Behavioural Responses of Primiparous and Multiparous Dairy Cows to The Milking Process over an Entire Lactation

The objective of this study was to examine associations between milking temperament, parity and milk production traits in primiparous and multiparous dairy cows. Twenty-one primiparous and nineteen multiparous Holstein Friesian cows were involved in the investigation on a Hungarian dairy farm. Cows’ stepping behaviour, milk yield and average milking speed were recorded once a month over an entire lactation, during morning milking. Milking temperament was scored by direct human observation on a 5-point-scale (1=very nervous, 5=very quiet) during udder preparation and milking. Multiparous cows showed a little more excitable behaviour at milking than during udder preparation (Mann-Whitney U=14165.00, P=0.032), and they were calmer at premilking preparation than primiparous cows (Mann-Whitney U=14046.00, P=0.001). Milking temperament of multiparous cows during udder preparation was associated with milking speed: nervous cows let down their milk slower (F=9.102, df= 1, P=0.003). Further experiments are needed to repeat the milking temperament test along with sensors measuring heart rate variability of cows in order to better understand the milking behaviour of cows.