Milking traits affected by milking frequency during first month of lactation

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyse the effect of milking frequency during the first month after first calving on milk yield and milking parameters of the cows over the remainder of the first lactation and in subsequent lactations. The study was performed in 25 automatic milking system (AMS) herds located in Poland. The animal material under study was classified into one of five groups based on average daily milking frequency in the first month after calving (MFF): MFF1 – less than 2 times, MFF2 – between 2 and 2.5 times, MFF3 – between 2.5 and 3 times, MFF4 – between 3 and 3.5 times, MFF5 – between 3.5 and 4 times per day. Using a multivariate analysis of variance, statistical analysis showed that most of the studied factors and the interactions between them had a highly significant effect on the analysed milk yield and milking traits. The cows whose average milking frequency during the first month was lower than two, were culled in large numbers from the herd during the first lactation. The highest proportion of cows culled after the first lactation was noted in group MFF1 (68.47%) and the lowest in group MFF5 (35.29%), with the culling level after the first lactation averaging 48.59% for all the groups under analysis. The present study showed that the initial milking frequency of primiparous cows is particularly important under AMS. Therefore, farmers should give particular attention to the cows that are unwilling to visit the milking robot during that period.

Keywords

• Automatic milking system
• dairy cows
• milk yield
• milking parameters