MILK YIELD PERFORMANCES OF BROWN SWISS COWS RAISED AT MUS ALPARSLAN STATE FARM IN TURKEY

O. Yilmaz, B. Cak

Abstract: This research was carried out to reveal milk yield performances of Brown Swiss cows bred at Mus Alparslan State Farm in Turkey, and contribute to projection of the farm in the future. In the research, a total of 935 data belonging to 280 cows between the years 2005-2010 were used. Average lactation milk yield, 305-days milk yield, and lactation length of Brown Swiss cows, are determined respectively as 4639.79 kg, 4478.31 kg and 308.83 days. It is founded that effect of lactation number, calving year, and calving season are significant (P < 0.001) on lactation milk yield and 305-days milk yield, but the effect of calving age was not significant (P > 0.05); furthermore effects of calving age, lactation number, calving year, and calving season were not significant (P > 0.05) on lactation length. The results of this study showed that milk yield performances of Brown Swiss cows raised at Mus Alparslan State Farm are better than findings of researches conducted in previous years in the same farm, and lactation length resembles to standard lactation length suggest that herd directing programs is directed well, however lactation milk yield of Brown Swiss cows is lower than findings stated for the same breed cow in some local and foreign literatures. For this reason, making researches for improving milk yield performances of Brown Swiss cows in the farm will be beneficial.

Keywords: Brown Swiss cow; environmental factors; lactation length; lactation milk yield

Date published: 2017-09-13