Effect of parity on milk yield in lactating dairy cows

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of parity on milk yield among dairy cows fed maize stover improved using legume stover (LS) and feed grade urea fertilizer (UET). The main objective was to assess the effect of parity number on milk yield among dairy cows. The study was carried out at the Livestock Development Trust Centre (LDTC) of the Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust near Batoka in Southern Province of Zambia. Three feeding trials involving twelve (12) lactating dairy cows were conducted to assess the effect of parity on Daily Milk Yield (DMY). Feed supplements were offered to cows in form of chopped MS supplemented with chopped groundnut stover (cGS), chopped soybean stover (cSS), mineralized groundnut solution (mGS) and mineralized soybean solution (mSS). The mean daily DMYs for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd parities were (5.06ltrs ±2.33, 8.00 ltrs±3.23 and 6.89ltrs±4.00 respectively). These means differed significantly (p<0.05). Results of the current study have indicated that milk yield is influenced by parity with cows in 2nd parity showing the highest milk yield of first three parities.