scholarly journals The effect of lactation number, stage, length, and milking frequency on milk yield in Korean Holstein dairy cows using automatic milking system

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1093-1098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayakrishnan Vijayakumar ◽  
Ji Hoo Park ◽  
Kwang Seok Ki ◽  
Dong Hyun Lim ◽  
Sang Bum Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Milking Frequency ◽  
Automatic Milking System ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Holstein Dairy Cows

Effect of low light intensity at night on cow traffic in automatic milking systems

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 1784
Author(s):  
Fanny Hjalmarsson ◽  
Ingemar Olsson ◽  
Sabine Ferneborg ◽  
Sigrid Agenäs ◽  
Emma Ternman
Keyword(s):  
Light Intensity ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Milking Frequency ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Automatic Milking Systems ◽  
Reduced Light

Several studies have shown benefits of long-day (16 h) photoperiod in lactating dairy cows, but have not identified a suitable light intensity for the dark hours. It is known that the locomotion pattern of dairy cows is altered at low light intensities and this may translate to reduced cow traffic and milking frequency, which would have a negative impact on system productivity. However, it is also recognised that a significant disturbance of rest may have a negative impact on the health and productivity of high-yielding dairy cows. This study examined the effect of three different night-time light intensities (LOW: 11 ± 3, MED: 33 ± 1 and HIGH: 74 ± 6 lx) on number of gate passages, milking frequency and milk yield in dairy cows in automatic milking systems. The study was conducted in Sweden during the winter of 2012–13 and the treatments were applied in a crossover design to three herds with an automatic milking system. Minimum day time light intensity was 158 lx. Data on gate passages, milking frequency and milk yield for 172 ± 49 (mean ± s.d.) cows during the last 22 days of each 34-day study period were analysed for treatment differences and differences in daily distribution over 24 h, during day time and night time. Light intensity did not affect total number of gate passages per 24-h period and cow, but number of gate passages per hour and cow was in all treatments lower during night time than during day time. Milking frequency was increased in MED compared with both HIGH and LOW (P < 0.05). Milk yield decreased with reduced light intensity, and differed significantly between HIGH and LOW treatments, 45 ± 1 kg and 44 ± 1 kg, respectively (P < 0.001). Our conclusion is that reducing light intensity to 11 lx at night time does not affect cows’ general activity as gate passages remained the same for all treatments. However, milk yield decreased with reduced light intensity, which might be related to a lower feed intake. We argue that providing night light for dairy cows, as required by many welfare acts, might be related to production level rather than welfare aspects and that the recommendations should be revised.

Relative motivations of dairy cows to attend a voluntary automatic milking system

1997 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 80-83
Author(s):  
N. B. Prescott ◽  
T. T. Mottram ◽  
A. J. F. Webster
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Human Intervention ◽  
Proportional Increase ◽  
Automatic Milking System ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Milking Machine ◽  
Conventional Systems

Voluntary automatic milking is proposed as a system whereby dairy cows can choose to be milked when they want. The aim is to develop a system that can milk and perform all the associated tasks without requiring routine human intervention. (Details of the design and operation can be found in Street et al., 1992.) The system may not be viable unless the cows visit at an appropriate frequency, high enough to generate the 0·10 to 0·15 proportional increase of milk yield from cows milked three or more times per day (e.g. Knight and Wilde, 1993) but not so high as to result in some cows over-using the system. Understanding why cows may want to visit the system is therefore important. The two most important reasons why a cow may attend are likely to be motivation to be milked and motivation to eat. Motivation to be milked may change as lactation progresses. Late lactation cows have been shown to enter a milking parlour later than high yielding cows in one experiment (Rathore, 1982) but not in another (Winter, 1993). Rathore (1982) suggested that motivation to be milked may be generated by the discomfort of a large and distended udder. Motivation to be milked may also be linked to some inherent desire of the cow to suckle and subsequently wean her calf. This may be independent of the amount of milk in her udder and decline during lactation. Therefore motivation to be milked could be generated either from the discomfort of a large and distended udder or by some psychological desire by the cow to suckle a calf generalized to a milking machine. Either way, the strength of motivation to be milked may have implications for how an automatic milking system (AMS) is designed. For example, if cows were highly motivated to be milked and attended at an appropriate frequency, there would be no requirement to provide additional incentives, such as food, to attract cows into the AMS. In addition, if cows choose to be milked more frequently than they are milked in conventional systems (generally twice per day), then this may be a method by which choices can be engineered into an animal’s environment.

scholarly journals Factors affecting reproductive performance of dairy cows in a pasture-based, automatic milking system research farm: a retrospective, single-cohort study

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Talukder ◽  
P. Celi ◽  
K. L. Kerrisk ◽  
S. C. Garcia ◽  
N. K. Dhand
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
System Research ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Milking Frequency ◽  
Automatic Milking System ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Herd Milk ◽  
Single Cohort

A retrospective, single-cohort study was conducted to identify production and health factors associated with reproductive performance in a pasture-based, automatic milking system research farm. The calving system of this herd shifted from split calving to year-round calving gradually during the study period. Data from 365 cows with 798 lactations were analysed. Reproductive outcome variables of interest were intervals from calving to first oestrus, to first insemination, and to conception, as well as number of inseminations per conception, probability of submission for insemination by 80 days in milk, probability of conception by 100 days in milk and probability of conception at first insemination. Production factors (milk yield and its composition, milking frequency), record of periparturient disease, parity and season of calving were considered as predictor variables. The associations between predictor and outcome variables were assessed by multivariable linear regression, logistic regression and survival analyses, for quantitative, binary and time-to-event outcomes, respectively. Average milk yield and milking frequency during 100 days in milk were not significantly associated with any of the reproductive measures. The likelihood of conception by 100 days in milk decreased gradually with year of automatic milking system commissioning. Cows calved in autumn were 43% (hazard ratio 1.43, P < 0.05) more likely to conceive than cows calved in summer. Multiparous cows were more likely (P < 0.05) to be recorded for oestrus than primiparous cows. Twinning was negatively associated with the reproductive outcomes measured in the automatic milking system research herd. Milk yield and milking frequency during 100 days in milk had no effect on reproductive measures in the pasture-based, automatic milking system research herd.

scholarly journals Technical note: Variation in daily milk yield calculations for dairy cows milked in an automatic milking system

2010 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 1069-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.P. Nielsen ◽  
G. Pettersson ◽  
K.M. Svennersten-Sjaunja ◽  
L. Norell
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Technical Note ◽  
Automatic Milking System ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Daily Milk Yield ◽  
Daily Milk

scholarly journals Genetic Parameters Estimation of Milking Traits in Polish Holstein-Friesians Based on Automatic Milking System Data

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1943
Author(s):  
Joanna Aerts ◽  
Dariusz Piwczyński ◽  
Heydar Ghiasi ◽  
Beata Sitkowska ◽  
Magdalena Kolenda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Correlation ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Parameters Estimation ◽  
Random Regression ◽  
Effective Selection ◽  
Milking Frequency ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Automatic Milking System ◽  
Automatic Milking

The automatic milking system (AMS) provides a large amount of information characterizing the course of each milking cow, which is not available in the conventional system. The aim of our study was to estimate heritability and genetic correlations for milk yield (MY), milking frequency (MF), and speed (MS) for 1713 Polish Holstein-Friesian primiparous cows milked in barns with an AMS. Daily heritability indicators estimated using second-order Legendre polynomials and Random Regression Models showed high variation during lactation, ranging 0.131–0.345 for MY, 0.153–0.322 for MF, and 0.336–0.493 for MS. The rates of genetic correlation between traits ranged: 0.561–0.929 for MY-MF, (−0.255)−0.090 for MF-MS, (−0.174)−0.020 for MY-MS. It is possible to carry out effective selection for milking speed, which provides an opportunity to increase the number of cows per milking robot, and thus increase the profitability of production in the herd. The results proved that selection for milk yield and daily milking frequency is also feasible. The research showed a high, positive genetic correlation between milking frequency and milk yield, which allows us to conclude that preferring breeding cows with a natural tendency to frequent visits to the milking robot should indirectly improve the genetic basis of milking.

scholarly journals Reliability of Milk Recording Data Under Conditions of Automatic Milking System

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 911-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oto Hanuš ◽  
Pavel Hering ◽  
Gustav Chládek ◽  
Daniel Falta ◽  
Petr Roubal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Cell Count ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Somatic Cell Count ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Cattle Breeding ◽  
Automatic Milking System ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Daily Milk Yield ◽  
Daily Milk

Automatic milking system (AMS) brings a change in approach to ensure the data reliability in the official milk recording (MR). The AMS is equipped with flowmeter. AMS software provides the daily milk yield (DMY) and average of the last 7 daily milk yields (AVG7) for MR. Classic MR uses DMY. AVG7 could be more reliable value. Origin of both records (DMY and AVG7) is from AMS flowmeter. The aim of paper was to compare the values of milk yield of cows from daily (DMY) and the extended records (AVG7) from AMS for objective assess of lactations to be used in cattle breeding. Study (2013) with 2 AMS herds (DeLaval and Lely Astronaut): herd 1 – Holstein (H) dairy cows; herd 2 – Czech Fleckvieh (CF) dairy cows. There were following milk records: n = 521 DeLaval (H); n = 567 Lely Astronaut (CF); 70 (H) and 68 (CF) dairy cows. MR samples were analyzed on: fat content; crude protein; somatic cell count. Correlations between AVG7 and DMY were: 0.888 (H); 0.898 (CF, both P ≤ 0.001). There were insignificant differences (P > 0.05; −0.07 ± 3.29 kg for H and 0.28 ± 3.3 kg for CF) between AVG7 and DMY for both robots. The same is valid for differences in the production of milk components. According to this comparison experiment the AVG7 of AMS is a suitable equivalent for the DMY regarding official MR for assessment of lactations.

Relationships between milking frequency, lactation persistency and milk yield in Swedish Red heifers and cows milked in a voluntary attendance automatic milking system

2011 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunnar Pettersson ◽  
Kerstin Svennersten-Sjaunja ◽  
Christopher H Knight
Keyword(s):  
Milk Yield ◽  
Early Lactation ◽  
Large Dataset ◽  
High Quartile ◽  
Total Milk ◽  
Milking Frequency ◽  
Automatic Milking System ◽  
Automatic Milking ◽  
Rate Of Decline

A large dataset comprising output from an automatic milking (AM) system between 1999 and 2006 was examined and a total of 172 cow lactation curves and 68 heifer lactation curves were identified for further analysis. Relationships between milking frequency at different stages of lactation and lactation persistency and total lactation yield were determined. Cows had higher peak and total milk yields than heifers, but heifers had higher persistency (defined as the rate of decline in milk yield between days 100 and 300 post calving). Milking frequency did not differ significantly between cows and heifers in early lactation, but thereafter decreased significantly more in cows than in heifers. The effect of milking frequency on yield characteristics was analysed by comparing the highest and lowest quartiles for milking frequency. High milking frequency in early lactation was consistently associated with increased peak yield. High milking frequency averaged across the whole lactation was associated with increased peak yield in both cows and heifers, and with improved lactation persistency in cows only. This resulted in total lactation yield that was 21% greater in the high quartile cows compared with the low.

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