RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN WEIGHT, BODY CONDITION AND MILK PRODUCTION IN COWS UNDER DOUBLE PURPOSE SYSTEM

Objective. Evaluate the relationship between body weight, body condition and milk production in response to supplementation with whole cotton. Materials and methods. Two experimental treatments were applied to 13 cows using a randomized design: G1 (n=7), cows supplemented with 2 kg of cotton seed, and G2 (n=6), no supplemental seed. Results were analyzed using Spearman correlations. Results. There was a positive correlation between body weight and body condition (p<0,05) in the supplemented and non supplemented cows. Although there was no correlation between the variation in body weight and milk production (p>0,05) in the supplemented cows, there was positive correlation (p<0,05) for the non-supplemented cows. The body condition and milk production showed a positive correlation among (p<0,05) in the non-supplemented cows, but not in the supplemented cows (p>0,05). Conclusions. The supplementation with cotton seed had important positive relationship among body weight, body condition, and milk production in cows of first birth managed under pasturing conditions.