Udder Measurements and Their Relationship with Milk Yield in Pelibuey Ewes

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between udder measurements and milk yield (MY) in dairy Pelibuey ewes. Udder measurements were taken twice a week for eight weeks before (initial) and after (final) milking, including udder depth (UD), udder circumference (UC), udder width (UW), teat length (TL) and teat diameter (TD) in 38 multiparous ewes. Additionally, udder volume (UV) and the difference (VDF) between initial UV (UVi) and final (UVf) was calculated as VDF = UVi − UVf. The MY varied from 0.10 kg/d to 1.04 kg/d, with a mean of 0.39 kg/d, ± 0.18 kg/d. Initial UC (UCi) ranged from 25.80 cm to 53.30 cm, and VDF varied from 1 cm3 to 2418 cm3. The TL and TD were not correlated with MY (p > 0.05), while UCi, UVi and VDF were positively correlated with MY (p < 0.0001; r = from 0.66 to 0.74). For the prediction of MY, the obtained equations had an r2 ranging from 0.54 to 0.63. The UCi, UDf, UWi and UWf were included in these models (p < 0.05). It is concluded that there was an acceptable correlation (r = 0.60) between the measurements of the udder, the volume of the udder and the daily milk yield in Pelibuey sheep. When direct measurements of milk production cannot be performed in practice, the measurement of udders and their volume could be a viable alternative to estimate milk yield production as an indirect method.

Associations among Mammary Ultrasound Measurements, Milk Yield of Non-Dairy Ewe Lambs and the Growth of Their Single Lambs

“…van der Linden et al [16] explained a maximum of 36% of the variation in milk yield at day 35 of lactation using udder dimensions. Arcos-Álvarez et al [31] and Espinosa-Mendoza et al [32] explained 54 to 63% of the variation in milk yield using udder dimensions. In dairy heifers, the proportion of secretory tissue in the parenchyma measured 15 to seven days prior to calving was highly positively correlated (0.80) with milk yield over 100 days of lactation, indicating that this measure was an accurate indicator of milk yield [14].…”

Physico-Chemical, Sensory and Texture Properties of an Aged Mexican Manchego-Style Cheese Produced from Hair Sheep Milk

“…Daily milk yield in the present study was lower compared to recent reports on milk yield from hair sheep ewes. Under tropical conditions, it has been reported that Pelibuey sheep and their crosses have milk daily yields of around 1 to 1.7 kg/d [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. However, it is important to note that daily milk yields obtained in the present study only correspond to half of the milk produced in a day.…”

“…In recent years, an increased interest for evaluating dairy sheep production has led to studies focused on different production systems and breeds. However, there is a lack of information regarding dairy production using hair sheep (e.g., Pelibuey) under tropical conditions [ 9 , 10 ]. Recent studies have reported that Pelibuey sheep and their crosses yielded a milk production during their lactation from 1.1 to 1.7 kg/d under tropical conditions [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

“…However, there is a lack of information regarding dairy production using hair sheep (e.g., Pelibuey) under tropical conditions [ 9 , 10 ]. Recent studies have reported that Pelibuey sheep and their crosses yielded a milk production during their lactation from 1.1 to 1.7 kg/d under tropical conditions [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. However, detailed data on the milk composition and its potential performance on dairy products from hair sheep is unavailable.…”

Prediction of Carcass Traits of Hair Sheep Lambs Using Body Measurements

“…In vivo body measurements (BMs) may be of greater interest under commercial production conditions because they enable the assessment of carcass traits or the prediction of commercial cuts with few or no additional costs to producers [8,10,12]. Due to their low cost and practicality, BMs have long been used as an indicator of animal type and potential of production [13,14] or as a predictor of BW, body mass index, and carcass traits [15][16][17]. However, the use of BMs to estimate growth and carcass and body composition in hair sheep is limited [8].…”