Comparative Evaluation of a Domestic Automatic Milking System and a Commercial System: Effects of Parity on Milk Performance and System Capacity

This study evaluated milking characteristics and milk productivity of a domestically developed automatic milking system (AMS-K) and compared its performance with a commercially imported AMS (AMS-C), under identical farm management conditions. Milking performance of AMS-K was monitored over a three-month operating period, and a comparative analysis was subsequently conducted using a total of 50 Holstein cows, with 25 cows allocated to each system based on similar parity, days in milk, and milk yield. During the three-month operation of AMS-K, milk yield per milking significantly increased in from 13.81 kg in the 1st month to 15.99 kg in the 3rd month, and daily milk yield increased by 4.01-7.52% compared with the initial operating period. Milking frequency decreased from 2.53 to 2.27 times per day, but remained higher than conventional twice-daily milking. Average milking interval increased from 9.37 to 10.34 h, which was within the optimal range (9-10 h) for AMS operation. Milking stall occupancy and teat-cup attachment times gradually increased, whereas milking time showed no significant change. Somatic cell count initially increased but stabilized after three months. Milking efficiency ranged from 2.44 to 2.56 kg/min. In the system comparison, AMS-C showed shorter milking stall occupancy time, higher milking frequency, and higher milking efficiency than AMS-K, whereas AMS-K showed higher milk yield per milking, associated with longer milking interval. Across both systems, multiparous cows exhibited longer milking intervals and higher milk yields than primiparous cows in both AMSs. Theoretical milking capacity per AMS was 54.45 cows (primiparous) and 37.77 cows (multiparous) for AMS-K, sufficient for an average Korean dairy farm. Our results demonstrate that AMS-K achieved stable milking performance, milk quality, and operational efficiency comparable to the imported AMS. AMS-K shows great potential for practical applications and commercialization in Korean dairy farms.