The effect of a lowered light intensity at night on cow traffic and milk yield in automatic milking systems
Automatic milking systems (AMS) provide the opportunity for less manual labour and an increased milking frequency. But in order to reach an optimal milking frequency a well-functioning cow traffic is crucial. There are many factors affecting cow traffic but one factor that has not been studied thoro...
| Autor principal: | |
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| Formato: | Second cycle, A2E |
| Lenguaje: | sueco Inglés |
| Publicado: |
2014
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/6406/ |
| _version_ | 1855571004704686080 |
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| author | Hjalmarsson, Fanny |
| author_browse | Hjalmarsson, Fanny |
| author_facet | Hjalmarsson, Fanny |
| author_sort | Hjalmarsson, Fanny |
| collection | Epsilon Archive for Student Projects |
| description | Automatic milking systems (AMS) provide the opportunity for less manual labour and an increased milking frequency. But in order to reach an optimal milking frequency a well-functioning cow traffic is crucial. There are many factors affecting cow traffic but one factor that has not been studied thoroughly yet is the effect of different light intensities during the night, 22.00 h to 05.00 h. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine the effect of different light intensities during the night on number of selection gate passages (GP), milking frequency and milk yield. The study was conducted as a Latin square were three light intensities were applied: LOW (11 ± 3 lux), INT (33 ± 1 lux) and HIGH (74 ± 6 lux), in three different herds. There were in average 69 ± 4 primiparous cows and 133 ± 4 multiparous cows in each treatment. The dairy cows were housed in loose house barns with automatic milking and a Feed First™ cow traffic system. No effect of treatment was found on either number of selection GP per 24 hour and cow or on milking frequency. Only a slight decrease in selection GP per hour and cow during night time was observed when cows were exposed to treatment LOW, but the decreased activity did not affect milking frequency. The effect on milk yield was hard to determine due to disturbance during the experimental period but no differences in milk yield between treatments LOW and HIGH were found. |
| format | Second cycle, A2E |
| id | RepoSLU6406 |
| institution | Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences |
| language | Swedish Inglés |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publishDateSort | 2014 |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | RepoSLU64062014-02-10T08:52:14Z https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/6406/ The effect of a lowered light intensity at night on cow traffic and milk yield in automatic milking systems Hjalmarsson, Fanny Animal husbandry Automatic milking systems (AMS) provide the opportunity for less manual labour and an increased milking frequency. But in order to reach an optimal milking frequency a well-functioning cow traffic is crucial. There are many factors affecting cow traffic but one factor that has not been studied thoroughly yet is the effect of different light intensities during the night, 22.00 h to 05.00 h. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine the effect of different light intensities during the night on number of selection gate passages (GP), milking frequency and milk yield. The study was conducted as a Latin square were three light intensities were applied: LOW (11 ± 3 lux), INT (33 ± 1 lux) and HIGH (74 ± 6 lux), in three different herds. There were in average 69 ± 4 primiparous cows and 133 ± 4 multiparous cows in each treatment. The dairy cows were housed in loose house barns with automatic milking and a Feed First™ cow traffic system. No effect of treatment was found on either number of selection GP per 24 hour and cow or on milking frequency. Only a slight decrease in selection GP per hour and cow during night time was observed when cows were exposed to treatment LOW, but the decreased activity did not affect milking frequency. The effect on milk yield was hard to determine due to disturbance during the experimental period but no differences in milk yield between treatments LOW and HIGH were found. Automatiska mjölkningssystem kan medföra fördelar som mindre manuellt arbete och en ökad mjölkningsfrekvens. Men för att nå en optimal mjölkningsfrekvens krävs en väl fungerande kotrafik. Många faktorer påverkar kotrafiken men en faktor som inte har studerats är effekten av olika ljusintensiteter under natten, 22.00 h till 05.00 h. Syftet med studien var därför att studera effekten av olika ljusintensiteter under dygnets mörka timmar på antal passeringar genom selektionsgrinden, mjölkningsfrekvens och mjölkavkastning. Studien genomfördes som en Latin Square med tre ljusintensiteter under dygnets mörka timmar: LOW (11 ± 3 lux), INT (33 ± 1 lux) och HIGH (74 ± 6 lux), i tre olika besättningar. I genomsnitt inkluderades 69 ± 4 primiparous kor och 133 ± 4 multiparous kor per behandling. Mjölkkorna hölls i lösdrifter med robotmjölkning och ett Feed First™ kotrafikssystem. Ingen effekt av behandling hittades på antalet antal passeringar genom selektionsgrinden per 24 timmar och ko eller på mjölkningsfrekvensen. Endast en liten minskning i antal passeringar genom selektionsgrinden per timme och ko nattetid kunde observeras under behandlingen LOW men den minskade aktiviteten påverkade inte mjölkningsfrekvensen. Effekten av ljusintensitet på mjölkavkastningen var svår att avgöra eftersom korna var utsatta för störningar under försöksperioden men inga skillnader i mjölkavkastning mellan behandlingarna LOW och HIGH kunde påvisas. 2014-02-07 Second cycle, A2E NonPeerReviewed application/pdf sv https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/6406/7/hjalmarsson_f_140207.pdf Hjalmarsson, Fanny, 2014. The effect of a lowered light intensity at night on cow traffic and milk yield in automatic milking systems. Second cycle, A2E. Uppsala: (VH) > Dept. of Animal Nutrition and Management (until 231231) <https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/view/divisions/OID-650.html> urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-s-3026 eng |
| spellingShingle | Animal husbandry Hjalmarsson, Fanny The effect of a lowered light intensity at night on cow traffic and milk yield in automatic milking systems |
| title | The effect of a lowered light intensity at night on cow traffic and milk yield in automatic milking systems |
| title_full | The effect of a lowered light intensity at night on cow traffic and milk yield in automatic milking systems |
| title_fullStr | The effect of a lowered light intensity at night on cow traffic and milk yield in automatic milking systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of a lowered light intensity at night on cow traffic and milk yield in automatic milking systems |
| title_short | The effect of a lowered light intensity at night on cow traffic and milk yield in automatic milking systems |
| title_sort | effect of a lowered light intensity at night on cow traffic and milk yield in automatic milking systems |
| topic | Animal husbandry |
| url | https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/6406/ https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/6406/ |