Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T09:51:44.028Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Once daliy milking of dairy cows: relationship between yield loss and cisternal milk storage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2009

Christopher H. Knight  and
Richard J. Dewhurst
Christopher H. Knight
Affiliation:
Hannah Research Institute, Ayr KA6 5HL, UK
Richard J. Dewhurst
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Auchincruive, Ayr KA6 5HW, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The proportions of milk stored in the gland cistern (cisternal) and within secretory alveolar tissue (alveolar) were determined for a group of ten cows in mid lactation, yielding ∼ 20 kg milk/d. As a proportion of total milk, cisternal milk, measured at 8 h after milking, ranged from 0·09 to 0·53. Milking frequency was then reduced from twice daily to once daily on two occasions, first for 1 week and then, 2 weeks later, for 2 weeks. Milk yield was reduced during once daily milking in all cows, by an average of 22·8% during the first week (P < 0·001). The amount of decrease varied among cows in a way that was unrelated to pretreatment yield, but the immediate decrease was significantly and inversely correlated with cisternal milk proportion (r = 0·81, P < 0·01). When milking reverted to twice daily, yield recovered to a value not significantly different from pretreatment, and the degree of recovery was inversely related to cisternal milk proportion (r = 0·74, P < 0·01). With the exception of one cow, yield decreases correlated well between the two periods of once daily milking. When treatment weeks were disregarded, lactation persistency (the rate of decline in yield with time) was unaffected by once daily milking. The results show that the ability of individual cows to tolerate once daily milking is related to their cisternal storage characteristics; yield is reduced less in cows that store a greater proportion of their total milk production within the cistern. Once daily milking for up to 2 weeks had no lasting effect on milk yield or lactation persistency, suggesting that there had been no detrimental effect on udder development.

Type
Original articles
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 61 , Issue 4 , November 1994 , pp. 441 - 449
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 1994

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

Addey, C. V. P., Peaker, M. & Wilde, C. J. 1991 Protein inhibitor which controls secretion of milk. UK Patent Application GB 2 238 052 Al 1–19Google Scholar
Archer, P. 1983 Milking three times a day. Thames Ditton: Milk Marketing Board (Farm Management Services Information Unit Report no. 34)Google Scholar
Carruthers, V. R. & Copeman, P. J. A. 1990 Once a day milking. What are the effects on productivity? Dairyfarming Annual (Massey University) 42 75–78Google Scholar
Carruthers, V. R., Davis, S. R., Bryant, A. M., Henderson, H. V., Morris, C. A. & Copeman, P. J. A. 1993 a Response of Jersey and Friesian cows to once a day milking and prediction of response based on udder characteristies and milk composition. Journal of Dairy Research 60 1–11CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carruthers, V. R., Davis, S. R. & Copeman, P. J. A. 1993 b Effects of oxytocin, machine stripping and milking rate on production loss of cows milked once a day. Journal of Dairy Research 60 13–18CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Claesson, O., Hansson, A., Gustafsson, N. & Brännäng, E. 1959 Studies on monozygous cattle twins. XVII. Once-a-day milking compared with twice-a-day milking. Ada Agriculturae Scandinavica 9 38–58CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dewhurst, R. J. & Knight, C. H. 1993 An investigation of the changes in sites of milk storage in the bovine udder over two lactation cycles. Animal Production 57 379–384Google Scholar
Dewhurst, R. J. & Knight, C. H. 1994 Relationship between milk storage characteristies and the short-term response of dairy cows to thrice-daily milking. Animal Production 58 181–187CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henderson, A. J., Blatchford, D. R. & Peaker, M. 1983 The effects of milking thrice instead of twice daily on milk secretion in the goat. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology 68 645–652CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henderson, A. J. & Peaker, M. 1987 Effects of removing milk from the mammary ducts and alveoli, or of diluting stored milk, on the rate of milk secretion in the goat. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology 72 13–19Google Scholar
Hillerton, J. E., Knight, C. H., Turvey, A., Wheatley, S. D. & Wilde, C. J. 1990 Milk yield and mammary function in dairy cows milked four times daily. Journal of Dairy Research 57 285–294CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holmes, C. W., Wilson, G. F., Mackenzie, D. D. S. & Purchas, J. 1992 The effects of milking once daily throughout lactation on performance of dairy cows grazing pasture. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 52 13–16Google Scholar
Knight, C. H. & Dewhurst, R. J. 1992 Relationship between cisternal storage capacity and tolerance of once-daily milking in dairy cows. Animal Production 54 476Google Scholar
Knight, C. H., Hirst, D. & Dewhurst, R. J. 1994 Milk accumulation and distribution in the bovine udder during the interval between milkings. Journal of Dairy Research 61 167–177Google Scholar
Peaker, M. & Blatchford, D. R. 1988 Distribution of milk in the goat mammary gland and its relation to the rate and control of milk secretion. Journal of Dairy Research 55 41–48CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poole, D. A. 1982 The effects of milking cows three times daily. Animal Production 34 197–201Google Scholar
Wilde, C. J., Blatchkord, D. R., Knight, C. H. & Peaker, M. 1989 Metabolic adaptations in goat mammary tissue during long-term incomplete milking. Journal of Dairy Research 56 7–15CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilde, C. J. & Knight, C. H. 1990 Milk yield and mammary function in goats during and after once-daily milking. Journal of Dairy Research 57 441–447Google Scholar
Wilde, C. J. & Peaker, M. 1990 Autocrine control in milk secretion. Journal of Agricultural Science 114 235–238CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ziesack, J., Michel, G., Ebendorff, W. & Metzlaff, U. 1986 [The effect of omitting stripping on the weight and histology of udders from cows.] Monatshefte fur Veterinärmedizin 41 196–198Google Scholar