Effect of milking environment enrichment through music on production performance and behaviour in cattle

Enrichment of milking environment through music has been proposed to help animals to cope with divergent stressors. In sight of the above, a study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Indian instrumental music-based environmental enrichment played in yaman raga on milk production performance and behaviour in cattle. A total of 21 lactating dairy cattle (Vrindavani crossbred cows) having similar parity and stage of lactation were selected in three groups - T1, T2 and T3, each consisting of seven animals. The T1 and T2 groups were exposed to instrumental flute and sitar, respectively, 10 min prior to the start of milking and continued till completion of milking; while the T3 group served as control. Musical enrichment of the environment was done using recorded-tape of flute and sitar was played in yamen raga at 40-60 (dB) decibel intensity. The results revealed a non-significant difference in milk yield, rectal temperature, respiration rate, T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine) hormones. However, there exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) difference in milking time, milking speed, cortisol hormones and behavioural parameters such as milk let-down in the animals exposed to music compared to the control group. Thus, the results have significant implications relating to the behavioural fitness and welfare of dairy animals and reducing residual milk.