Derivation and interpretation of the MilkBot® lactation model in monitoring health of dairy cattle

Abstract

The MilkBot® model is a nonlinear lactation model that has been shown to perform well both in summarizing differences in lactation-curve shape and in projecting future milk production for individual lactations. An understanding of the derivation and assumptions behind the model aids in interpretation of model parameters, which constitute a concise language for summarizing the distribution of milk production within a lactation.