Effect of Birth Type on Production, Characteristics and Somatic Cell Count in Milk of Bafra and Karayaka Ewes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the birth type on milk yield (MY), milk characteristics and milk somatic cell count (SCC) in two Turkish sheep breeds. In this study, 3.0-3.5 years old Karayaka (n=35) and Bafra ewes (n=45) were used. Animals were kept until their milk yield was reduced to 50 g/d. The lactation milk yields (LMY) of single and multiple bearing ewes in Karayaka and Bafra breeds were 99.48 +/- 9.66 and 126.01 +/- 10.75 kg (P<0.05), and 104.89 +/- 8.57 and 165.62 +/- 10.79 kg (P<0.05), respectively. Lactation lengths (LL) of single and multiple bearing ewes in Karayaka and Bafra sheep breeds were 114.89 +/- 1.95 and 110.92 +/- 1.07 and 131.25 +/- 1.54 and 131.70 +/- 2.99 d (P<0.01), respectively. The log(10)SCC in milk in Bafra ewes with single, twin and triplet + quadruplet were 5.21 +/- 0.15, 5.14 +/- 0.06 and 5.003 +/- 0.05 and single and twin bearing for Karayaka ewes were 4.94 +/- 0.06 and 5.04 +/- 0.07, respectively. The SCC (>= 7.5x10(5)) affected MY (P<0.05) and milk components (MC, P<0.01) significantly. With the increase in the number of sucking lambs in the Bafra breed, the SCC in the milk decreased (P<0.05), but not in Karayaka.