Selective Сontrol of the Quality of Milk Produced by Ewes of the Katumskaya Meat Breed

T. O. Dmitrieva¹, X. A. Amerkhanov², A. V. Egiazaryan^3
1OOO Agricultural enterprise «Katumy», massiv Katumy, der. Kuivozi, Vsevolozhskii r-n, Leningradskaya obl., 188656, Russian Federation
²Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, ul. Timiryazevskaya, 49, Moskva, 127550, Russian Federation
³OAO «Nevskoe» for breeding work, Moskovskoe sh., 55B, pos. Tyarlevo, Sankt-Peterburg, 196601, Russian Federation

Abstract. n this research, selective indicators of the milk quality of Katumskaya breed ewes during the days-in-milk (DIM) period were investigated. The study was conducted on the premises of the agricultural enterprise Katumi, LLC (Vsevolozhsk District, Leningrad Oblast, Russia) in 2017–2018. Milk sampling was being carried out in ewes of the second and third lambing periods (n = 100) daily from the 5th to the 65th day of lactation. The samples were analysed using a NexGen milk analyser (Bentley Combi FTS-500). From the 5th to the 14th day, the fat content in the milk samples was equal to 7.5± 0.82% with a subsequent reduction to the values of 7.1 ± 1.1%, 6.1 ± 1.6%, 5.7 ± 1.8% by the 30th, 45th and 55th day of lactation, respectively. The fat content value remained at the level of 6.2 ± 0.5% after the 60th day of lactation. Statistically significant correlations were established between the day of lactation and milk fat content (-0.885), and milk yield and fat content (-0.881). The milk protein level was equal to 4.9± 0.3% over the period from the 5th to the 15th day, with the values decreasing to 4.8 ± 0.3%, 3.8 ± 0.7%, 4.7 ± 0.5% and 4.9 ± 0.4% by the 30th, 45th, 55th and after 60th day of lactation, respectively. The milk lactose content was relatively stable throughout the study, with the values ranging from 4.98± 0.2 to 5.4 ± 0.2%. The content of somatic cells averaged to 151.5 ± 119.8 K/cm3. The values of milk solids (MS) and milk solids non-fat (MSNF) were equal to 15.7 ± 1.2% and 9.96 ± 0.46%, respectively. The correlation between the content of MSNF and lactose, MS and fat content, MS and milk yield was assessed to be 0.915, 0.933 and -0.915, respectively. The milk of Katumskaya breed sheep is shown to provide for a high earliness of lambs, which amounts to 400 g/day prior to weaning.

Keywords: meat sheep breeding, selection, milk quality, lamb growth and development, Katumskaya sheep breed.

Author Details: T. O. Dmitrieva, Cand. Sc. (Vet.), leading specialist; X. A. Amerkhanov, D. Sc. (Agr.), prof.; A. V. Egiazaryan, D. Sc. (Agr.), general director.

For citation: Dmitrieva T. O., Amerkhanov X. A., Egiazaryan A. V. Selective control of the quality of milk produced by ewes of the Katumskaya meat breed. Dostizheniya nauki i tekhniki APK. 2019. Vol. 33. No. 3. Pp. 52–54 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.24411/0235-2451-2019-10313.