EFFECT OF SHEARING ON MILK COMPOSITION IN THE TSIGAI EWES
Yordan Aleksiev, Gercho Gerchev
Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture, 5600 Troyan, Bulgari
yordan_aleksiev@yahoo.com
The effect of shearing on milk yield and milk composition was studied in the Tsigai ewes. The sheep were kept indoor and shorn at the beginning of April. Ewes were milked twice daily and milk samples, from the morning yield only, were taken on the day before, and on days 2 and 14 post-shearing. Shearing had no effect on milk yield. The concentrations of milk fat and casein increased from 6.83 ± 0.44 and 3.81 ± 0.30 %, respectively, in unshorn sheep up to 7.81 ± 0.35 and 4.23 ± 0.33 % on the second post-shearing day, and continued to increase thereafter. The concentration of total solids in unshorn sheep averaged 18.26 ± 0,44 % but it increased up to 19.37 ± 0.25 % and 20.26 ± 0.66 %, respectively, on day 2 and on day 14 after shearing. There was no effect of shearing on the lactose concentrations. Renneting time progressively decreased, with changes in milk composition. The possible effects of different mechanisms involved in post-shearing adaptation on the observed changes in milk composition are discussed.
Keywords: sheep; shearing; milk; composition
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