Effects of short-term once-a-day milking in early lactation on dairy cow performance when managed in a seasonal-calving pasture based system

Kennedy, E.; Murphy, John; Delaby, Luc; O’Donovan, M.

doi:10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104648

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Given the shape of a lactation curve, this result implies that, at a daily level, the percentage decrease in yield is less in early lactation and greater in late lactation. Interestingly, FS-3-in-2 yielded similar lactation yield percentage changes to short-term (3-8 wk) use of OAD in early lactation (Phyn et al, 2014;Kennedy et al, 2021), while requiring considerably fewer milkings, a result also reported by Woolford et al (1985). Previous studies (e.g., Grala et al, 2016) using OAD in late lactation have not included production information before the experimental period, meaning the effect on lactation yield cannot be discussed in relation to our results.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…The concept of milking OAD is not new (Claesson et al, 1959). However, the majority of studies have investigated short-term or part-lactation effects of a 24-h milking interval (Stelwagen et al, 2013), and lactation yields necessary for system evaluation are rarely reported, notable exceptions being Phyn et al (2014) and Kennedy et al (2021). Comparatively few have investigated OAD over a full lactation (Clark et al, 2006;Dalley et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reducing milking frequency from twice each day to three times each two days affected protein but not fat yield in a pasture-based dairy system

Edwards

McMillan

Bryant

et al. 2022

Journal of Dairy Science

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Milking 3 times in 2 d (3-in-2) could enhance the attractiveness of the dairy workplace relative to twicea-day milking (TAD) by reducing labor requirements for milking and increasing workforce flexibility. The objective of this study was to quantify the farm system interactions associated with milking 3-in-2 at 3 stages of lactation, with the aim of providing guidance to pasture-based dairy farmers and advisors on the likely consequences of adopting 3-in-2 milking on farm productivity and business performance. Seventy-nine multiparous and 37 primiparous cows were randomly allocated to 4 experimental farms stocked at 3.5 cows/ ha. One herd was milked TAD for the whole lactation (August 2019 to May 2020), with the remaining 3 milked 3-in-2 for either the whole lactation, after December 1 when cows were an average of 101 d in milk, or after March 1 when days in milk averaged 189 d. Milking intervals over 48 h were 10-14-10-14 h for TAD and 12-18-18 h for 3-in-2. Animal, pasture, and farm system data were analyzed by linear regression, with the dependent variable being the annualized value of the performance metric of interest, and the number of days in the lactation milked 3-in-2 as the independent variable. For the proportion of the season milked 3-in-2, there was a significant effect on milk (−11%), protein (−8%), and lactose (−12%) yield per cow per year, but no effect of fat. Additionally, there was a positive effect (+6%) on body condition score before dry-off and the energy required for liveweight change (+26%), and a negative effect on the energy required for walking (−30%). There were no differences in estimated feed eaten, or pasture herbage accumulation, composition, or quality. Therefore, pasture management and feed allocation under 3-in-2 should be similar to TAD. On commercial farms, the degree to which reduced milk income can be offset by lower costs will be highly farm-specific, but opportunities for savings were identified in the results. The short walking distances on the research farm and potential to improve farm management using the time saved from fewer milkings suggests better production may be achieved with 3-in-2 milking on a commercial farm.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing milking frequency from twice each day to three times each two days affected protein but not fat yield in a pasture-based dairy system

Edwards

McMillan

Bryant

et al. 2022

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…On a case study farm in Ireland, OAD milking reduced profits by €34 000 in the first year, and six years later, the profit reduction was €18 000 per year, importantly working hours were also reduced by 2.5 h/day for 250 days of the year (Ramsbottom et al 2018). Other research has similarly reported reduced milking times of as much as 35% with OAD milking systems (Kennedy et al 2021). Consequently, OAD strategies are associated with improved farmer wellbeing, opportunities for better work-life balance and increased job satisfaction (Tipples and Verwoerd 2007;Ferris et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In comparison, approximately 200 dairy farms in Ireland are operating full-time OAD milking, about 1% of Irish farms, but this is expected to increase (Teagasc 2021). A small number of TAD Irish farms utilise OAD strategies as a management tool for shorter periods within the milking season, such as during the early and late periods of lactation (Kennedy et al 2021). Typically, OAD systems result in lower milk yield and milk solids yield than TAD (Carruthers et al 1993;O'Brien et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impacts of milking frequency on nutrient composition and functional characteristics of Cheddar cheese

Page,

Magan,

Mannion

et al. 2024

Int J of Dairy Tech

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This study investigated the effects of once‐a‐day (OAD) and twice‐a‐day (TAD) milking strategies on Cheddar cheese properties, within an Irish pasture‐based system. Cheese derived from OAD milk was more yellow, with significantly higher b* values and a significantly higher β‐carotene content. A significantly higher cheese yield also resulted from OAD milk. Compositional data were largely consistent with previously reported results, and no meaningful differences were found in texture, proteolysis, pH, volatile‐organic‐compounds and free‐fatty‐acid profile. Indications are that OAD milking does not negatively impact Cheddar quality, providing valuable insights for those considering milking frequency impacts on this key dairy product.

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“…As reviewed by Verdon [ 7 ], half-day cow-calf contact with once-a-day milking may be a more practical alternative to full-time suckling in pasture-based dairies. This system could also address some of the dairy industry’s challenges, such as labour shortages, particularly around calving [ 19 ]. Cows separated from their calves overnight also produce more milk in the morning than cows with full-time contact with their offspring and are better able to maintain their body condition across early lactation [ 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Pilot Study on the Feasibility of an Extended Suckling System for Pasture-Based Dairies

Ríos

Andrewartha

et al. 2023

Animals

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This study investigated cow-calf productivity in a 10-week, pasture-based, extended suckling system featuring part-time cow-calf contact and once-a-day milking. A total of 30 dairy cows and their calves were assigned to two treatments: (1) cow and calf managed in an extended suckling system; or (2) cow and calf separated at birth and managed as usual. Cow-calf pairs grazed together during the day and spent the night separated by fence-line contact. The dams were reunited with the calves after once-a-day milking every morning. The commercial treatment pairs were separated after birth, and cows were milked twice a day and managed within the farm herd. Commercial calves were reared and managed as per commercial Australian practices. Cow-calf dams yielded 9 L/cow/day less saleable milk (p < 0.001), and their milk had lower fat (p = 0.04) but a higher protein percentage (p < 0.001) than commercial cows during pre-weaning. However, milk yield and composition were comparable post-weaning. Dam-suckled calves gained weight faster and were therefore weaned 2 weeks earlier than commercial calves, which were offered 8 L/day milk. This study has demonstrated a novel system of extended cow-calf suckling that could be practical to implement in pasture-based dairies. The long-term effects and scalability of the extended suckling system described here require further validation.

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Effects of short-term once-a-day milking in early lactation on dairy cow performance when managed in a seasonal-calving pasture based system

Cited by 6 publications

References 30 publications

Reducing milking frequency from twice each day to three times each two days affected protein but not fat yield in a pasture-based dairy system

Reducing milking frequency from twice each day to three times each two days affected protein but not fat yield in a pasture-based dairy system

The impacts of milking frequency on nutrient composition and functional characteristics of Cheddar cheese

A Pilot Study on the Feasibility of an Extended Suckling System for Pasture-Based Dairies

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