Evaluation of test-day milk yield of native sheep breeds in some commercial flocks

Abstract EN

A total of 729 test-day milk yield (TDMY) of 172 ewes belonged to three breeds namely, Hamdani, Karadi and Awassi raised at four commercial flocks in Erbil plain, and the fifith flock belongs to College of Agriculture, University of Salahaddin, were used to study milk production together with some environmental factors affecting it.

Test-day milk yield was recorded at monthly interval starting one month post lambing till the ewes were dried off.

Lambs were separated from their mothers at 7.00 p.m.

On the following morning, ewes were hand milked at 7.00 a.m., and the milk yield was recorded.

Overall mean of milk yield for the three breeds was 557.66 ± 12.40 gm.

Breed and flock had a significant (P<0.01) effect on milk yield.

The effect of age of dam, type of birth, stage of lactation and season of lambing on TDMY was significant