Livestock Studies 1978, Vol 18, Num, 3-4     (Pages: 078-103)

A study on the milk production of Holstein cows in the years between 1971 – 1975 at Sakarya Cattle Breeding Farm

Diner ÇETEGEN

- The purpose of this study was to investigate the milk production characteristics of Sakarya Cattle Breeding Station Holsteins from 1971 to 1975. A total of 211 cows and 464 lactation records consisted of the material of this study. Among the material 49 cows were imported form Hollland in 1963 and 21 cows were imported from Denmark in January 1975. The remaining 141 cows were born and raised on the station. Milk tests were performed once a month. Machine milking was practiced generally twice a day but hign cows were milked three imes a day.

Average lactation length was found to be 305 ± 2.2 days. The acrural average milk yield was 2801 ± 39.9 kg, milk fat ratio 3.73 % and milk fat production 104 ± 1.5 kg, after the standardization of the yields for mature equivalent, twice milking and 305 days lactation length the averages were found 2766 kg for milk and 102.3 kg for milk fat production.

The milk production of early calvings (Novamber-December) were highest and of late calvings (July-August) were the lowest. The differences for milk production between the early and late calvings were believed to be the results of seasonal variation and feeding conditions. İn fact the average yield of the herd was lower than the averages of the countries from where there material were imported.

The average milk productions were increased from 2534 kg in 1971 to 3230 kg in 1973 and than it was decreased in the following years. This variation among the years reflected the effect of better feeding conditions in the early years.

İt may be condluded that the environmental conditions should be improved for higher milk production in the herd. Keywords :