Research in milking intervals on practice farm using automated milking systems

Abstract

The aim of the research is to state how the voluntary milking principle is implemented on the practice farm milking cows using automated milking systems (AMS). For the research the following tasks were set: to state the distribution and dispersion of the milking intervals as well as to determine the correlation between the yield per milking and the milking intervals. The research was performed on a good practice farm where 110 cows are milked with two DeLaval AMS. The selectively guided cow traffic to the AMS "first feeding, after milking" is used. The cows with milking permission but not milked yet are guided to the AMS in the morning and in the evening. Besides, a couple of times per day also the cows that are not milked, but for which milking is planned 3 to 4 times per day, are also guided to the AMS. The research was performed in 10 days with all 110 cows included. The input data necessary for the research were obtained from the AMS control system. pIt was stated in the research that the average yield per milking was 12.74 kg, but the average number of milking times per day for the group of the cows - 2.6 times. Besides, such parameters milking with the AMS correspond to good practice indicators. It has been stated that in 13 % of the cases of all milking times the milking intervals have been longer than 14 hours, but in 14.3 % of the cases the cows have been milked more often than the set 6 hour interval. The average relative milking interval standard error for the whole group of the cows was 5.52 %, but the average correlation coefficient for the group of the cows between the yield per milking and the milking interval - 0.24.