Method of milking a dairy animal by means of a milking system
AssigneeLely Patent N.V.
InventorsMartinus Petrus Kortekaas, Pieter Gerlof De Groot
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention provides a system and method of milking and feeding a dairy animal, wherein feed is dispensed in portions during the milking. At a predetermined moment the portion size is reduced, in order to increase the chance that the animal has actually eaten the last allocated portion at the moment when the milking has been ended, so that it will not hesitate to leave the milking parlor. This will result in a reduction of the time during which the milking parlor is unnecessarily occupied, and in an enhanced efficiency.
Claims16
A method of feeding and milking a dairy animal by a milking system, wherein the milking system comprises a milking parlour with a milking device and a feeding device, the method comprising:
- identifying an individual dairy animal that presents itself at the milking parlour for a milking;
- milking the dairy animal in the milking parlour, wherein the milking is ended when a predetermined milking-ending criterion is met;
- dispensing feed to the dairy animal in a plurality of feed portions with the aid of the feeding device during the milking,
- wherein, when a predetermined sub-phase of the milking is reached prior to the end of milking the dairy animal, the feed portions being dispensed are reduced in size to an amount greater than zero.
A milking system for milking a dairy animal, comprising
- a milking parlour for keeping a dairy animal,
- an identification system for identifying a dairy animal that presents itself for a milking;
- a milking device for milking the dairy animal;
- a feeding device for dispensing feed to the dairy animal in the milking parlour;
- a control device, wherein the control device is configured to control the milking device for milking a dairy animal, and control the feeding device for feeding the dairy animal;
- wherein the control device controls the feeding device to dispense feed portions that are reduced in size to an amount greater than zero when a predetermined sub-phase of the milking is reached prior to the end of milking the diary animal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.