Apparatus and milking techniques used in lactation studies with sheep

Abstract

SummaryA description is given of a simple milking apparatus for collecting the yields of individual ewes, and of the milking procedure used in studies of lactation in ewes of ‘mutton’ breeds. The incidence of mastitis, level of milk yield, some of the non-nutritional factors affecting the milk yield and the coefficients of variation of milk yield and composition are discussed in relation to data from 6 experiments in which ewes of mutton breeds were machine-milked twice daily for 6–9 weeks of lactation.