Jenny behaviour during machine milking

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of machine milking on behaviour, milk production and milk quality of jennies. Four Martina Franca and four Ragusana jennies were used. Five jennies had no experience of machine milking (group NE), whereas other three had (group E). Milking was performed by a portable milking unit once a week from 20 to 140 days in milk and residual milk was dripped by hand. Before milking foals were separated from the mothers at different time intervals. The behaviours, recorded from the attachment to the removal of milking cluster, were step (foot lifted less than 15 cm off of the ground) and kick (raised more than 15 cm off of the ground, even if a clear kick was not visible). In addition, defecation, urination and vocalisation were recorded as a single behavioural activity, but this activity was observed so rarely that was not included in the statistical analysis. Duration of milking, milk yield and quantity of dripped milk were also registered. Data were analysed by using the mixed procedure of SAS with day of lactation as repeated factor, experience as non repeated factor and time of separation of foal as covariate. The jenny was considered random. In addition, Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were used to determine the correlation between variables. The number of steps (1.29±0.56 vs 1.61±0.43 n/min; for groups E and NE, respectively) and kicks (0.34±0.26 vs 0.56±0.20 n/min; for groups E and NE, respectively) expressed by jennies during machine milking was very low. These variables along with duration of milking were not affected by experience (2.87±0.29 vs 2.94±0.22 min; for groups E and NE, respectively). Conversely, time of separation from foals had a significant influence on duration of milking and number of kicks (P<0.01). Duration of milking increased with the time of separation (r=0.294; P