Effects of Feeding Management on Milk Yield and Composition Traits in Crossbred Jersey Cows

Abstract

This aim of this study was to determine the effect of some different feeding and management practices on milk production and traits in Jersey crossbred cows. A total of 78 smallholder dairy farms in the Middle Black Sea region province of Turkey was investigated by raw milk composition (fat (F), protein (P), lactose (L)), density (D), freezing point (FP), somatic cell count (SCC) and daily milk yield (DMY) according to the different feeding applications (grazing (G), silage usage (S), compound feed usage (C), number of milking cow (NMC), calf suckling period (CSP)). Average F (3.144 +/- 1.931%), P (3.022 +/- 0.448%), L (4.475 +/- 0.669%) and logSCC (5.386 +/- 0.529) values were within acceptable ranges. The present investigation revealed that feeding practices had an important role on both milk quality and quantity of Jersey crossbred cows. Therefore, it is suggested that procedures including proper feeding implementations should exactly be managed on the herds.