Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T14:25:41.436Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Lactational changes in oxytocin release, intramammary pressure and milking characteristics in dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2009

Harald Mayer ,
Rupert Bruckmaier  and
Dieter Schams
Harald Mayer
Affiliation:
Institut für Physiologie der Südd. Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt für Milchwirtschaft, Technische Universität München, 8050 Freising-Weihenstephan, Deutschland
Rupert Bruckmaier
Affiliation:
Institut für Physiologie der Südd. Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt für Milchwirtschaft, Technische Universität München, 8050 Freising-Weihenstephan, Deutschland
Dieter Schams
Affiliation:
Institut für Physiologie der Südd. Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt für Milchwirtschaft, Technische Universität München, 8050 Freising-Weihenstephan, Deutschland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Two experiments were conducted to investigate possible changes of milking-related oxytocin release (Expt 1) and of intramammary pressure and milking characteristics (Expt 2) throughout entire lactations in German Braunvieh dairy cows. Mean oxytocin concentrations after stimulation at onset of milking increased from 18·3 ± 15·9 to 30·7 ± 24·1 pg/ml in Expt 1 and decreased from 23·9 ± 17·6 to 15·4 ± 9·1 pg/ml in Expt 2, respectively, but remained above the level necessary to elicit complete milk ejection in both trials. Premilking baseline intramammary pressure had its maximum in early lactation until about month 4 and then decreased to ∼50% of its initial level. Ejection pressure followed a similar pattern, but dropped only to ∼75% of its maximum. This was due to the constant elevation of pressure increase, reaching its highest level in late lactation. Time from commencement of stimulation until maximum pressure exceeded 1 min in almost all instances even in early lactation and increased throughout lactation. Despite the normal decrease of milk yield average milk flow fell only slightly while maximum flow rate remained almost constant. Pressure increase, milk yield and milk flow were not different after 1 min and after extended stimulation. Thus there were no indications of a decreasing sensitivity of the milk ejection reflex during lactation, and milking characteristics were positively affected by intense teat stimulation. Suggestions for practical dairying are made.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 58 , Issue 2 , May 1991 , pp. 159 - 169
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 1991

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

Cleverley, J. D. & Folley, S. J. 1970 The blood levels of oxytocin during machine milking in cows with some observations on its half-life in the circulation. Journal of Endocrinology 46 347–361CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cowie, A. T., Folley, S. J., Cross, B. A., Harris, G. W., Jacobsohn, D. & Richardson, K. C. 1951 Terminology for use in lactational physiology. Nature 168 421CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ely, F. & Petersen, W. E. 1941 Factors involved in the ejection of milk. Journal of Dairy Science 24 211–223CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gorewit, R. C. & Gassman, K. B. 1985 Effects of duration of udder stimulation on milking dynamics and oxytocin release. Journal of Dairy Science 68 1813–1818CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gorewit, R. C., Wachs, E. A., Sagi, R. & Merrill, W. G. 1983 Current concepts on the role of oxytocin in milk ejection. Journal of Dairy Science 66 2236–2250CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawson, D. M. & Graf, G. C. 1968 Plasma oxytocic activity and intramammary pressure in lactating dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 51 1676–1679CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mayer, H., Schams, D., Prokopp, A. & Worstorff, H. 1984 a Effects of manual stimulation and delayed milking on secretion of oxytocin and milking characteristics in dairy cows. Milchwissenschaft 39, 666–670Google Scholar
Mayer, H., Schams, D., Worstorff, H. & Prokopp, A. 1984 b Secretion of oxytocin and milk removal as affected by milking cows with and without manual stimulation. Journal of Endocrinology 103, 355–361CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mayer, H., Worstorff, H., Schams, D. & Klein, M. 1985 Secretion of oxytocin and milking characteristics in cows as affected by several modes of tactile teat stimulation. Milchwissenschaft 40 1–5Google Scholar
Merrill, W. G., Sagi, R., Petersson, L. G., Bui, T. V., Erb, H. N., Galton, D. M. & Gates, R. 1987 Effects of premilking stimulation on complete lactation milk yield and milking performance. Journal of Dairy Science 70 1676–1684CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Momongan, V. G. & Schmidt, G. H. 1970 Oxytocin levels in the plasma of Holstein-Friesian cows during milking with and without a premilking stimulus. Journal of Dairy Science 53 747–751CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phillips, D. S. M. 1978 The role of environmental factors in stimulating the milk ejection reflex. Proceedings, Annual Meeting, National Mastitis Council 17 34–46 (International Symposium on Machine Milking)Google Scholar
Prediger, A. 1986 MELKP. Program to record and analyze milking characteristics; language PC Turbobasic; Institute of Physiology in Freising-WeihenstephanGoogle Scholar
Randy, H. A. & Graf, G. C. 1973 Factors affecting endogenous plasma oxytocic activity in lactating Holstein cows. Journal of Dairy Science 56 446–450CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Randy, H. A., Graf, G. C. & Bibb, T. L. 1971 Relationship between plasma oxytocic activity and reproductive status of the lactating bovine. Journal of Dairy Science 54 779Google Scholar
Sagi, R., Gorewit, R. C., Merrill, W. G. & Wilson, D. B. 1980 Premilking stimulation effects on milking performance and oxytocin and prolactin release in cows. Journal of Dairy Science 63 800–806CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SAS Institute Inc. 1985 SAS Users' Guide: Statistics. Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc.Google Scholar
Schallenberger, E., Schams, D. & Meyer, H. H. D. 1989 Sequences of pituitary, ovarian and uterine hormone secretion during the first 5 weeks of pregnancy in dairy cattle. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility Suppl. 37 277–286Google ScholarPubMed
Schams, D. 1983 Oxytocin determination by radioimmunoassay. III. Improvement to subpicogram sensitivity and application to blood levels in cyclic cattle. Acta Endocrinologica 103 180–183Google ScholarPubMed
Schams, D., Mayer, H., Prokopp, A. & Worstorff, H. 1984 Oxytocin secretion during milking in dairy cows with regard to the variation and importance of a threshold level for milk removal. Journal of Endocrinology 102 337–343CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schams, D., Schmidt-Polex, B. & Kruse, V. 1979 Oxytocin determination by radioimmunoassay in cattle. I. Method and preliminary physiological data. Acta Endocrinologica 92 258–270Google ScholarPubMed
Schwiderski, H. & Matthes, H.-D. 1972 [Investigations into the need for preparation of cows for milking.] Tierzucht 26 254–257Google Scholar
Witzel, D. A. & McDonald, J. S. 1964 Bovine intramammary pressure changes during mechanical milking. Journal of Dairy Science 47 1378–1381CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Witzel, D. A. & McDonald, J. S. 1965 Intramammary pressures between milkings in the lactating cow. Journal of Dairy Science 48 726–728CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Worstorff, H., Karch, G., Prediger, A. & Schams, D. 1989 Integrating mechanical stimulation to machine milking. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Automation in Dairying pp. 207–215Wageningen, NL: IMAGGoogle Scholar