ESTIMATING THE SHAPE OF THE LACTATION CURVE

Abstract

The shape of the lactation curve was estimated utilizing a multiple-trait generalized least squares analysis to calculate constants for average daily milk and fat production within 16 stages of lactation for the Holstein and Jersey breeds. The results agree with recent studies in the United States. Discussion is given on the computational aspects of deriving the constants and applying them to the problem of predicting 305-day milk and fat production. Several methods of prediction remain to be compared.