Milking frequency effect on rumination daily profile of dairy cows

Rumination monitoring assesses dairy cows' health, reproduction, and welfare status. The present study evaluated whether increasing the milking frequency affects dairy cows' milk yield and daily rumination profile. The database was obtained from cows monitored using collars equipped with a rumination sensor. Cows were milked two (n = 9 and 379 cows) or three (n = 14 and 704 cows) times daily. Increased milking frequency improved (P <= 0.05) milk yield from 36.0 to 41.6 kg/cow/d. However, the milking frequency did not affect (P > 0.05) daily rumination or the proportion of diurnal rumination. Diurnal rumination (from 7 to 19 h) generally represents 46.3% of daily rumination. Cows milked twice daily showed a significant decrease in rumination rate, especially during the second daily milking, compared to cows milked three times daily. Thus, milking frequency affects milk yield and reduces rumination during milking. However, it does not affect daily rumination and the proportion of diurnal rumination and can be used as an acidosis marker regardless of milk frequency.