Experiments studying the interaction between dairy cow behaviour and automatic milking

Automatic milking is a process whereby a dairy cow can be milked automatically whenever she wants without the need for routine human intervention. To achieve this the cows must visit the system at an appropriate frequency, move quickly through the system and exhibit appropriate behaviour, for example during the automatic teat cup attachment process. Several experiments were conducted to explore the interaction between cow behaviour and the automatic milking system. Cows did not visit the system regularly solely to be milked. Feeding concentrate ensured appropriate attendance as did feeding forage but this constrained forage feeding and resting behaviour. There were no behavioural advantages to feeding cows while they are being milked, which instead tended to increase the level of shuffling, Food can be used to move cows quickly through the system.