Bewertung eines Entmistungsroboters bei Milchvieh aus ethologischer und verfahrenstechnischer Sicht

Abstract

To date, there have been few scientifically substantiated recommendations concerning the use of dung-removal robots on perforated flooring. Systematic experiments involving different cleaning frequencies of the Lely Discovery Mobile Barn Cleaner were used to ascertain the height and percentages of floor soiling as well as the behaviour of the cows. An optimised dung-removal frequency showed an improvement vis-a-vis the variants ‘without’ and ‘infrequent’ robot cleaning in terms of height of soiling, smear-layer formation, and slipping of the animals. The water-spray function allowed for a significant reduction in the formation of smear layers. Although an interruption in feeding in the case of dung-removal routes right at the feeding barrier, the difference between the feeding cows with and without robot operation was comparatively slight, and the cows generally returned to the feeding place after the disruption.