Quantification of Lactation Curves for Diagnosis

Abstract

Milk production over time (the lactation curve) is both a reflection of the health of a lactating cow and the most important economic measure of her performance. MilkBot™ is a tool to quantify both the shape and magnitude of lactation curves in a consistent and repeatable way. These fitted curves, and the parameter values which define them, provide a quantitative measure of essential differences which exist between individual lactations. This paper describes a new tool set available to researchers and bovine practitioners, with a few examples of early applications.