A feasibility study of alternating milk recording in sheep and goats

摘要

Milk recording in sheep and goats in Slovenia is performed according to the ICAR A4 method. An experiment to evaluate appropriateness of the AT, a more economic ICAR approved method in Slovenia was conducted. Milk yield results are based on the regular production records in the period 1995-1999 (16 940 test day records, 4 568 lactations in sheep and 24 070 records, 4 031 lactations in goats) and the fat, protein and lactose results are based on three sheep and three goat flocks (273 animals, 1 140 test day records in sheep, and 123 animals, 692 records in goats). Milk yield and fat, protein and lactosis contents were recorded once a month, separately for morning and evening milking. The correlations between predicted values for morning and evening recording pairs were the following: in sheep 0.99 for milk, 0.96, 0.94 and 0.96 for fat, protein and lactosis content and in goats 0.98 for milk, 0.93, 0.99 and 0.95 for fat, protein and lactose content.