Does the Location of Concentrate Provision Affect Voluntary Visits, and Milk and Milk Component Yield for Cows in an Automated Milking System?

Eight Holstein cows were used in a cross-over design test whether concentrate allocation in an automated milking system (AMS) affects DMI and milk production. Cows were fed a high-energy partial mixed ration (HE-PMR) with 0.5 kg of AMS concentrate or a low-energy PMR (LE-PMR) with 5.0 kg of AMS concentrate. AMS concentrate intake was greater and PMR intake was reduced for LE-PMR than HE-PMR. Milk, fat, and protein yields were not affected by treatment. In a guided traffic flow barn, providing a PMR with greater energy density increases DMI, but has no effect on milk and milk component yield.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author