Milk yield and its relationship in highly productive cows during robotic milking

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of the research was to study the indicators of milk yield of highly productive cows, the correlation dependence of milking parameters on the inter-milking time intervals, and their physiological relationships during robotic milking of animals. Methods. The research was conducted on cows of the Lenin collective farm of the Moscow region, a database was formed on 5416 individual milking cows from the SELEX program, taking into account the signs of milking (milk yield, single milk yield, milking duration, different age periods, etc.). Results and practical significance. The results of the evaluation of milk yield in highly productive cows during robotic milking are presented, the importance of the most important parameters and factors affecting the rate of milk yield is noted. The peak of milk productivity in the first heifers occurred in the third month after calving, and in the middle–aged cows – in the second month. The difference in milk yields between age groups in the first month of lactation was 37 %, and in the second – 20 %. The duration of milking is closely related to the amount of milk in milk yield, this relationship is more closely manifested in the first heifers: in some months of lactation, the value of milk yield determined more than 66 % of the variations in the duration of milking. With robotic milking, the average milk yield rate was in the range of 2.4–2.7 kg/min, in the first two months of lactation, the milk yield rate was significantly lower, and after the third month – even higher than the average for lactation. The value of single milk yields in the first third of lactation was weakly correlated with the duration of the time intervals between milking, but closely correlated with the rate of milk secretion. With single milk yields of 9–10 kg, the optimal time interval between the start of nipple treatment and the connection of the device is 131–152 seconds. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the features of the most important indicators of milk yield by months of lactation of highly productive dairy cows, their interrelation, the influence of the age of cows on them and the duration of preparation for milking were studied.