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Residual milk in Friesland sheep and the galactopoietic effect associated with oxytocin treatment
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 June 2009
Summary
Mature lactating Friesland ewes had a mean lactation yield of 293 ± 26 kg during a lactation period of 35 ± 2 weeks giving an average daily milk yield of 1·2 kg/d. Ewes were injected intravenously after normal milking with either saline (sham) or oxytocin and then remilked to determine the volume of residual (alveolar) milk. After a long milking interval of 16 h oxytocin treatment gave a significantly greater total daily milk yield than the sham treatment (oxytocin minus saline, morning milking, 0·199±0·038 kg, mean ±s.e.m., P < 0·01). Oxytocin had a small significant reverse effect after a short milking interval of 8 h (afternoon milking, –0·065±0·022 kg, P <0·05). The average increase in total daily yield over four stages of lactation was 0·133±0·029 kg (P < 0·01), or 11% of the average daily milk yield. The galactopoietic effect of oxytocin was associated with the efficient removal of residual (alveolar) milk. Residual milk accounted for 7·4 and 27·2% of the total daily milk yield in ewes treated with saline or oxytocin respectively. Residual milk expressed as a proportion of daily total milk yield remained steady in ewes studied between April and July, but declined in September when yields were less than 1 kg/d.
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