Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T19:39:02.175Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A note on the estimation of milk production in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

K. G. Geenty  and
A. R. Sykes
K. G. Geenty
Affiliation:
Templeton Agricultural Research Station, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, PO Box 23-033, Templeton, New Zealand
A. R. Sykes
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Lincoln College, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Get access

Extract

The two most widely adopted methods for measurement of milk production in sheep suckling lambs, the lamb-weight increment technique and milking-out following administration of oxytocin, give estimates which differ proportionately between 0·05 and 0·28 especially in early lactation (Doney, Peart, Smith and Louda, 1979). It is not easy to determine which method gives the most accurate estimate of milk production in suckling ewes. It is important, however, to understand the circumstances in which discrepancies between methods may occur and their magnitude. This note provides evidence that such discrepancies may vary with nutritional status of the ewe.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 43 , Issue 1 , August 1986 , pp. 171 - 174
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1986

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Barowicz, T. 1979. Inhibitory effect of adrenalin on oxytocin release in the ewe during the milk-ejection reflex. Journal of Dairy Research 46: 41–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coombe, J. B., Wardrop, I. D. and Tribe, D. E. 1960. A study of milk production of the grazing ewe, with emphasis on the experimental technique employed. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 54: 353–359.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doney, J. M., Peart, J. N., Smith, W. F. and Louda, R. 1979. A consideration of the techniques for estimation of milk yield by suckled sheep and a comparison of estimates obtained by two methods in relation to the effect of breed, level of production and stage of lactation. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 92: 123–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, R. W. 1962. Comparison of two techniques for the estimation of the milk intake of lambs at pasture. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 4: 66–68.Google Scholar
Poulton, S. G. and Ashton, W. M. 1972. Studies on ewe's milk. V. The effect of high cereal diets on ewes and on the yield of milk and milk constituents. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 78: 203–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, J. J., Foster, W. H. and Forbes, T. J. 1968. An assessment of the variation in milk yield of ewes determined by the lamb-suckling technique. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 70: 187–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowell, J. G. and Walters, D. E. 1976. Analysing data with repeated observations on each experimental unit. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 87: 423–432.CrossRefGoogle Scholar