Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T07:59:00.288Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Supplementary feeding at milking and minimum milking interval effects on cow traffic and milking performance in a pasture-based automatic milking system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 October 2007

Jenny G Jago ,
Kendra L Davis ,
Peter J Copeman ,
Ian Ohnstad  and
Murray M Woolford
Jenny G Jago*
Affiliation:
Dexcel Limited, Private Bag 3221 Hamilton, New Zealand
Kendra L Davis
Affiliation:
Dexcel Limited, Private Bag 3221 Hamilton, New Zealand
Peter J Copeman
Affiliation:
Dexcel Limited, Private Bag 3221 Hamilton, New Zealand
Ian Ohnstad
Affiliation:
The Dairy Group, New Agriculture House, Blackbrook Park Ave, Taunton, TA1 2PX, UK
Murray M Woolford
Affiliation:
Dexcel Limited, Private Bag 3221 Hamilton, New Zealand
*
*For correspondence; e-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In extensive pastoral dairy farming systems herds graze 12 months of the year with the majority fed a near-100% pasture or conserved pasture diet. The viability of automatic milking in these systems will depend partly upon the amount of supplementary feed necessary to encourage cows to walk from the pasture to the milking unit but also on the efficient use of the automatic milking system (AMS). This paper describes a study to determine the importance of offering concentrate in the milking unit and the effect of minimum milking interval on cow movement and milking performance in a pasture-based AMS. The effects of feeding rate (FR0=0 kg or FR1=1 kg crushed barley/d) and minimum milking interval (MM6=6 h or MM12=12 h) on cow movement and behaviour during milking were studied in a multi-factorial cross-over (feeding level only, 4 weeks per treatment) experiment involving 27 mixed-breed cows milked through a single AMS. Feeding 1 kg barley in the milking unit resulted in a higher visiting frequency to the pre-selection unit (FR0=4·6 visits/d, FR1=5·4 visits/d, sed=0·35, P<0·05) and a higher yield (FR0=22·5 kg/d, FR1=23·6 kg/d, sed=0·385, P<0·01) but had no effect on milking frequency (FR0=1·6 milkings/d, FR1=1·7 milkings/d, sed=0·04, NS). Minimum milking interval was the major factor influencing milking frequency (MM6=1·9, MM12=1·4 milkings/d, sed=0·15, P<0·01). The absence of feeding in the milking unit had no negative effect on behaviour during milking or the number of cows that had to be manually driven from the paddock. The results show that automatic milking can be combined with a near-100% pasture diet and that milking interval is an important determinant for maximizing milk harvested per AMS.

Keywords

Automatic milkingdairy cowspasturefeeding
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 74 , Issue 4 , November 2007 , pp. 492 - 499
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Clark, DA, Phyn, CVC, Tong, MJ, Collis, SJ & Dalley, D 2006 A systems comparison of once versus twice-daily milking of pastured dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 89 1854–1862CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, SR, Farr, VC & Stelwagen, K 1999 Regulation of yield loss and milk composition during once daily milking: a review. Livestock Production Science 59 77–94CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Koning, K, van der Vorst, Y & Meijering, A 2002 Automatic milking experience and development in Europe. Proceedings of the First North American Conference on Robotic Milking. Toronto, Canada, March 20–22. pp. 1–11Google Scholar
Erdman, RA & Varner, M 1995 Fixed yield responses to increased milking frequency. Journal of Dairy Science 78 1188–1203CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Genstat 2002 Genstat for Windows, release 6.1, 6th, VSN International Ltd., Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar
Jago, JG, Bright, K, Copeman, P, Davis, K, Jackson, AK, Ohnstad, I, Wieliczko, R & Woolford, M 2004 Remote automatic selection of cows for milking in a pasture-based automatic milking system. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 64 241–245Google Scholar
Jago, JG, Copeman, P, Bright, K, McLean, D, Ohnstad, I & Woolford, M 2002 An innovative farm system combining automated milking with grazing. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 62 115–119Google Scholar
Jago, JG, Davis, KL, Copeman, PJ & Woolford, MW 2006a The effect of pre-milking teat-brushing on milk processing time in an automated milking system. Journal of Dairy Research 73 187–192CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jago, JG, Davis, KL, Wieliczko, R & Woolford, MW 2006b The effect of stage of lactation on cow movement in a pasture-based automatic milking system. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 66 258–263Google Scholar
Ketelaar-de Lauwere, CC, Ipema, AH, Lokhorst, C, Metz, JHM, Noordhuizen, JPTM, Schouten, WGP & Smits, AC 2000 Effect of sward height and distance between pasture and barn on cows’ visits to an automatic milking system and other behaviour. Livestock Production Science 65 131–142CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ketelaar-de Lauwere, CC, Hendriks, MMWB, Metz, JHM & Schouten, WGP 1998 Behaviour of dairy cows under free or forced cow traffic in a simulated automatic milking system environment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 56 13–28CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ketelaar-de Lauwere, CC & Ipema, AH 2000 Cow behaviour and welfare if grazing is combined with voluntary automatic milking. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Robotic Milking, The Netherlands, 17–19 August, pp. 289–296Google Scholar
Kilgour, R & Dalton, C 1984 Livestock Behaviour: A Practical Guide. Wellington, NZ: Methuen Publications (N.Z.) LtdGoogle Scholar
Krohn, CC, Munksgaard, L, van Dooren, HJC, Leonie, FM, Heutinck, LFM, Biewenga, G, Spörndly, E, Wredle, E & Wiktorsson, H 2004 Automatic milking and grazing. Grazing strategies and their effect on animal welfare and system performance. Report produced within the EU project: Implications of automatic milking on dairy farms (QLK5-2000-31006) Http:/www.automaticmilking.nlGoogle Scholar
Livestock Improvement Corporation 2006 Dairy statistics 2005–2006. Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd., Hamilton, New Zealand, p. 45Google Scholar
Penno, JW, McGrath, JM, MacDonald, KA, Coulter, M & Lancaster, JAS 1999 Increasing milk solids production with supplementary feeds with all systems at high stocking rates. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 59 188–191Google Scholar
Prescott, NB 1996 Dairy cow behaviour and automatic milking. Ph.D. Thesis. Bristol University, UK, 290 ppCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salomonsson, M & Sporndly, E 2000 Cow behaviour at pasture with or without supplementary roughage in automatic milking systems. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Robotic Milking, Lelystad, Wageningen Academic Publishers, The Netherlands, pp. 192–193Google Scholar
Sporndly, E & Wredle, E 2004 Automatic milking and grazing – effects of distance to pasture and level of supplements on milk yield and cow behaviour. Journal of Dairy Science 87 1702–1712CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stefanowska, J, Ipema, AH & Hendriks, MMWB 1999 The behaviour of dairy cows in an automatic milking system where selection for milking takes place in the milking stall. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 62 99–114CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stockdale, CR 2006 Influence of milking frequency on the productivity of dairy cows. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46 965–974CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Svennersten, K, Gorewit, RC, Sjaunja, L-O & Uvnas-Moberg, K 1995 Feeding during milking enhances milking-related oxytocin secretion and milk production in dairy cows whereas food deprivation decreases it. Acta Physiology Scandanavia 153 309–310CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van't Land, A, van Lenteren, AC, van Schooten, E, Bouwmans, C, Gravesteyn, DJ & Hink, P 2000 Effects of husbandry systems on the efficiency and optimisation of robotic milking performance and management. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Robotic Milking, The Netherlands, 17–19 August, pp. 289–296Google Scholar
Woolford, MW, Phillips, DSM & Copeman, PJA 1982 New concepts in milking management and milking machines. Proceedings of the Ruakura Farmers Conference 34 97–101Google Scholar
Woolford, MW, Copeman, PJA, Napper, AR & Phillips, DSM 1985 Milking intervals – are changes worth while? Proceedings of the Ruakura Farmers’ Conference 37 120–128Google Scholar