- English
A continuous comparative Dutch study of the final production results of the various brands of milking robots has revealed that in 2023, cows milked in a Lely Astronaut milking robot once again yielded more milk than cows milked using other milking systems. In 2023, there was a larger difference in kilograms of milk than ever, while the somatic cell count of cows milked with a Lely milking robot was lowest on average.
Dutch cows milked with a Lely Astronaut milking robot yielded on average 5.8% more milk than cows milked by other brands of milking robots. Compared with milking parlours, the difference is significantly higher at 11.2%. Such a significance difference has never been reported previously. Even with this higher milk production, Astronaut users manage to maintain a high component percentage with fat and protein percentages that are comparable to other milking systems.
In total, an average cow milked in an Astronaut milking robot produced 433 kg of fat and 354 kg of protein. In comparison, an average cow milked in a parlour produced 396 kg of fat and 319 kg of protein.
If this is converted into euros, a dairy farmer with 100 cows milked with an Astronaut milking robot in 2023 achieved an average additional profit of €45,800 compared with farmers who milked their herd in parlours. On a dairy farm of 100 cows, the milk revenue is €24,800 higher with an Astronaut milking robot than with another brand of milking robot. There was no significant difference in the calving interval of cows milked in different milking systems in 2023. The average number of inseminations per pregnancy was also very similar for these three groups. Despite higher milk production in automatic milking systems, fertility is not affected.
More information: www.lely.com
