The impact of a shaded pre-milking yard on a pasture-based automatic milking system
Ashleigh M. Wildridge A D , Sergio C. Garcia A , Peter C. Thomson B , Ellen C. Jongman C , Cameron E. F. Clark A and Kendra L. Kerrisk AA Dairy Science Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, PO Box 4003, Narellan, NSW 2567, Australia.
B School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, PO Box 4003, Narellan, NSW 2567, Australia.
C Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Alice Hoy Building, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: ashleigh.wildridge@sydney.edu.au
Animal Production Science 57(7) 1219-1225 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN16491
Submitted: 25 July 2016 Accepted: 23 November 2016 Published: 30 January 2017
Abstract
During hot weather cows typically reduce feed intake and actively seek shade and water to reduce the metabolic stress on their bodies. This can have a negative impact on the occurrence of voluntary milking visits to an automatic milking system (AMS) operating with voluntary traffic, thus reducing milking frequency. Shade is known to be effective in alleviating heat stress in dairy cattle; however, the impact of providing shade at the milking facility of a pasture-based AMS on time taken to voluntarily enter a milking unit is unknown. A herd of ~300 lactating cows milked in a pasture-based AMS were divided into two groups during the summer of 2016. Each group spent 4 weeks in a SHADE (predominately shaded pre-milking yard) and a NO-SHADE (predominantly non-shaded pre-milking yard) treatment, with two periods in a crossover design. Cow respiration rates, time spent in pre- and post-milking areas, concentrate consumption and milk yield were recorded. On average, cows in the SHADE treatment were found to take longer to enter the milking unit than did cows in the NO-SHADE treatment (SHADE = 11.40 min, NO-SHADE = 8.70 min, P < 0.001). SHADE was also associated with lower average respiration rates (SHADE = 68 breaths per minute (bpm), NO-SHADE = 73 bpm, P < 0.001), increased concentrate consumption (SHADE = 6.50 kg/cow.day, NO-SHADE = 6.39 kg/cow.day, P = 0.03) and increased milk yield (SHADE = 11.44 kg/cow.milking, NO-SHADE = 10.95 kg/cow.milking, P < 0.001). Overall, SHADE made available to the cows pre-milking appeared to improve cow performance and comfort (as indicated by reduced respiration rates).
Additional keywords: dairy infrastructure, heat stress, summer, voluntary traffic.
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