Comparison of dairy cow step activity under different milking schedules

Abstract

Context Variations in the number of milkings each day and their timing are becoming increasingly common. How these changes affect cow behaviour is poorly understood. When cows are milked less frequently, their walking to and from the dairy is reduced and their amount of time spent at pasture increases; however, the impact on activity under different milking schedules has not been measured. Aims The objective of this study was to identify any differences in cow walking activity (steps per hour) among three milking frequencies and three milking schedules of 3-in-2 (milking three times in 2 days), at two stages of lactation (34 and 136 days in milk), over a period of 6 weeks. Time spent eating was assessed to help explain differences in activity within a day. Methods Data were collected from five groups of 40 cows (n = 200) milked, as follows: once a day (OAD); twice a day (TAD); 3-in-2 (three groups) at intervals of 12–18–18 h, 10–19–19 h, and 8–20–20 h. All cows were fitted with AfiAct pedometers, which recorded steps per hour. Eight cows in each treatment group were also fitted with CowManager SensOor™ ear tags, which recorded minutes per hour spent eating. Key results Cow steps per hour increased with an increasing milking frequency in both trial periods. When data associated with walking to and from milking were removed, there were still differences in cow step activity. Cows milked OAD took 30% fewer steps than TAD cows. The diurnal pattern of eating time differed between these two trial groups. The effect of milking time among the 3-in-2 trials showed that the shorter the time between the milkings on the day the cows were milked twice, the greater the number of steps per hour. There were graphical eating differences between the 8–20–20 trial group and 12–18–18 trial group on the day that cows were milked twice. Conclusions We conclude that both the number and timings of milkings affect a cow’s step activity and grazing behaviour. Implications Farmers should minimise the amount of time cows spend away from the paddock, especially in the afternoon, to minimise any changes to natural behaviour.