Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Madalina MINCU-IORGA, Adrian BOTA, Ioana NICOLAE, Constantin VLAGIOIU, Dinu GAVOJDIAN
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects that behaviour during milking has on production, reproduction and welfare indicators in water buffalo cows reared under loose housing system. The study was conducted in a private farm, on 102 dairy buffalo cows (6.4±0.1 lactations) at the beginning of their lactation (100 days in milk, DIM). The behaviour during milking was evaluated using a 5-point subjective scale (1 – calm to 5 – nervous), using two individual trained observers placed at 0.5-1 m behind the animals, using an 8x2 herringbone milking parlour. The animals were grouped based on their behaviour as 'calm’ (scores 1, 2 and 3; n = 76) or 'nervous’ (scores 4 and 5; n = 26). Milk yield and milking speed were significantly influenced by the behaviour during milking (p>0.05), with calmer buffaloes outperforming their nervous counterparts. No significant influence of the behaviour during milking was found on body condition score, calving interval, age at first calving or animal-based welfare indicators. Current findings suggest that incorporating behavioural assessments during milking into management practices could enhance productivity in dairy water buffaloes.
[Read full article] [Citation]
