Comparison of Weigh-Suckle-Weigh (WSW) and Hand Milking (HM) Methods for Measuring Milk Yield and Composition in Dairy Goats

Objective: The effect of two different methods on milk production and composition in the suckling period of dairy goats was investigated. Material and Methods: The study was carried out with 8 Turkish Saanen goats 4-5 years old and 8 goat-kids (3 Female; 5 Male). In this study, the mean of 47.5±0.50 days old and female goat-kids with live weight of 12.9±1.36 kg and male goat-kids live weight of 16.0±1.06 kg were used. Milk production was measured by the weigh-suckle-weigh (WSW) + hand milking method and hand milking (HM)-only method. Samples were collected from each goat and analyzed in the laboratory. Results: Results indicated that little more milk was obtained from the WSW method than HM (P=0.0777). The amount of milk was measured in the goats during the morning milking period when the goats and goat-kids had been separated for 14 hours (P<0.0001). While milk content was higher using WSW than the HM method, other milk components were higher with the HM method (P≤0.05). Higher fat in the milk was obtained from WSW because of residual milk in the breast. The mean of aged 47-60 days goat-kids suckled 880 g milk/goat-kid per period in study. The goat-kids suckled significantly more in the morning than evening, and males more than females (P≤0.05). Conclusion: The selection of milk production method can be made from either WSW or HM, according to farm conditions. However, it can be said that a variety of factors, such as age, gender, type of labor, duration of separation from mother, lactation time and labor, may influence the amount of milk suckled by the goat-kids.