Abstract

GARCIA CASTRO, Fredy Enrique; ZUNIGA LOPEZ, Aldemar; FLOREZ CASTANEDA, Diana Catherine  and  CUBIDES CARDENAS, Jaime Andrés. Noise levels during the milking of dairies with mechanical systems in the highlands of the tropics of Colombia and its effect on milk quality and animal welfare. Rev. investig. vet. Perú [online]. 2019, vol.30, n.2, pp.691-698. ISSN 1609-9117.  http://dx.doi.org/10.15381/rivep.v30i2.14642.

The objective of this study was to determine the noise levels during milking in mechanical milking systems (fixed and mobile) and their relationship with animal welfare and milk quality. The noise levels were measured in eight farms located in the municipalities of La Sabana de Bogotá (Colombia). The exposure of cows to noise was measured in the milking parlour (RUME), in the milking parlour before the milking (RUIN) and at the end of milking, with the equipment turned off (RUFI). Milking was also classified according to the noise level as noisy milking and milking with tolerable noise. The groups were compared in relation to the production, composition and quality of milk, as well as behavior associated with stress. Significant differences were found for the somatic cell count and the number of mesophilic bacteria (p<0.05), being higher in the so-called noisy milking.

Keywords : noise; animal welfare; dairy cattle; mechanical milking.

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