The objective of this thesis was to determine the effects of frequency of milking and feed delivery on the behavioural patterns and productivity of lactating dairy cows. In two independent experiments, twelve free-stall housed, lactating Holstein dairy cows were exposed to either varying milking frequency or varying feed delivery frequency over 21-d periods. In the first study, cows milked three times per day and multiparous cows produced more milk than those milked twice per day and primiparous cows. Milking three times per day altered the distribution of feeding activity throughout the day. Multiparous cows had longer, and larger meals, while primiparous cows had smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day when milked three times per day. In the second study, cows delivered feed three times per day consumed more DM than those fed once per day and twice per day. Feed delivery frequency had little effect on feeding behaviour and the distribution of feeding activity, but altered the magnitude of DMI following feed delivery. Cows delivered feed more frequently achieve greater daily DMI by consuming more feed following the return from milking and the delivery of feed. / This project was financially supported by a Dairy Farmers of Ontario (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) research grant and an Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA; Guelph, Ontario, Canada)/University of Guelph Production Systems research grant. Additional project support was received from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) and the Ontario Research Fund (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OGU.10214/6765 |
| Date | 21 May 2013 |
| Creators | Hart, Kelly |
| Contributors | DeVries, Trevor |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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