The Effect of Different Environmental Factors on Milk Yield Characteristics of Holstein Fresian Cattle Raised with Different Production Scale on Teke Region of Turkey

Abstract

This study was intended to determine whether there was any difference between the parameters of herd size and milk yield based on the hypothesis that the dairy cattle enterprises in the Teke Region used different production methods depending on their herd size. Total milk yield and 305-d milk yield were increased in parallel with the farm-scale and reached 8968.70 ± 124.56 kg and 7632.20 ± 79.67 kg, respectively, in the farms with the largest scale of 101 heads and above (p < 0.001). It was further determined that milk yield decreased significantly in the summer calving season compared to other seasons (Summer: 7897.20 ± 154.48 b, Autumn: 8344.80 ± 169.33 a, Winter: 8054.50 ± 127.22 a, Spring: 8133.60 ± 159.77 a) (p < 0.01). Heat stress is thought to be the reason for the low milk yield in the summer season compared to other seasons. It was shown that the small-scale farms with 1–10 cows had the longest lactation length (394.90 ± 6.90 days) (p < 0.001). It was also determined that there is a directly proportional and significant relationship between the lactation number of Holstein cattle and lactation milk yield and 305-d milk yield values (p < 0.01). It was determined that dairy cattle in the 5th lactation had the highest 305-d milk yield value with 6992.00 ± 164.40 kg. In conclusion, a positive statistical correlation was found between the scale of dairy farms and their milk production parameter.