AU2013205911B2

AU2013205911B2 - Method and arrangement for animal management

Info

Publication number: AU2013205911B2
Application number: AU2013205911A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Kendra Davis; Ulrika ÖHMAN
Original assignee: DeLaval Holding AB
Current assignee: DeLaval Holding AB
Priority date: 2008-07-04
Filing date: 2013-05-17
Publication date: 2016-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 2029-06-15
Also published as: NZ589893A; NZ577770A; AU2009202368B2; AU2009202368A1; AU2013205911A1

Abstract

A method is provided for management of animals which are allowed to move in an area (11) intended therefore, wherein the area includes at least one grazing paddock (12a-f) in which the animals can graze, and a milking area (13) in which the animals are milked, and a waiting area 5 (14), wherein the milking area and the waiting area are each accessible from the at least one grazing paddock, and the milking area is accessible from the waiting area. According to the method each of a plurality of animals that is to visit the milking area is identified (21). It is checked (22) whether each of the animals has milking permission and only the animals, which are checked and found to have milking permission, are allowed, guided, or forced (23) to enter 10 the milking area. It is further checked (24) whether each of the animals, which is checked and found not to have milking permission, fulfills another criterion, and the animals, which are checked and found to fulfill the other criterion, are allowed, guided, or forced (25) to enter the waiting area. 1/2a 17b , 15b , 13 13b 12 17a 17a 1a 175a 17a~ b 1 15a8 17a 14N5 115a ad 15a 17a 15b 16aa Fig,

Description

METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR ANIMAL MANAGEMENT TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement for animal management in a milking system.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Automatic milking systems (AMS) are well known in the art. The current implementations of AMS are almost entirely with housed cows. Cows are bedded and fed in a large bam that also houses the AMS. Cows learn to circulate freely the short distance between their cubicles and the AMS unit, a prime motivator being in-bail feeding while they are being milked in the AMS. The cows only need to move comparatively short distances, perhaps 20-30 m within the housing system to the AMS.

Many cows around the world are not housed in this fashion, however, but freely graze pasture. In New Zealand and Australia, in particular, there is no housing of cows; they spend all their time on pasture. These pasture-based systems are very extensive and often require the cows to walk considerable distances to be milked in conventional milking systems. This can be up to 2-3 km walking distance, and they normally do this twice a day. Voluntary milking systems, which cows visit on a voluntary basis, have become increasingly common during the last years. In such systems cows are monitored and are given milking permission on an individual basis. WO 03/000044 discloses a selection system for milking animals which could enable an automatic milking system (AMS) to be efficiently used in extensive grazing husbandry. Lactating animals, for example cows, are attracted to a drinking station from a grazing paddock. As cows come to drink at the drinking station, they are identified and checked against milking records. If a cow meets a predefined criterion, it is directed to a milking area which could include an automatic milking system. If a cow does not meet a predetermined criterion, the cow is directed back to the paddock from where it came.

Reference to any prior art in this specification does not consitute an admission that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

While WO 03/000044 discloses a system that indeed will increase the throughput of animals through the AMS and thus increase milk production, there are many more measures to be taken in order to increase productivity as well as animal welfare.

It would be desirable to provide a method and arrangement for animal management in a pasture based system, which provide for improved efficiency of the milking production.

It would be desirable to provide such method and arrangement, by which the AMS utilization and/or animal care are/is improved.

According to one aspect of the invention a method is provided for management of animals which are allowed to move in an area intended therefore. The area includes at least one grazing paddock in which the animals can graze, and a milking area in which the animals can be milked, and a waiting area, wherein the milking area and the waiting area are each accessible from the at least one grazing paddock, and the milking area is accessible from the waiting area. The milking area, which may be an indoor arrangement, an outdoor arrangement or a combined indoor/outdoor arrangement, comprises advantageously an automatic milking system and may comprise a waiting pen or area in front of the milking system such that animals that are allowed to enter the milking area may line up in front of the milking system and enter a milking box of the milking system in a sequential order. The waiting area may be a waiting pen or a small grazing paddock located adjacent or at least close to the milking area.

According to the method each of a plurality of animals that is to visit the milking area is identified. It is checked then whether each of the animals has milking permission and only the animals, which are checked and found to have milking permission, are allowed, guided, or forced to enter or guided to the milking area. It is thereafter checked whether each of the animals, which is checked and found not to have milking permission, fulfdls another criterion, and the animals, which are checked and found to fulfill the other criterion, are allowed, guided, or forced to enter or guided to the waiting area. The animals which do not fulfill any of the criteria are not allowed to enter the milking area or the waiting area. They may not even be allowed to leave the at least one grazing paddock or may be allowed to leave the at least one grazing paddock and then allowed, guided, or forced to return to said grazing paddock without visiting the milking area or the waiting area.

In one embodiment, the other criterion is whether the respective animal is expected to obtain milking permission within a certain period of time such as for instance within 0-6 hours. The animals collected in the waiting area are preferably allowed, guided, or forced to enter the milking area after a certain period of time, e.g. after 2 hours, in order to be milked. This period of time may be predetermined or may be determined dynamically dependent on the utilization of the milking equipment of the milking area. The period of time may also be different for each animal in the waiting area, that is, they are allowed to leave the waiting area on an individual basis after having been identified at a gate of the waiting area.

Hereby, animals which are almost qualified for milking can be kept in a waiting area such as small closely located grazing paddock during a shorter period of time before being milked in the milking area. If these animals would be redirected to grazing paddocks far away or if they were never allowed to reach the surroundings of the milking area, the probability that the animals would again visit the milking area within short is low and as a result the milk production would be lower. The provision of the waiting area close to the milking area for housing animals that are almost qualified for milking during a shorter period of time before milking them, increases milk production and increases the utilization of the milking equipment.

In another embodiment, the other criterion is whether the respective animal is to be examined and/or treated. Hereby, a farmer or veterinarian can treat the animals close to the milking area and if required the animals can be milked and then guided to a particular area or grazing paddock (or the animals can be guided there without being milked).

In a further embodiment, the area includes a further waiting area such as a waiting pen or small grazing paddock located close to the exit from the milking area. The at least one grazing paddock and the further waiting area are accessible from the milking area. According to this particular embodiment, it is checked whether each of the animals, which has entered the milking area, fulfills yet another criterion. Each of the animals, which fulfills the yet another criterion, is, after milking, allowed, guided, or forced to enter the at least one grazing paddock from the milking area, whereas each of the animals, which does not fulfill the yet another criterion, is, after milking, allowed, guided, or forced to enter the further waiting area from the milking area. This further waiting area may be an area for further treatment of the animals subsequent to milking. The yet another criterion may be made based on at least one measurement performed in the milking area such as e.g. a measurement of the milk produced by each animal such as a cell count or conductivity measurement, or a measurement of each animal such as weight, body score index, or similar.

By such provisions animals can be properly treated and the animal welfare is thus increased. Further, the milk production will be improved when the animals can be properly treated without delay.

According to a further aspect of the invention an arrangement for animal management is provided, by which the above disclosed method can be implemented. The arrangement comprises an identification arrangement for the identifications, an automatic gate arrangement for controlling the traffic of animals to the milking area and the waiting area, and a processing and control device operatively connected to the identification arrangement for receiving the identifications, provided for performing the checking steps, and operatively connected to the automatic gate arrangement for controlling the same.

According to a yet further aspect of the invention a method for management of animals which are allowed to move in an area intended therefore is provided. The area includes a plurality of grazing paddocks of different sizes, in which the animals can graze, a milking area, in which the animals can be milked, and a plurality of automatically controlled gates that are capable of allowing the plurality of animals to move between the plurality of grazing paddocks. According to the method the plurality of animals are allowed, forced, or guided, during a selected period of time, to move from one to another one of the plurality of grazing paddocks by means of controlling the plurality of automatically controlled gates only if the other one of the grazing paddocks is smaller and/or more closely located to the milking area than the one of the grazing paddocks. The selected period of time is preferably a selected period of time during the day and night.

Preferably, in one embodiment a time, at which a low utilization of the milking equipment of the milking area occurs, is forecast, and the selected period of time (during which the animals are allowed, forced, or guided to move in accordance with the above) is preceding or overlapping with the time, at which the low utilization of the milking equipment is forecast.

Hereby, milk production can be increased since it is more probable that an animal in a smaller grazing paddock located close to the milking area will be visiting the milking area within a given, preferably fairly short, period of time than an animal in a larger grazing paddock located far away from the milking area.

According to a still further aspect of the invention an arrangement for animal management is provided, by which the above disclosed method can be implemented. The arrangement comprises the automatically controlled gates and a processing and control device operatively connected to the automatically controlled gates for controlling the same.

In a further aspect the invention provides a method for management of animals which are allowed to move in an area intended therefore, said area including; at least one grazing paddock in which the animals can graze, and a milking area in which the animals can be milked, and a waiting area, wherein the milking area and the waiting area are each accessible from said at least one grazing paddock, and the milking area is accessible from the waiting area, the method including the steps of: - identifying each of a plurality of animals that is to visit said milking area; - checking whether each of said plurality of animals has milking permission; - only allowing, guiding, or forcing each of said plurality of animals, which is checked and found to have milking permission, to enter the milking area; - checking whether each of said plurality of animals, which is checked and found not to have milking permission, fulfills another criterion; and - guiding each of said plurality of animals, which is checked and found to fulfill said another criterion, to enter the waiting area.

In a further aspect the invention provides an arrangement for management of animals which are allowed to move in an area intended therefore, said area including at least one grazing paddock in which the animals can graze, and a milking area in which the animals can be milked, and a waiting area, wherein the milking area and the waiting area are each accessible from said at least one grazing paddock, and the milking area is accessible from the waiting area, including: - an identification arrangement provided for identifying each of a plurality of animals that is to visit said milking area; - a processing and control device operatively connected to the identification arrangement and provided for checking whether each of said plurality of animals has milking permission; - an automatic gate arrangement operatively connected to the processing and control device, wherein - said processing and control device is provided for - controlling the automatic gate arrangement to only allow, guide, or force each of said plurality of animals, which is checked and found to have milking permission, to enter the milking area; - checking whether each of said plurality of animals, which is checked and found not to have milking permission, fulfills another criterion; and - controlling the automatic gate arrangement to allow, guide, or force each of said plurality of animals, which is checked and found to fulfill said another criterion, to enter the waiting area.

In a further aspect the invention provides a method for management of animals which are allowed to move in an area intended therefore, said area including a plurality of grazing paddocks of different sizes, in which the animals can graze, a milking area, in which the animals can be milked, and a plurality of automatically controlled gates that are capable of allowing the plurality of animals to move between the plurality of grazing paddocks, the method including the step of: - allowing, guiding, or forcing, during a selected period of time, by means of controlling the plurality of automatically controlled gates, the plurality of animals to move from one to another one of the plurality of grazing paddocks only if said other one of the grazing paddocks is smaller and/or more closely located to the milking area than said one of the grazing paddocks.

In a further aspect the invention provides an arrangement for management of animals which are allowed to move in an area intended therefore, said area including a plurality of grazing paddocks of different sizes, in which the animals can graze, a plurality of automatically controlled gates that are capable of allowing the plurality of animals to move between the plurality of grazing paddocks, and a milking area accessible from the plurality of grazing paddocks, including: - a control device provided for allowing, guiding, or forcing, during a selected period of time, by means of controlling the plurality of automatically controlled gates, the plurality of animals to move from one to another one of the plurality of grazing paddocks provided that said other one of the grazing paddocks is smaller and/or more closely located to the milking area than said one of the grazing paddocks.

It shall be appreciated that the various aspects and embodiments of the invention as disclosed above may be combined in a plurality of manners.

Further characteristics of the invention, and advantages thereof, will be evident from the detailed description of embodiments of the present invention given hereinafter and the accompanying Figs. 1-2, which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 illustrates schematically an arrangement for housing animals in which an arrangement for animal management in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is implemented.

Fig. 2 is a flow scheme of a method for animal management in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Fig. 1 illustrates schematically a pasture based animal arrangement 11 for housing animals comprising six enclosed grazing paddocks 12a-f in which the animals can graze. A passageway 16 is accessible from each of the grazing paddocks 12a-f via a respective automatic door arrangement 17 and each of the automatic door arrangements 17 is provided with an animal identification device 15.

The passageway 16 leads to a milking area 13 and a waiting area 14 via a further automatic door arrangement 17 provided with an animal identification device 15 for identification of animals present in front of the automatic door arrangement 17. A processing and control device 18 is operatively connected to each animal identification device 15 to receive identifications and is operatively connected to each automatic door arrangement 17 to control the openings and closings thereof.

Animals can thus be identified at the respective grazing paddock 12a-f before being allowed to enter the passageway 16 and again be identified at the entries to the milking area 13 and the waiting area 14. After this second identification each animal can be allowed, guided, or forced to enter either the milking area 13 or the waiting area 14 depending on different criteria to be detailed later in this description.

Animals collected in the waiting area 14 may be allowed, guided, or forced to enter the milking area 13 through the automatic door arrangement 17 at the entries to the milking area 13 and the waiting area 14 at a certain time or occasion.

The waiting area 14 is a waiting pen or enclosure or is a small grazing paddock located adjacent or at least in vicinity of the milking area 13.

The milking area 13 comprises an automatic milking system or automatic milking equipment 13a and may comprise a waiting pen or area (not illustrated) in front of the automatic milking system 13a such that animals that are allowed to enter the milking area 13 may line up in front of the automatic milking system 13a and enter a milking box of the automatic milking system 13a. It shall be appreciated that the milking area 13 may house several automatic milking systems or at least several milking boxes, in which animals can be milked concurrently.

The milking area 13 may further house one or several measurement devices 13b provided for measuring an animal related parameter of each of the animals milked in the milking area 13. A device may be provided for measuring a parameter of the milk as produced by each animal, e.g. cell count values, and/or may be provided for measuring a parameter of each animal, e.g. weight.

The milking area 13 leads further to further passageway 16a and to a further waiting area 14a via an automatic door arrangement 17a provided with an animal identification device 15a.

The further waiting area 14a is a waiting pen or enclosure or is a small grazing paddock located adjacent or at least close to the milking area 13. There may be a gate arrangement provided with an identification device (not illustrated) in order to allow animals to move between the waiting areas 14, 14a.

Further, the animals in the waiting areas 14, 14a may have access to fodder/roughage and water.

The further passageway 16a leads back to the grazing paddocks 12a-f via automatic door arrangements 17a, each being provided with an animal identification device 15a.

The processing and control device 18 is operatively connected to each of the animal identification devices 15a to receive identifications and is operatively connected to each of the automatic door arrangements 17a to control the openings and closings thereof.

Animals can thus be identified at the exit of the milking area 13 and may be allowed, guided, or forced to enter either the further passageway 16a or the further waiting area 14a depending on different criteria to be detailed later in this description.

Animals collected in the further waiting area 14a can at any time be allowed to enter the further passageway 16a through the automatic door arrangement 17a at the exit of the milking area 13.

Further, each animal walking in the further passageway 16a can be identified at the respective grazing paddocks 12a-f and be allowed, guided, or forced to enter one of the grazing paddocks 12a-f after having been identified.

The two passageways 16, 16a may be provided with crowd gates or similar in order to force the animals to move along the passageways 16, 16a. Alternatively, or additionally, the passageways 16, 16a and/or the milking area 13, the waiting area 14, and/or the further waiting area 14a may be provided with attractants such as appealing feed and water in order to entice the animals to move back and forth between the grazing paddocks 12a-f and the milking area 13, the waiting area 14, and the further waiting area 14a.

The area 11 is further provided with automatic door arrangements 17b, each being provided with an animal identification device 15b, in order to allow animals to move between adjacent grazing paddocks after having been identified.

The processing and control device 18 is operatively connected to each of the animal identification devices 15b to receive identifications and is operatively connected to each of the automatic door arrangements 17b to control the openings and closings thereof.

The area 11 is thus arranged for managing the traffic of animals through the respective milking and waiting areas, passageways, and gate arrangements to obtain a traffic pattern in accordance with the arrows in Fig. 1.

It shall be appreciated that different criteria at different times may be applied for each gate arrangement 17, 17a, 17b in order to determine whether a particular animal should be allowed to walk through the gate arrangement 17, 17a, 17b.

The arrangement of Fig. 1 is preferably arranged for voluntary milking of the animals in the milking area 13. A method for animal management will next be described with reference to the flow scheme of Fig. 2 and the arrangement of Fig. 1 when applicable.

The method starts by identifying, in a step 21, an animal that is to visit the milking area 13. Next, it is, in a step 22, checked whether the animal has milking permission. Only if the checked animal has milking permission, the animal is, in a step 23, allowed, guided, or forced to enter the milking area 13 and the method is ended. If the animal checked in step 22 has not milking permission, it is, in a step 24, checked whether the animal fulfdls another criterion. Only if the checked animal fulfills the other criterion, the animal is, in a step 25, allowed, guided, or forced to enter the waiting area 14 and the method is ended. If the animal checked in step 24 does not fulfill the other criterion it is, it is, in a step 26, prevented from entering the milking area 13 and the waiting area 14 and the method is ended. The above steps are repeated for each animal that is to visit the milking area 13 in order to be milked and for each intended visit.

The above method can be implemented into the arrangement of Fig. 1 in various manners.

In one embodiment each animal is identified at the gate arrangements 17 to the passageway 16 and is allowed, guided, or forced to enter the passageway if the animal has milking permission or fulfills the other criterion. Since the passageway 16 may house a plurality of animals at a time, each animal that walks through the passageway 16 is again identified at the entries to the milking area 13 and the waiting area 14. Depending on whether the animal has milking permission or not, the animal is lead either to the milking area 13 or to the waiting area 14.

In another embodiment no identifications are made at the entry to the passageway 16; each animal is allowed to enter the passageway and the gate arrangements 17 and identification devices 15 at the grazing paddocks may be dispensed with. Each animal is identified by the identification device 15 at the entries to the milking area 13 and the waiting area 14. Here, provisions have to be taken to direct the animals that have no milking permission and that do not fulfill the other criterion; otherwise these animals would pile up and clog the passageway 16 entirely and prevent any other movement along the passageway. Thus, a bypass lane (not illustrated) is provided to lead these animals back to the grazing paddocks. Such bypass line could be arranged adjacent and outside the milking area 13 or the waiting areas 14, 14a to lead the animals past these areas and directly to the further passageway 16a which gives the animals access to the grazing paddocks via the gate arrangements 17a.

The animals that have been gathered in the waiting area 14 may after a certain period of time be allowed, guided, or forced to enter the milking area 13 in order to be milked.

The other criterion as applied in the method may, for each of the animals, be whether the animal is expected to obtain milking permission within a certain period of time. That is, animals which are almost qualified for milking, are kept close to the milking area and are guided to the milking area directly once the animals obtain milking decision or when the utilization of the milking equipment of the milking area 13 is low. These measures provide for increased milk production efficiency.

Alternatively, the other criterion as applied in the method may, for each of the animals, be whether the animal is to be examined and/or treated.

In a further embodiment, each of the animals which has entered the milking area is identified at the exit thereof, and it is checked whether each of the animals fulfills yet another criterion. The animals, which fulfill the yet other criterion, are allowed, guided, or forced to enter the passageway 16a and the animals, which do not fulfill the yet other criterion, are allowed, guided, or forced to enter the further waiting area 14a.

The yet other criterion may, for each of the animals, be related to the health of the animal as measured by the measurement device 13b in the milking area 13. Thus, the yet other criterion may, for each of the animals, be whether the animal is to be examined and/or treated as detected in the milking area 13.

By collecting animals to be examined and/or treated in any of the waiting areas 14, 14a these animals could easily be found and examined and/or treated. The animal health is improved and the milk production can be yet improved.

It shall be appreciated that the grazing paddocks 12a-f are normally of different sizes and located at different distances from the milking area 13. A further embodiment of the invention relates to the control of the animals when returning back to the grazing paddocks 12a-f. During a selected period of time during the day and night, the animals, which are allowed to return to the grazing paddocks 12a-f from the milking area 13 or the further waiting area 14a, are allowed, guided, or forced to enter one and/or several selected one(s) of the grazing paddocks 12a-f. In particular, the selected period of time during the day and night is related to times, at which the utilization of the milking equipment of the milking area 13 is low and the one and/or several selected one(s) of the grazing paddocks 12a-f is/are paddock(s) that is/are smaller than an average size of the grazing paddocks 12a-f and/or is/are located closer to the milking area 13 than an average distance between the grazing paddocks 12a-f and the milking area 13.

More specifically, a time between the milkings of one several or all of the plurality of animals is estimated, a time during the day and night, at which a low utilization of the milking area occurs, is forecast, and the selected period of time is the time period that occurs the estimated time between the milkings earlier than the time period, at which the low utilization of the milking area is forecast.

For instance, if the estimated time between the milkings is about 12 hours and low utilization of the milking equipment is forecast to take place between about 2 and 6 am, the animals allowed to return to the grazing paddocks 12a-f after milking, are guided to small paddocks 12c, 12d located close to the milking area between about 2 and 6 pm (that is about 12 hors before the time period of between 2 and 6 am). It is assumed that animals in grazing paddocks, which are smaller and/or located closer to the milking area 13 are most likely to be intending to visit the milking area 13 more often. If animals are guided to such grazing paddocks between about 2 and 6 pm it is concluded that more animals will visit the milking area the estimated time between the milkings than if these animals had been lead to other grazing paddocks. As a result, the utilization of the milking equipment is improved and so is the milk production.

Similarly, in order to increase the probability of visits to the milking area 13 when the milking equipment is less used, animals can, during a second selected period of time, by means of controlling the gate arrangements 17b between adjacent grazing paddocks, be allowed, guided, or forced to move from one to another one of the grazing paddocks only if the other one of the grazing paddocks is smaller and/or more closely located to the milking area 13 than the one of the grazing paddocks is. The selected period of time is as above preferably a selected period of time during the day and night.

In particular, the second selected period of time is preceding or overlapping with the time, at which the low utilization of the milking equipment is forecast.

Thus, animals are allowed to move closer to the milking area 13 during periods of low utilization of the milking equipment, or during periods preceding such condition, in order to increase the rate of milking area visits during the periods of low utilization of the milking equipment.

Hereby, it is forecast that the milking equipment will be more evenly used which will provide a higher milk production and/or less investment costs in milking equipment. The animal traffic patterns are improved.

It shall be appreciated that the grazing paddocks may be of a much higher number, may be of different shapes, and may be located in different patterns. Further, the gate arrangements, the milking area, and the waiting area or areas may be located and designed differently.

In particular some of the gates may not be so-called smart gates, but could be one-way gates, telemetry gates, and/or automatic time activated gates.

The scope of protection of the present invention is given in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for management of animals which are allowed to move in an area intended therefore, said area including a plurality of grazing paddocks of different sizes, in which the animals can graze, a milking area, in which the animals can be milked, and a plurality of automatically controlled gates that are capable of allowing the plurality of animals to move between the plurality of grazing paddocks, the method including the step of: - allowing, guiding, or forcing, during a selected period of time, by means of controlling the plurality of automatically controlled gates, the plurality of animals to move from one to another one of the plurality of grazing paddocks only if said other one of the grazing paddocks is smaller and/or more closely located to the milking area than said one of the grazing paddocks.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said selected period of time is a selected period of time during the day and night.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2 including - forecasting a time, at which a low utilization of the milking equipment of the milking area occurs, wherein - the selected period of time is preceding or overlapping with the time, at which the low utilization of the milking equipment is forecast.

4. An arrangement for management of animals which are allowed to move in an area intended therefore, said area including a plurality of grazing paddocks of different sizes, in which the animals can graze, a plurality of automatically controlled gates that are capable of allowing the plurality of animals to move between the plurality of grazing paddocks, and a milking area accessible from the plurality of grazing paddocks, including: - a control device provided for allowing, guiding, or forcing, during a selected period of time, by means of controlling the plurality of automatically controlled gates, the plurality of animals to move from one to another one of the plurality of grazing paddocks provided that said other one of the grazing paddocks is smaller and/or more closely located to the milking area than said one of the grazing paddocks.