Abstract
This chapter describes a study for the radioimmunological determination of oxytocin in connection with milk removal. Oxytocin was determined in cattle blood by means of a specific radioimmunological assay. Premilking stimulation for 1 min, (which consisted of washing the udder and of stripping the teats), caused a maximal increase in oxytocin at the beginning of milking and improved the milk release and milking time. Without prestimulation oxytocin values were low at the beginning of milking but increased during milking to reach maximum levels at the end of, or after, machine milking. This late appearance may account for the prolongation of milking time and diminished milk yield. Other techniques of prestimulation, for example, either a warm, moist, or dry cloth applied to either the teats alone or to other parts of the udder modified milk release only slightly, although teat-stimulation appeared superior. The effect of machine-milking and suckling on oxytocin release was compared in a pilot study one day after calving. It was found that suckling caused greater peak values of oxytocin than did milking.
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