Automatic cluster remover setting affects milk yield and machine-on time in dairy cows

Area of Science:

• Dairy Science
• Animal Husbandry
• Agricultural Engineering

Background:

• Efficient milking practices are crucial for dairy farm productivity.
• Automatic cluster removal (ACR) systems aim to optimize milking efficiency and cow comfort.
• Understanding the impact of ACR settings on milk yield and milking time is essential for dairy management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of different automatic cluster remover (ACR) settings on milk yield and machine-on time in Holstein cows.
• To describe the variation in cow body weight (BW) in relation to the bovine somatotropin (bST) cycle.
• To identify optimal ACR settings for balancing milk production and milking efficiency.

Main Methods:

• ACR settings (0.48, 0.6, 0.8 kg/min) were systematically varied over a 12-week period for 60 Holstein cows.
• Milk yield, machine-on time, and cow body weight (BW) were recorded at each milking.
• Data analysis focused on comparing outcomes across different ACR settings and correlating BW with the bST cycle.

Main Results:

• Milk yield was highest with the 0.6 kg/min ACR setting, with a 2.5% reduction at the 0.8 kg/min setting.
• Machine-on time decreased as ACR settings increased, showing an 11.1% reduction from 0.8 to 0.48 kg/min.
• The 0.6 kg/min ACR setting provided shorter milking times than the 0.48 kg/min setting without compromising milk yield.

Conclusions:

• The middle ACR setting (0.6 kg/min) is recommended for optimizing milking efficiency without negatively impacting milk production.
• Automated monitoring of milk yield, milking time, and BW can establish individual cow patterns for improved herd management.
• Further research can refine ACR parameters for enhanced dairy farm operations.