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A note on the effect of twin births on production in the subsequent lactation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

P. D. P. Wood
P. D. P. Wood
Affiliation:
Milk Marketing Board, Thames Ditton, Surrey
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Summary

A study of the British Friesian Cattle Society's herdbook for 1961 showed that twin births were registered from 323 cows which had borne single calves the year before, and which had 2009 contemporaries of the same age calving single births in the same two seasons and in the same herds.

Least squares means of milk yield and fat percentage calculated from the truncated 305-day lactation showed that the twin mothers exceeded their contemporaries by 118±47 kg milk in lactations 2 days shorter. After correction for herd and year effects there was no difference between the twin birth lactation yield and the preceding single birth yield.

There was a reduction in fat percentage of 0±06% associated with the twin birth lactation.

The proportion of a sample of 194 twin mothers failing to calve again was 24±3% against 19±1% of the mothers of single calves, but no reasons for culling had been recorded.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 20 , Issue 3 , June 1975 , pp. 421 - 424
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1975

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References

REFERENCES

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