Portal de Murcia
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Researchers from the Animal Nutrition and Nutrition Research Group of the University of Murcia and the Murcian company El Barranquillo have collaborated in a research project whose main objective was to study the effects on the welfare of cows could have an intensification in their milking.
The project started from the premise that in dairy cattle farms, animals are usually subjected, as usual practice, to three daily milkings, this being considered the appropriate number for productive and animal recovery purposes.
However, "several scientific publications showed that cows come voluntarily, even more than three times a day, to the milking rooms, which is associated with the need felt by the animal to empty its udders given the discomforts and the discomfort that this may cause, since, among other things, his mobility is reduced or he even finds it difficult to lie down, "says Professor Fuensanta Hernández Ruipérez, coordinator of the research on behalf of the UMU.
From this data, the managers of the company The Barranquillo had been asking if an extra milking could help to combat this discomfort of the animal and if the other parameters associated with their welfare could be affected.
They also wondered if this would lead to increased production and if the quality of milk could be impaired by intensification.
To try to answer these questions from a scientific perspective the company sought the collaboration of the University of Murcia, which has been responsible for designing and managing the entire experimental part of the project study of the duration and time of applying the intensification, organization of groups of animals, study of milk production, analysis of samples to know the impact on milk quality and animal welfare, etc.
according to the experience accumulated by the research group of the UMU in the field of animal production.
The results obtained after the development of the project have been quite enlightening, since "on the one hand it has been shown that the intensification of daily milking (going from 3 to 4 milkings) for short periods of time does not harm the welfare of the animal, nor of acute or chronic form, based on the analysis of various biomarkers associated with the state of health of the animals, while, on the other hand, it has been found that there is no detriment in the quality of the milk obtained by that extra milking, not diminishing any of its nutritional or sensory qualities ", adds Professor Hernández Ruipérez.
Finally, this project has shown that productive efficiency of dairy cattle farms is achieved through the intensification of milking, since it has been possible to increase the daily production per animal up to 1.6 liters, which can Assume greater economic returns for the company and all this without the cow being affected in any way
With this project, El Barranquillo demonstrates a firm commitment to R + D + i as a formula to try to solve specific business needs, relying on the University of Murcia as a center of knowledge production.
"It is a clear example of the benefits that University-Business collaboration can bring to the productive fabric of the Region of Murcia, in terms of innovation and competitiveness", say sources from the area of ​​technology transfer of the UMU.
The results have been obtained in the framework of the research project 'Intensification of milking and the optimization of the ration for the improvement of milk production and quality in heifers', developed with the help of the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) ) of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and co-financed by the European Union (FEDER Funds) through the Smart Growth Operating Program (2014-2020).
Source: Universidad de Murcia
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