Med. Weter. 80 (8), 376-380, 2024
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| PAVOL MAKOVICKY, MILAN MARGETIN, PETER MAKOVICKY, MELINDA NAGY |
| Correlation of somatic cell count in sheep milk with the total amount of milk obtained by machine milking, the total milk yield and the percentage of milk stripped by machine. |
| Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland (udder). It can be caused by physical injury or by infection, leading to the growth of microorganisms which invade the mammary gland. Mastitis is a major problem for farmers of dairy sheep and other dairy animals leading to economic losses. Different breeds have different traits and are therefore are differently susceptible to developing mastitis. It is therefore important to study and compare different breeds (Tsigai and Improved Valachian breeds) and their crosses in terms of milk yield and other various traits that are determinants of the likelihood of mastitis. The results of the study indicate that there is a statistically significant (P < 0.001) effect of genotype on the amount of milk obtained at machine milking in 30 seconds, the source of variation, and the total milk yield. There are notable differences between crossbreeds and purebreeds, particularly in the incidence of subclinical mastitis in favour of purebreds. The results demonstrated that the order of lactation had a statistically highly demonstrable effect on LOG SCC (P < 0.001). Ewes in their first lactation exhibited significantly lower somatic cell counts. Therefore, selecting ewes for lower somatic cell counts could also leads to less sickness and better ewe performance. |
| Keywords: dairy sheep, mastitis, milk, somatic cell count, udder |