In organic dairy farms, calves stay with their mother usually for two days after calving. This is not different from conventional dairy farms. During the last years the interest to alter this fact has steadily increased. Farmers expect an improvement of the health of the calves and to spare labour time as well: calves get their milk at the right time with the right temperature and a low content of bacteria. However, suckling influences the process of machine milking and the milk quality, too. This study investigated these correlations. Cows – suckling and milking – were compared with other cows which had no or only reduced contact to their offspring. Every group contained ten cows. Over a period of 8 weeks milk flow curves were weekly gained. Quarter-foremilk-samples for cyto-bacteriological analysis were collected every 14 days. The results revealed a clear effect of the suckling on machine milking: 25% of all milkings showed bimodal-ities. Only 10% and 5% of the milk flow curves of cows without and with reduced calf contact, respectively, were bimodal. The mean milk loss was 5.3 kg per cow and milking when the calves had the opportunity to suckle after milking. This means a daily loss of approximately 12 kg milk per cow and day, which is not going to the market. The fat content was reduced: the milk of the suckler cows contained 1% less fat than the milk of the other two groups of cows. The udder health of cows did not change. Also the behaviour of the cows during milking did not differ. The experiments indicated that suckling after machine milking influences the milking process. The alveolar milk can not be removed completely by the milking machine. A remarkable amount of milk remains in the udder to guarantee the feed of the calves. Further investigations should focus on suckling prior to milking to avoid the negative effects on machine milking.
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