D. S. Al-Noori, S. I. Said and S.A. Taha
Al-Anbar Journal of Veterinary Sciences, Volume 7, Issue 1, (2014).
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Abstract
This study was carried out in the station for ruminant research of the State Board for Agriculture Research Ministry of Agricultural in Abu Ghraib (23 km east of Baghdad) for the period of 1/10/2010 to 1/6/2012, to study the factors affecting milk yield in suckled Turkish Awassi sheep by using two methods of measurement: Hand milking and Weigh Suckle Weigh (WSW). The study included 590 records for pre- weaning milk yield (to-peak, peak and post peak). The effect of method of measurement, age of ewe, type of birth, sex of lambs, month and year of lambing and regression on ewe weight at birth on milk yield was studied. The daily milk production for each ewe was measured weekly for two production seasons. The overall means for milk yield of the to-peak, peak and post- peak were 18.93, 9.12, 52.72, respectively. The least squares means for milk yield of the to-peak, peak and post- peak were 16.78±0.57, 9.10±0.17, 52.44±1.21 kg, respectively by using hand milking method and were 21.08±0.63, 9.13±0.18, 53.00±1.28 kg, respectively by using Weigh Suckle Weigh method.