By Anna Schwanke
Automated milking systems (AMS) allow dairy cows to be managed at a more individual level, through customized feed supplementation and milking permissions. However, differences in personality traits between cows can influence their feeding and milking behaviours. Three studies were conducted which aimed to investigate the relationship between cow personality traits and feeding and milking behaviors under: 1) different amounts of AMS concentrate (15 cows; 3.0 vs. 6.0 kg/d), 2) transitioning mid-lactation cows to an AMS with different AMS concentrate amounts (29 cows; 2.0 vs. 6.0 kg/d), and 3) transitioning fresh cows to an AMS (60 cows). Personality traits were assessed in each study through observation of behaviours in response to a novel environment, object, and human, and interpreted using principal components analysis. Associations of personality traits with feeding and milking behaviours were analyzed using linear regression models. In study 1, cows who were less bold were less likely to consume the maximum amount of AMS concentrate (P<0.01) and had greater daily variation in total feed intake when allocated 6.0 kg/d (P=0.05). When transitioned to an AMS in mid-lactation in study 2, more active cows who were provided more AMS concentrate were at greater risk of kicking off milking equipment during the AMS training period (P=0.05), but in the 8 weeks after AMS training were less likely to kickoff milking equipment regardless of concentrate provision (P=0.04). When transitioned to an AMS in the fresh period in study 3, more active cows had more voluntary AMS visits (P=0.03) and more milking equipment kickoffs (P<0.01). The data from these studies indicate that dairy cow personality traits influence feeding and milking behaviours in an AMS. Understanding the effect of personality traits on behaviours in these systems can help ensure that cows thrive by having both their individual behavioural and nutritional needs met, as well as minimizing negative experiences caused by problematic milking events or negative interactions with humans due to lack of voluntary AMS visits.
