Health of the dairy herd and indicators of milk quality
Abstract
Now a lot of attention is paid to the safety and quality of food products. Milk and dairy products are in significant demand among the population and occupy a significant segment in the variety of human food. The content of fat and protein characterize the quality of milk and are of great importance. The cost of raw materials, therefore, the farmer's profit, depends on these indicators. It is impossible to produce a high-quality product from hazardous raw materials. Cattle udder health is an important factor in animal welfare and dairy farm economics. The purpose of the research was to analyze data characterizing the health of dairy cows and milk quality indicators (fat and protein content depending on the month of the year). Collected milk from cows of the farm “Yekaterinoslavsky”, Dnipro city, was studied. Average indicators of fat and protein content per month during 2021 and 2022 are presented. Farm data were analyzed: the proportion of new cases of mastitis in dairy cows per month for 2021 and 2022. The lowest content of fat (3.47–3.65 %) and protein (3.26–3.41 %) in the cow milk is observed in the summer, which is due to the largest amount of milk obtained from cows during this period. It is accepted that the dairy herd is healthy if the proportion of cows with mastitis does not exceed 4 %. This indicator was exceeded only once – in June 2022 (4.45 %). In 2021, the highest rates of mastitis cases were observed in January and December – 2.96 and 3.05 %, respectively. The smallest share of new cases of mastitis was noted in September and November – 1.52 and 0.97 %, respectively. Perhaps this is connected with the mass launch of cows and the dry period. In 2022, the dairy herd increased by more than 100 cows, and the proportion of new cases of mastitis increased. The highest rates of mastitis cases in 2022 were observed in June and July – 4.45 and 3.84 %, respectively. The lowest proportion of new cases of mastitis was noted in August and November – 2.72 and 2.54 %, respectively. In general, the dairy herd of the dairy complex is safe from mastitis, the share of this disease is less than 4 %.
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