Analysis of Management, Labor and Economics of Milking Systems in Intensive Goat Farms

Dairy goat farms are growing in the world, but their technological level and, particularly, milking equipment are less developed than those of dairy cow farms. This study aims to evaluate milking parlors in the current situation in modern goat farms and suggest possible solutions or improvements. Ten goat farms located in various municipalities of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (Northeast Italy) adopting different milking systems (parallel milking parlors, milking carts, and milking buckets) were monitored. The mathematical model developed originally for the evaluation of milking parlors for dairy cows was modified and adapted to goat milking systems. Time for milking and final specific direct costs are the main parameters that enable evaluation and choice of suitable milking parlor; neglect or promotion of only one of the mentioned criteria may lead to an uneconomic investment or impaired operation of a farm. The research results showed that the modern milking systems, with a greater number of stalls and milking clusters, have a greater capacity and require less time for milking a goat than bucket and cart systems. The study also demonstrated that increasing the capacity of dairy goat farms enables a reduction of the final specific costs for milking.