Factors affecting the lactation curve parameters of crossbred dairy ewes in a flock of the highlands of Mexico.

Abstract

Sheep milk production is incipient in Mexico with scarce knowledge on the performance of dairy ewes from different breeds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of breed (Awassi (Aw), East Friesian (EF) and other (Ot)), parity number (1, 2 and 3 or more (+ 3)), litter size (1 and 2 or more (+ 2)) and lambing season (spring-summer (SS) and autumn-winter (AW)) on day of peak yield (DP), peak yield (PY), persistency (P), total milk yield (TMY), 305-day milk yield (TMY305d), 150-day milk yield (TMY150d) and lactation length (LL) of crossbred dairy ewes in a flock of the central highlands of Mexico. A total of 4312 weekly milk yield records collected from 2014 to 2015 were used to model 133 lactations using a random regression model with a fifth-order orthogonal polynomial. Flock mean values of curve parameters were 42days at DP, 1.2kg/day at PY, - 3.5g/day of P, 190kg TMY, 189kg TMY305, 124kg TMY150 and 269days of LL. Multiparous ewes had significantly higher (P < 0.05) PY and TMY than primiparous ewes. Ewes that lambed in AW had 15% higher PY and produced 14% more TMY than ewes that lambed in SS (P < 0.05). Correlations among curve parameters were significant except for the correlation between PY and LL and between P and TMY150d. TMY was strongly correlated with LL (0.91). Predominantly Awassi crossbred ewes had lower curve parameter values than predominantly East Friesian and other crossbred ewes.