Analysis of milking characteristics in New Zealand dairy cows

The objective of this study was to describe the variation in milking characteristics, and factors associated with these traits, in grazing dairy cows milked without premilking stimulation. Milk yield, duration, and average and maximum milk flow rate data were collected from 38 farms in New Zealand at 2 time points (spring and autumn) during the 2010 to 2011 season. Subsequently, a second data set, allowing the generation of daily milk flow profiles, was collected from 2 farms in the 2011 to 2012 season. Corresponding animal data, such as breed, date of birth, and ancestry information, were extracted from the New Zealand Dairy Industry Good Animal Database (New Zealand Animal Evaluation Ltd., Hamilton, New Zealand). Residual milking duration (deviation from the regression line of milk yield on milking duration) was calculated, allowing the identification of fast-milking cows independent of milk yield. Variance components for the milking characteristics traits were estimated using an animal linear mixed model. The average milk yield was 10 kg/milking and the average milking duration was 360 s. The average milk flow rate was 1.8 kg/min and maximum milk flow 3.3 kg/min, with 44% of milk flow curves being classified as bimodal. Primiparous animals exhibited different milk flow profiles, with a lower maximum flow, than multiparous animals, possibly due to differences in cisternal capacity. Residual milking duration was shortest (-10 s) in mid-lactation (121-180 d) and was 13 s longer for Jersey compared with Friesian cows; however, it was 19 s shorter when adjusted for energy content. Residual milking duration had a negligible genetic correlation (-0.07) with milk yield, indicating that selection for cows with shorter residual milking duration should have a negligible effect on milk yield. A heritability of 0.27 indicated that residual milking duration could be valuable as part of a breeding program. Knowledge of the distribution of milking durations for a given milk yield allows farmers to choose appropriate cluster-on time when using a maximum milking time strategy to improve milking efficiency.