Effect of pre-partum habituation to milking routine on behaviour and lactation performance of buffalo heifers

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect pre-partum habituation in the milkingparlour on behaviour and lactation performance of buffalo heifers. Sixteen buffalo heifersin late gestation were used for this study. The animals, with an age ranging from 30 to44 months at the start of the study, were equally allocated into two treatments and bal-anced for estimated calving date. Eight animals received pre-partum habituation for 10 daysbefore the estimated calving date (group H), while the eight others received no treatmentand served as the control (group C). During the pre-partum habituation sessions, group Hanimals were moved to the milking parlour and left for 10 min in the milking stall onceeach day, where the udder was thoroughly washed with warm water, wiped with a dis-posable towel and massaged. The behaviours, registered from entrance into the milkingstall to exit, were step and kick. After calving milk flow profiles, milk yield and milk qual-ity variables were determined along with behavioural recordings. The H animals duringthe habituation procedure showed a reduction in the number of steps (P < 0.001) and kicks(P < 0.01). After calving the H animals performed fewer steps than the control animals at 0(P < 0.001), 3 (P < 0.01), 6 (P < 0.01), 13 (P < 0.01) and 20 (P < 0.01) days after calving. Animalsfrom group H also performed fewer kicks than control animals at 0 (P < 0.001), 3 (P < 0.01),6 (P < 0.01) and 13 (P < 0.01) days after calving. In the C group a reduction in the numberof steps (P < 0.001) and kicks (P < 0.001) was observed as lactation proceeded, whereas forgroup H only a tendency for a reduction over lactation was detected. Pre-partum habitu-ation did not significantly affect milk quality or milk flow variables. Milk yield in the first3 min of milking (P < 0.001), and average milk flow (P < 0.001), increased throughout theexperimental period, whereas the duration of the pre-milking phase decreased as lactationproceeded (P < 0.001). This study shows that buffalo heifers exposed to a pre-partum habit-uation programme performed fewer steps and kicks than control animals during milking.Therefore, it is concluded that using this treatment can reduce the level of restlessness inbuffalo heifers during milking

Influences of various factors on cows’ entrance order into the milking parlour

This study investigates the stability of the milking order of cows entering into the milking parlour of a commercial dairy herd, and changes to this order consequent to a change in health status and a change in the membership of the group of cows being milked. In large herds it is difficult for stockmen to monitor all cows closely. If changes in the milking order are indicative of health or other problems, the monitoring of any changes in the order could alert stockmen to such problems. This could therefore be a tool to add to the parameters collected routinely in precision livestock farming (PLF). The milking process of 692 cows, in seven different feeding groups, over a period of six months, was monitored. The milking order was found to be stable within days, and across days, but was more variable within milking sessions. Cows with mastitis (P < 0.001) entered the parlour later than when they were healthy. Cows with metritis entered into the milking parlour earlier than usually(P < 0.05). When new cows entered a group they fitted into a stable position within the parlour entrance order within two days. There were no effects found of parity, age, days in milk, milk production or milking duration on the milking order. It is concluded that theregular monitoring of milking order, and flagging of changes in this order could be a useful tool in the early identification of the presence of disease in cow

Milking behaviour of buffalo cows: entrance order and side preference in the milking parlour

On two farms, three milking groups of buffalo cows were used to assess the consistency of entrance order and the preference for one side of the milking parlour. On Farm 1 (F1) all animals were primiparous (n=57). On Farm 2, three primiparous, 16 secondiparous and 36 multiparous cows (range 1–8) constituted group F2G1; whereas group F2G2 had 12 primiparous, 10 secondiparous and 14 multiparous cows (range 1–10). Animals were milked in auto-tandem milking parlours (2×5 and 2×6 for Farms 1 and 2, respectively). For each cow, entrance order into milking parlour, side where she was milked, milk yield, time and duration of milking were recorded. These data were derived from the computerised identification of cows. The sequence in which the cows entered themilking parlour ranged from 1 to 57 for group F1, from 1 to 55 for group F2G1 and from 1 to 36 for group F2G2. The analysis of data was conducted on 130, 120 and 92 consecutive milkings for groups F1, F2G1 and F2G2, respectively. Kendall’s coefficients of concordance showed a strong constancy of the entrance order into milking parlour for groups F1 (W=0•658; χ2=4792•81; P<0•001), F2G1 (W=0•779; χ2=5046•81; P<0•001) and F2G2 (W=0•624; χ2=2030•48; P<0•001). Spearman rank correlation coefficients indicated that the more productive cows in groups F1 and F2G1 tended to enter the milking parlour first (rs=_0•221 and rs=_0•215; P<0•10; respectively). In group F2G1, a negative correlation was found between duration of milking and order of entry in the milking parlour (rs= _0•265; P<0•05). Animals in group F2G2 (rs=0•334; P<0•05) with higher days in milk entered the milking parlour latterly. In all three groups, 68 cows (45•9%) preferred the right side of the milking parlour, 73 the left side (49•3%) and the remaining seven (4•8%) showed no preference. Finally, negative correlations were found between mean entrance order and parity for both groups of Farm 2 (rs=_0•319; P<0•05 and rs=_0•325; P<0•05 for F2G1 and F2G2, respectively). As buffaloes showed higher entrance order consistency and side preference than other domestic ruminants, it is concluded that management practices that disturb their choice should be avoided in order to minimise stress during farming routines

Behaviour of buffalo cows in the milking parlour: entrance order and side preference

The aim of the study was to investigate dairy buffalo entrance order and side preference in the milking parlour. Two milking groups of buffalo cows were used. In both groups there was strong consistency of entrance order into the milking parlour. There was also evidence for high preference for the left or right side by individual animals. Twelve animals showed stall preference. Our results showed that buffaloes can present marked entrance order consistency and side preference. We concluded that buffaloes should be allowed to satisfy these preferences during the milking process

Behaviour of buffalo cows in the milking parlor: entrance order and side preference

The aim of the study was to investigate dairy buffalo entrance order and side preference in the milking parlour. Two milking groups of buffalo cows were used. In both groups there was strong consistency of entrance order into the milking parlour. There was also evidence for high preference for the left or right side by individual animals. Twelve animals showed stall preference. Our results showed that buffaloes can present marked entrance order consistency and side preference. We concluded that buffaloes should be allowed to satisfy these preferences during the milking process

Do you see what I see? Exploring differing awareness of the same situation

Fundamental limits on the human ability to process all available information in real-world situations necessarily require that some information is filtered out by attentional processes, and so that information is not used to build ‘situation awareness’ (SA). The implication is that two (or more) people in the same situation may not perceive it in the same way, nor make the same decisions as to how to operate. Such differences in perception can become very important in safety critical situations such as the one that we report here—firefighter attendance at a road-traffic collision (RTC). Using a desktop virtual reality simulation of a RTC, we examined firefighters’ awareness of their situation (SA)—and also their understanding of what aspects of that situation are relevant to the successful completion of their task (situation understanding, SU). Our data, collected from 685 firefighters, suggest that the firefighters showed pronounced individual differences in the amount of information they accepted when building SA, but that they were almost universally predisposed to believe that information was relevant to their task (even though it may not have been). Non-firefighters, when compared with firefighters were generally more likely to accept a wider range of information spatially distributed across the RTC situation, but less likely to believe it to be relevant. The implication of our data is that individuals in the same situation may perceive that situation in different ways due to the way they handle the available information—and that training and experience affect that perception

Do you see what I see? Exploring differing awareness of the same situation

Fundamental limits on the human ability to process all available information in real-world situations necessarily require that some information is filtered out by attentional processes, and so that information is not used to build ‘situation awareness’ (SA). The implication is that two (or more) people in the same situation may not perceive it in the same way, nor make the same decisions as to how to operate. Such differences in perception can become very important in safety critical situations such as the one that we report here—firefighter attendance at a road-traffic collision (RTC). Using a desktop virtual reality simulation of a RTC, we examined firefighters’ awareness of their situation (SA)—and also their understanding of what aspects of that situation are relevant to the successful completion of their task (situation understanding, SU). Our data, collected from 685 firefighters, suggest that the firefighters showed pronounced individual differences in the amount of information they accepted when building SA, but that they were almost universally predisposed to believe that information was relevant to their task (even though it may not have been). Non-firefighters, when compared with firefighters were generally more likely to accept a wider range of information spatially distributed across the RTC situation, but less likely to believe it to be relevant. The implication of our data is that individuals in the same situation may perceive that situation in different ways due to the way they handle the available information—and that training and experience affect that perception