Human contact and the effects of acute stress on cows at milking
We examined the effects of novelty/isolation stress on cows at milking and whether human contact reduced the stress. Holstein cows (n=18) were observed during three experimental milkings following a balanced order: (1) control (C) — milked in usual place; (2) novelty/isolation stress (S) — milked alone in an unfamiliar room; (3) human contact (HC) — […]
Human and animal behaviour in dairy buffalo at milking
This study aims to investigate the relationship between human behaviour, buffalo behaviour and prevalence of oxytocin injection at milking. The research was carried out on 17 buffalo farms. On each farm the stockperson’s behaviour toward the buffaloes and the buffaloes’ behaviour were observed during one afternoon’s milking. Stockperson’s behaviour was observed from collection of the […]
Effect of pre-partum habituation to milking routine on behaviour and lactation performance of buffalo heifers
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect pre-partum habituation in the milking parlour on behaviour and lactation performance of buffalo heifers. Sixteen buffalo heifers in late gestation were used for this study. The animals, with an age ranging from 30 to 44 months at the start of the study, were equally allocated […]