Methods of estimating lactation milk yield by using control day yields in Awassi sheep

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of various milk control methods on prediction accuracy of lactation milk yield for Awassi sheep. Different control methods (Sweden, Vogel, Holland I, Holland II, Trapeze I, Trapeze II and State Production Farm methods) and control periods (14th, 21st, 28th, 42nd and 56th day) used to determine lactation milk yield were compared. The data of the research was created within the scope of the "National Project of Small Ruminant Animal Breeding in the Hands of the People" in 2018 and a total of 3173 sheep records belonging to 31 enterprises were used. The actual lactation yield in the study was determined as 255.570.85 kg and the lactation length as 170.620.19 day. Correlation coefficients between the actual lactation yield and lactation yield calculated according to different control methods were found to be high and significant for all control periods and control methods (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.001). It gave the similar results to the actual lactation yield in the Vogel method calculated according to different control methods in a period of 28th days, in the Trapeze I method in a period of 28th and 42nd days, in the Trapeze II method in all periods (P>0.05). In the other control periods, all methods differed significantly from the actual lactation yield (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.001). As a result, it has been concluded that results close to the actual lactation yield will be obtained by using one of the Vogel or Trapeze I-II methods calculated by using the milk yields on the control day of Awassi sheep raised under Şanlıurfa conditions.