Ariane France's MSc Defence

The overall objective of this thesis was to determine how milk yield at dry-off in AMS-milked cows, as affected by milking frequency and feed supplement allocation in the AMS, impacted udder health over the dry period, and how those factors might also affect milk production and cow behaviour before dry-off and in the next lactation. It was found that using a combined strategy of reducing AMS milking per-missions to 1x/d and reducing AMS feed allocation to 0.75 kg/d in the 14-8 d before dry-off and then 0.5 kg/d for the 8-0d before dry-off can be used without negatively impacting future health and productivity. I also demonstrated that there is an elevated risk for new quarter-level subclinical IMI post-calving in 3+ lactation cows, who produce between 15-22 kg/d before dry-off, compared to those below and above this range, and for those cows with decreased AMS feed allocation before dry-off compared to those with no decreased AMS feed allocation.