Adaptation of early lactating crossbred dairy cows to computerized automatic feeding station

Abstract

The present study evaluated the adaptation performance of crossbred dairy cows (n=14) in a computerized Automatic Feeding Station (AFS). In the adaptation study, cows (7 in each group) were separated into two groups: control and treatment, over 8 weeks. The treatment group cows received an extra 10% of the concentrate ration compared to the control group. The present study aimed to evaluate the adaptation behavior of early lactating crossbred dairy cows in the computerized AFS. The percentage of adaptation was assessed based on the number of rewarded (successful) visits compared to the allotted concentrate ration, using the ALPRO® software system provided by M/s DeLaval. The adaptation performance was monitored over 8 weeks, revealing that by the 2nd week, all experimental cows had achieved 100% adaptation into the computerized AFS. Furthermore, a strong correlation was observed between the weekly average concentrate allotted and the mean number of visits (r=0.785) and milk yield (r=0.654) in the computerized feeding station.