USING THE ROBOTIC MILKING MACHINE FOR COW’S SELECTION OPTIMIZING CAPABILITIES

Abstract

Milk production industrial development has led to automated milking technologies. By using of the robot-milker it targeted cows’ selection in the herd according to the morphological contributing and functional characteristics of the udder, that ultimately stimulates milk production increasing. At the same time, robotic equipment use cows’ selection in accordance to stricter selection parameters requires for cows in terms of udder shape and nipple length on dairy farms. The purpose of the research is cows suitability parameters’ study for robot milking and the influence of selection parameters for milking suitability for robotic milking machines for milk production determining. The research was conducted on the basis of data obtained due to 2017-2022 on Kaluga region’s farm by robotic milking machines from Lely (Netherlands) using, the number of cows in average is 126 heads. Studied indicators: milk yield for 305 days of lactation, udder shape, nipples’ shape and size, udder attachment, udder capacity, of udder rear development uniformity, milk flow intensity. As a result of the study, it was found that cows’ milking on a robotic installation contributed to the cows’ selection of with a tubshaped udder (up to 52,3% of the total livestock), with evenly developed udder shares, with a milk yield rate of more than as 2,34 kg/min, as well as milk quality in terms of bacterial contamination and the number of somatic cells improving. On average, the milk yield increase in over 305 days of lactation during the study period was 18,7%. At the same time, the cows selection for milk production, taking into account the indicators determinating on a robotic installation, can be carried out at a higher level with a more cows’ rigid arrangement that do not meet the requirements of robotic milking.