Water Buffalo Responsiveness during Milking: Implications for Production Outputs, Reproduction Fitness, and Animal Welfare

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Human–animal interactions in dairy species are frequent, as milking is routinely performed twice per day. When buffalo cows are stressed, even by minor changes in their milking routine, a decline in the oxytocin supply is observed, which is strongly associated with reduced milk ejection. As a consequence, a high number of farms are administrating oxytocin injections to ensure complete emptying of the udder, which in turn impairs the resumption of a new ovarian cycle and represents an animal welfare concern. The overall objective of our study was to evaluate the effects of the milking temperament of water buffaloes on milking traits, animal-based welfare indicators, and reproductive performance. We found that milking temperament of buffalo cows has a significant influence on the milk production and on milking speed, with calmer animals outperforming their nervous counterparts. No effects of the milking temperament on reproduction efficiency and animal-based welfare parameters were observed. In conclusion, selection for calmer water buffalo would result in higher milk yields and improved milk ejection, while reducing the need of oxytocin administration, which would in turn improve reproduction and animal welfare. ABSTRACT: The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the effects that milking temperament (MT) of water buffaloes has on milking traits, welfare indicators, and reproductive outputs. The study was performed on 60 multiparous buffalo cows (6.7 ± 0.6 lactations) at the beginning of their lactation (100 days in milk, DIM). Each buffalo cow was scored by two independent observers using a temperament scoring system (1: extremely calm, 2: calm, 3: alert, 4: reactive, and 5: aggressive), and then grouped as ‘calm’ (scores 1, 2, and 3; n = 42) or ‘nervous’ (scores 4 and 5; n = 18). Additionally, the milk yield at 100 DIM (MY), milking speed (MS), calving interval (CI), age at first calving (AFC), body condition score (BCS), animal-based welfare parameters, and infrared thermography data (IRT) were evaluated. The MT significantly influenced the MY (p = 0.0082), with calmer cows outperforming their nervous counterparts. The MS was significantly influenced by the MT (p = 0.0015), with calmer animals having a higher milk ejection rate. The MT of the cows had no influence on the CI, AFC, or BCS. The evidence from this study suggests that the responsiveness of buffalo cows during milking affects their milk yield and milking speed, with no associations being found for reproduction efficiency indicators or animal-based welfare indicators.