations were based on maize silage and maize grain (Table 2).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Effects of feeding frequency and environmental conditions on dry matter intake, milk yield and behaviour of dairy cows milked in conventional or automatic milking systems

Bava

Tamburini

Penati

et al. 2012

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of feeding frequency on milk production, dry matter intake (DMI) and cow behaviour on two dairy farms with conventional and automatic milking systems (AMS) in different environmental conditions. Cows on two farms were monitored. On the first farm, 96 primiparous cows were milked in a herringbone parlor while on the second a group of nearly 50 cows were milked in two AMS with a forced traffic. On each farm, treatments consisted of two different frequencies of total mixed ration (TMR) delivery (2 vs 3 on the conventional farm; 1 vs 2 on the AMS farm) replicated in two different periods of the year with THI of 72.6 and 60.7, respectively. The behaviour of the cows was monitored by continuous video recording. Statistical analysis was performed separately for the two farms. Increasing the frequency of TMR deliveries did not result in any variation in DMI but significantly improved milk yield on both farms. The increase in feeding frequency at the bunk in the AMS farm mitigated the negative effect of hot conditions on production with a 7.6% increase in milk yield. Feeding frequency did not influence cow behaviour on either farm. Hot conditions showed a depressive effect on DMI (nearly 8% on both farms) compared with thermoneutral conditions but caused a reduction in milk yield (an average 17%) only on the farm with multiparous high-producing cows milked automatically. In the hot period, cows on both farms showed a reduction in daily lying time and an increase in daily standing time.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Effects of feeding frequency and environmental conditions on dry matter intake, milk yield and behaviour of dairy cows milked in conventional or automatic milking systems

Bava

Tamburini

Penati

et al. 2012

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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“…Lower mean MCD values, i.e. from 2.1 to 2.5, were observed by WagnerStorch and Palmer (2013), Hogeveen et al (2001), Mačuhová et al (2003), Carlström et al (2013) and Bach et al (2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Changes in milking parameters with robotic milking

Sitkowska

Piwczyński

Aerts³

et al. 2015

Arch. Anim. Breed.

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Abstract. The aim of this present study is to describe changes occurring during the milking of cows in various periods following the introduction of an AMS (automatic milking system). The following cow milking parameters were analysed: milkings per cow per day, milking yield, milking speed and milking duration. An increase in milk yield in AMS barns has been found to be possible, but it is affected by a number of factors related to cow milking performance. Milk yield was observed to gradually grow with time after the installation of the robots. Older cows in their third and fourth lactations achieved higher milking parameter values as compared to cows in their first and second lactations. The average milk yield for the whole period was on a similar level, but, due to the fact that the duration of lactation in herd B was more than 100 days longer, that herd achieved a higher milk yield. The use of AMSs in barns enables farmers to monitor cow performance traits and study the relationships between them; farmers should try to select for traits ensuring high performance and directly related to milk yield. This study found a positive relationship between milking duration and milk yield. On the other hand, a highly negative relationship was found between milking duration and milking speed, which means that these parameters should be closely monitored. This study found that the optimal number of milkings per cow per day was in the range of 2.6 to 2.8 milkings a day with a 2.6 kg min −1 milking speed.

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“…The study farm chose to have free cow traffic, which ensures there is continuous access to cubicles and feed troughs. Natural behaviour can be expressed with no impact on feeding or ruminating behaviour, which can inhibited with forced cow traffic [45,46].…”

Section: Milk Production Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Minimally Invasive Markers of Stress and Production Parameters in Dairy Cows before and after the Installation of a Voluntary Milking System

Jerram

Winden

Fowkes

2020

Animals

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Automatic milking systems (AMS) are a low-labour alternative to conventional parlours, with previous studies demonstrating that cows vary in their ability to cope with the change to AMS. Cortisol expression can be combined with other measures to assess stress: saliva and hair have the advantage of requiring minimally invasive sampling. No work has investigated the long-term impact of introduction of AMS. The aims of the study were to assess short-term and chronic stress associated with a change in milking system by measuring salivary and hair cortisol levels and to assess the impact on health and production parameters. Cows from one farm changing their milking system were recruited to the study and sampled for saliva (n = 10) and hair (n = 12) before and after installation. Cortisol levels were measured using a salivary cortisol enzyme immunoassay kit. Body condition, lameness and milk parameters of the whole herd were regularly assessed. Salivary cortisol showed no diurnal pattern but was affected by lameness and gestation. Non-lame cows showed a reduction in salivary cortisol after AMS introduction (p < 0.001). Hair cortisol levels increased after AMS, but it was unclear if this change was seasonal. Milk yield increased by 13% and somatic cell count reduced by 28%. Body condition score was consistently good, but lameness remained high throughout the study. Production values alone do not represent high welfare. The high lameness and associated cortisol levels suggest that cow stress requires consideration when changing milking systems.

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Forced traffic in automatic milking systems effectively reduces the need to get cows, but alters eating behavior and does not improve milk yield of dairy cattle

Cited by 40 publications

References 18 publications

Effects of feeding frequency and environmental conditions on dry matter intake, milk yield and behaviour of dairy cows milked in conventional or automatic milking systems

Effects of feeding frequency and environmental conditions on dry matter intake, milk yield and behaviour of dairy cows milked in conventional or automatic milking systems

Changes in milking parameters with robotic milking

Minimally Invasive Markers of Stress and Production Parameters in Dairy Cows before and after the Installation of a Voluntary Milking System

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