The present study was carried out to evaluate different dairy production systems using multiple criteria. This study was conducted between October 2014 and September 2015, and including six dairy production systems which represents the most distributed diary systems in Egypt (Commercial system (CS), Government commercial system (GS), Government research farm (GR), Traditional Landless system (TLL), Traditional mixed system (TMS) and Traditional intensive system (TIS). These systems were evaluated using multiple criteria, including animal criteria, feeding criteria and management criteria the amount of dry matter intake DMI, the number of working minutes and the area of land required to produce 1 kg fat corrected milk 4% were calculated within each system.
The results showed that the production system had a significant effect (p> 0.001) on all production characteristics (total milk yield, average daily milk yield and lactation length) as well as reproductive traits under study. The highest yield was for Holstein Friesian cows (7024.41 ± 4554.52 kg), the lowest was for buffalo (1844.65 ± 461.75 kg) and the cross breed cows had average yield (2761.47 ± 312.36 kg). The highest productivity system was (CS) while the least productive systems were mixed (TMS). The results of DMI needed to produce 1 kg (FCM) in the following production systems: showed that the (CS) used the least amount was 0.860 kg while the largest quantity used in (GS) as 3.99 kg, and (GR) were 3.01 kg and The three traditional system were respectively 1.92, 2.01 and 2.92 kg. These differences were related to the number of dairy animal and the feeding system used within each system, as well as the nutritional ratio (Roughage: concentrates percentage). The results showed significant differences between the times used to produce 1 kg (FCM). The minimum time required to produce 1 kg (FCM) was in the (CS) as (1.91 minutes), while the largest time was in traditional production systems as: 19.58, 18.72 and 10.99 minutes. In (GS) the time required was 5.22 minutes. In (GR) was (5.75 minutes), these differences were related to the number of animals within each system and the use of systems for modern production techniques. The differences of average area needed to produce 1 kg (FCM) were highly significant. The results showed that: 4.21, 65.26, 1.74, 1.16, 84.89, and 57.60 m2 were required to produce 1 kg (FCM) in the six production systems, respectively.
Accordingly the lowest value of total costs required to produce 1 kg FCM was (3.66 L.E) in Commercial Systems while the highest three calculated values showed in the Government Commercial System (16.58 L.E) followed by Traditional Mixed systems (15.74 L.E) and Traditional Landless Systems (15.23 L.E).