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The aim of this study was to assess the effect of alternate and simultaneous pulsation on milking performance (milk yield, machine stripping milk, milking duration, and average milk flow rate) of Alpine goats milked at two different system vacuum levels (38 and 42 kPa). To this end, a field study was carried out in a commercial farm of Northern Italy. A pre-experimental period was carried out and 164 goats with a similar parturition date were selected and distributed into two similar subplots of 82 goats according to their values of milk yield and milking duration. The experiment lasted 24 d and was laid out as a split-plot design. Each treatment lasted 3 days. Once every combination (2 pulsation types × 2 vacuum levels) was tested (Experiment 1), the same experimental design was repeated in reverse order (cross-over design) to control the effect of lactation progress on the results (Experiment 2). Milk traits regarding milking performance (milk yield, machine stripping milk, milking duration, and average milk flow rate) and variables related to vacuum level in the milking cluster (vacuum in the short milk tube and vacuum fluctuation in the short milk tube) were recorded during morning and afternoon milkings. Results showed that the use of alternate pulsation reduced the vacuum fluctuations and increased the average vacuum in the short milk tube. Moreover, when a higher system vacuum level (42 kPa) was set, the use of alternate pulsation reduced the milking duration. We concluded that the use of alternate pulsation offers some advantages compared to simultaneous pulsation in high milk flow conditions.

We have developed an innovative birth alarm system for grazing cows.The system implements a GSM device to alert via SMS the farmer in case of calving.A GPS receiver calculates the geographical coordinates where the birth has took place.In this way the farmer can reach the cow easily in case of necessity.The economical analysis confirms the feasibility of the proposed system. In livestock farming, during calving often human assistance is required to the cow and the unborn in order to guarantee their health and preserve the herd. Reliable calving time prediction is fundamental to enable the operator to act quickly and reduce potential injury to the calf directly caused by the mother or by environmental factors. The prediction is of particular importance for pregnant cows in extensive grazing areas where, because of the territorial extension, it is difficult to quickly intervene when needed. In order to solve these problems, a new GPS-Calving Alarm (GPS-CAL) was designed, manufactured and tested to analyze its technical and economic performance. The device accurately identifies the time when delivery begins and advises the farmer via SMS. The SMS includes birth event date and hour, animal ID and geographical coordinates of the partum point. The position is measured through a GPS receiver embedded in the device. By importing the GPS coordinates into a common application for mobile phones and following the visual instructions, it is possible to reach the animals at pasture. In order to evaluate device performance, both laboratory and field tests were carried out. Laboratory tests showed GPS adopted receiver accuracy (1.2m) and an adequate battery life (over 1month) for monitoring calving events in grazing areas. Field tests, carried out in intensive and extensive breeding conditions, confirmed that the GPS-CAL system worked well, and was highly reliable (sensitivity of 100%, positive predictive value PPV of 100%). Finally, the economic aspects relative to the adoption of the GPS-CAL system were analyzed. The possibility to monitor 10calvings/year by each device, at a unitary cost of ?31,5/birth, sustainable by the farmer were taken into consideration. The originality and effectiveness of the GPS-CAL system, as confirmed by workers in the sector, allowed the authors, the Universiti? degli Studi di Milano and the Sisteck (Sassuolo, Italy) to patent the system in Italy and Europe.

Mastitis in small ruminants has a major effect in reducing both yield and quality of milk leading to strong economic losses. In addition, mastitis is one the most frequently cited reason for culling. In dairy cows electrical conductivity (EC) of milk has been introduced as an indicator trait for mastitis. When the measurement of electrical conductivity (EC) of milk is based on time-series analysis of historical data, comparing values from different quarters within milking, satisfactory results in mastitis detection can be achieved. On the contrary, mastitis detection models based on EC measurement of milk within milking are not available in literature for dairy goats. Aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of milk EC, measured within milking from halves of each udder, to predict mastitis status in dairy goats at farm level. For this purpose, a group of 8 Saanen goats was involved in a 225-day study. Two foremilk samples were daily collected during morning milking from halves of each udder for a total of 4 samples per animal/day. Results of bacteriological analyses were used to distinguish between healthy (absence of mastitis agents) and infected (presence of contagious or environmental mastitis agents) udder halves. EC was measured in milk from halves of each udder during every morning milking at 1-s intervals using four experimental milking units equipped with conductimetric sensors. The average of the 20 highest EC values (X20) and the variation of the 20 highest EC values ( σ 20 2 ) within milking were calculated for each udder halves. In addition 4 EC traits based on X20 and σ 20 2 were computed: the highest half udder X20 value within goat and milking (Max_X20), the highest half udder σ 20 2 value within goat and milking ( Max _ σ 20 2 ), the inter-udder halves ratio between the udder halves X20 values within goat and milking (IHR_X20), and the inter-udder halves ratio between udder halves σ 20 2 value within goat and milking ( IHR _ σ 20 2 ). Values for the traits were calculated for every milking throughout the whole lactation. Proc Mixed of SAS® 9.1 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA, 2008) was performed to test for significant differences in EC traits between healthy and infected udder halves and between healthy (absence of infected udder halves) and infected (presence of at least one infected udder half) goats. Results highlighted that the average of the 20 highest electrical conductivity half udder values recorded within milking in early lactation and the highest half udder X20 value within goat and milking in mid lactation could be potentially used in monitoring udder health of dairy goats.

Accurate milk yield measurement is important to maintain production efficiency and improve farm management: yield data enable to implement and evaluate feed rations for individual cows or groups, calculate actual lactation curves and identify potential health problems proactively. Nowadays, many electronic milk metering devices, based on different methods of measurement, are available on the market. Vacuum drop across the meter, accuracy over a wide range of flow rates and farm conditions (e.g. foaming of milk) are the key problems of currently available electronic milk meters. Aim of this project was the development of a free-flow milk meter, able to work with different flow rates and different combination of air-milk flows, with a measuring chamber essentially made by a portion of linear pipe, horizontally disposed and with no mechanical movement parts, to minimize the interferences with the milk flow and on the electric conductivity (EC), to calculate the milk yield, in order to obtain a low-cost device. A prototype was built up and laboratory and farm tests were carried out during 2004 and 2005, in order to evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of the new device. Laboratory and farm tests were carried out following the guidelines of the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR). Laboratory tests showed a bias of 1.4% and a standard deviation of 5.0%, while farm tests showed a bias of -4.5% and a standard deviation of 12.7%.

The objective of this study was to estimate the space occupied by a pig, calculated from direct measurements on the animal or from digital images. A total of 100 pigs with body weight (BW) ranging from 47 to 198 kg were individually weighed and measured for body length, back and shoulder height. The area of the rectangle into which each pig can be fitted was calculated, following the same method as Petherick and Baxter [Petherick, J.C., Baxter, S.H., 1981. Modelling the static spatial requirements of livestock. In: MacCormack, J.A.D. (Ed.), Proceedings of the CIGR Section II Seminar on Modelling, Design and Evaluation of Agricultural Buildings, Aberdeen, August 1981, Scottish Farm Buildings Investigation Unit, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, UK. pp 75–82]. In addition, pictures of the pigs were taken with a digital camera at the same distance and resolution to estimate the area of the geometrical shape of each animal by counting the number of pixels. Values of Petherick and Baxter's data space (A = 0.047 × BW0.67) are significantly higher (p