Abstract
This research communication describes how different detachment levels (0.48, 0.3 and 0.06 kg milk/min) at the quarter-level affect milk flow profiles and overall milking efficiency in automatic milking systems. We hypothesized a higher detachment level would result in greater mean flow rates without affecting the volume of harvested milk per cow during 24 h compared to lower detachment levels. The data suggest milk flow decreased to a rate below the overmilking limit within the 6-s delay time required for termination in all treatments, but the duration of overmilking was shorter for the greatest detachment level compared to the other treatments. We conclude that setting a detachment level at a greater milk flow rate reduces the duration of overmilking without affecting the amount of milk harvested when applied to cows in mid-lactation during quarter-level milking. We also suggest that the steepness of the decline phase of the milk flow curve might have a larger effect than the actual detachment level on the duration of overmilking.
Highlights
This research communication describes how different detachment levels (0.48, 0.3 and 0.06 kg milk/min) at the quarter-level affect milk flow profiles and overall milking efficiency in automatic milking systems
These studies were all conducted on cluster level, and some studies suggest an increase in residual milk or strip yield at increased cluster detachment levels, which indicates decreased udder emptying (Edwards et al 2013a, b; Ferneborg et al 2016)
The effect of an elevated detachment level on udder emptying was not replicated in our recent publication performed on quarter-level detachment, where neither residual milk yield nor proportion of residual milk were affected by increasing the detachment level (Krawczel et al 2017)
Summary
This research communication describes how different detachment levels (0.48, 0.3 and 0.06 kg milk/min) at the quarter-level affect milk flow profiles and overall milking efficiency in automatic milking systems. It is well established that an increased detachment level, i.e. earlier removal of the teat cups at the end of milking, can decrease milking time substantially with minimal to no milk yield loss (Rasmussen, 1993; Magliaro & Kensinger, 2005; Jago et al 2010; Edwards et al 2013a, b; Besier & Bruckmaier, 2016; Ferneborg et al 2016). We hypothesized that an increased detachment level would result in greater mean flow rates compared to lower detachment levels without altering milk yield
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