Milk productivity of Holstein cows under different housing conditions

Abstract

Relevance. In the context of the transition of dairy farming to an industrial basis, it is critically important to assess the adaptation of high-yielding breeds, in particular Holstein, to different housing and milking systems in specific natural and climatic zones, for example, in the Middle Urals. Methods. The study was conducted on Holstein cows at a breeding farm in the Sverdlovsk region. The animals were divided into two groups: tethered housing with milking into an ADM-8 milk pipeline, and loose housing with robotic milking. Using control milking methods, milk yield per 305 days and per year, mass fraction of fat and protein, somatic cell count, and sanitary-hygienic parameters of milk were assessed. Statistical data processing was performed to determine the significance of differences (p-level). Results. A significant advantage of the loose-housing robotic technology was established. Milk yield per 305 days of lactation was 18.2% higher (10,917 vs. 9,234 kg), and milk protein content was 0.06 percentage points higher (3.15% vs. 3.09%, p ≤ 0.01). The somatic cell count in bulk milk decreased by 2.5 times (to 128 thousand/ml). All milk from the robotic milking group met the highest-grade standards, whereas under tethered housing some milk (3%) was classified as second grade. Loose housing combined with robotic milking not only increases the milk productivity of Holstein cows in the Urals, but also significantly improves the quality and sanitary safety of milk by reducing the mastitis burden. The results substantiate the economic and technological feasibility of modernizing dairy farms in the region.