Evaluating machine learning algorithms to predict lameness in dairy cattle.

Dairy cattle lameness represents one of the common concerns in intensive and commercial dairy farms. Lameness is characterized by gait-related behavioral changes in cows and multiple approaches are being utilized to associate these changes with lameness conditions including data from accelerometers, and other precision technologies. The objective was to evaluate the use of machine learning algorithms for the identification of lameness conditions in dairy cattle.

Amount and variation of strip yields collected by a defined hand-milking method after machine milking of Holstein dairy cows.

Hand-milking methods to assess the completeness of milking in dairy cows need to be reliable as well as quick to apply in order to avoid delays in group milking parlours. A previous study comparing different methods demonstrated that a defined milking handgrip with a strip frequency of 1 Hz was most suitable to assess the completeness of milk-out in dairy cows. In a first step, the present study aimed to investigate how much milk can be hand-milked by the defined handgrip, strip frequency and within a time limit of 15 s per quarter.

Relationship between dairy cows' hind leg activity and vacuum records during milking.

In a number of dairy farms, a restlessness of hind legs of cows during milking can be observed for no apparent reason. Previous studies have associated the hind leg activity of cows with mental or physical discomfort. Aim of this study was to investigate whether the observed hind leg activity was influenced by the milking process.

Evaluation of three methods to assess the degree of milk-out in dairy cows.

The assessment of the completeness of milk-out in dairy cows is one of the indicators used to evaluate and optimise the milking process. A number of different methods and thresholds are available for this purpose, but procedures and validation of the methods are not always described in detail, and may vary between studies. The objective of this study was to introduce and evaluate a new, precisely defined hand-milking method (DEFINED) and to compare its outcome with two commonly applied methods to assess the completeness of milking: visual scoring of the degree of quarter filling (VISUAL) and quantitative assessment of the number of easy strips (EASYSTRIPS).

Accuracy and application of milk fatty acid estimation with diffuse reflectance near-infrared spectroscopy.

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has the potential to estimate contents of fatty acids (FA) in milk frequently at-farm or during daily milking routine. In this study, a total of 738 raw milk spectra collected from 33 Holstein cows over a period of 30 weeks were recorded. Reference data on FA composition in milk and in milk fat were analysed in laboratory.