The Relationship of Barn and Animal Hygiene with Milk Yield, Milk Composition and Mastitis in Holstein and Simmental Cows
Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the effect of barn hygiene on animal hygiene in Holstein and Simmental cows and the relationship between animal hygiene and milk yield, milk composition and somatic cell count (SCC). In the study, some hygiene traits of four different barns with 40 heads of Holstein and Simmental cows in the early and middle lactation period, the degree of cleanliness of the upper rear leg, lower rear leg, abdomen, udder and tail head of cows, the milk yield and composition of animals, and the SCC were determined. In the study, it was determined that bedding was more dirtiness in Holstein barns than Simmental barns. In terms of body hygiene, breed and breed X lactation period interaction were determined to be effective (P<0.05) on the scores of cleanliness of the lower rear leg, the upper rear leg and the abdomen. It was determined that there was a high correlation between the cleanliness scores of the lower and upper rear legs and the abdominal region of the body and the daily milk yield; between the cleanliness scores of the lower legs and tail head and the milk lactose ratio (P<0.05). In this study, it was concluded that the accumulation of manure on the passageway in free-stall barns causes the bedding material to become dirty and slippery, and the dirtiness of the bedding causes dirty of the upper leg (side) and abdominal region of the animals' bodies. In addition, it has been concluded that daily milk yield can be effective in dirtiness in cows' tails and that high tail dirtiness can cause a decrease in milk lactose ratio.
Keywords
Barn hygiene, cleanliness score, daily milk yield, dairy cow, lactose.
Thanks
The authors also thank Prof. Dr. Ömür KOÇAK for assistance in milk analysis.
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