Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-4hhp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-24T05:44:51.224Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Factors affecting the shape of the lactation curve in cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

P. D. P. Wood
P. D. P. Wood
Affiliation:
Milk Marketing Board, Thames Ditton, Surrey
Get access

Summary

The lactation curve in cattle has been explained by the expression yn = Anbe-cn where yn is the average daily yield in the nth week, and A, b, and c are constants. In general, in a sample of 859 Friesian lactations recorded during 1964–65 daily yield was depressed during the winter months (18·8% in January) and stimulated during the spring (14·7% in May) to an extent which was independent of the stage of lactation. Winter calvers on the other hand tended to produce more in total lactation than spring calvers (14·5% for animals calving in November as opposed to those calving in April).

Using a suitable technique it is possible to predict month by month output from a cow, or herd, accurately enough to furnish a basis for forward planning.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 11 , Issue 3 , August 1969 , pp. 307 - 316
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1969

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Blau, G. 1961. [Studies on the course of the lactation curve.] Züchtungskunde 33:161–177.Google Scholar
Cersovsky, H. 1957. [The significance of the shape of lactation curve in cows.] Tierzucht 11: 185–188.Google Scholar
Fisher, R. A. 1915. Frequency distribution of the values of the correlation coefficient in samples from an indefinitely large population. Biometrika 10: 507–521.Google Scholar
Gaines, W. L. 1927. Persistency of lactation in dairy cows. Ill. agric. Exp. Stn, Bull. No. 288.Google Scholar
Gerdemann, H. 1964. [Investigations on the relationship between milk yield and fertility in cows with particular consideration of the shape of the lactation curve.] Inaug. Diss. Doct. Med. Vet., Hanover.Google Scholar
Maymone, B. and Molossini, F. 1959. [The rising phase of the lactation curve in dairy cows.] Ann. Sper. Agr. 13: 1005–1033.Google Scholar
Milk Marketing Board. 1961. Seasonality of milk output. Prod. Div. Rep. 11: 78–79.Google Scholar
Nelder, J. A. 1966. Inverse polynomials, a useful group of multi-factor response functions. Biometrics 22: 128–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Connor, L. K. and Lepton, S. 1960. The effect of various sampling intervals on the estimation of lactation milk yield and composition. J. Dairy Res. 27: 389–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanders, H. G. 1930. The analysis of the lactation curve into maximum yield and persistency. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 20: 145–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Vleck, L. D. and Henderson, C. R. 1961. Regression factors for extending part-lactation records. J. Dairy Sci. 44: 1085–1090.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vujičić, I. and Bačić, B. 1961. [New equation of the lactation curve.] Novi Sad. Ann. Sci. Agric. No. 5.Google Scholar
Wood, P. D. P. 1967. Algebraic model of the lactation curve in cattle. Nature Lond. 216: 164–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, P. D. P. 1968. Factors affecting persistency of lactation in cattle. Nature, Lond. 218: 894.CrossRefGoogle Scholar