Effect of the frequency of milking in the production and performance of lactating dairy cows

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the frequency of milking in the behavior patterns and productivity of dairy cows. 18 Holsteins dairy cows were exposed to each of the three treatments (over a period of 21 days) in groups of 6, in a replicated crossover design and housed in a stable. Milking treatments were: group A: 1 x / d (at 6:00 o'clock), group B: 2 x / d (at 6:00 and 18:00 h), and group C: 3 x / d (at 6:00, 12:00 and 18:00 h). Cows milked 3 x / d produced 2.9 kg/d more milk than those milked 2 x / d. Cows milked 2 x / d produced 4.1 kg/d more milk than those milked 1 x / d. Cows milked 1 x / d produced more fat than cows milked 3 x / d. Heifers consumed 3.9 kg/d less dry matter (DM) than multiparous cows. Cows milked 1 x / d did not lose weight while cows milked 3 x /lost weight slowly over 21 days which suggests that over time their body condition changed and deteriorated. The results point out that cows milked 3 x / d, and heifers adjusted their nutritional behavior positively to achieve increases in production similar to those from the multiparous cows. In general, milking 3 x / d can be used to increase production; however, a greater frequency of milking causes variable effects on cows behavior, both in heifers and multiparous cows, which suggests that grouping and managing cows on the basis of the number of births could be beneficial.