General Properties and Effects of Some Husbandry Practices on Milk Yield in Dairy Farms of Ondokuz Mayıs District of Samsun Province

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to reveal the structural properties and the effects of husbandry practices on milk yield in dairy farms of Ondokuz Mayıs district of Samsun. While the data were obtained by face-to-face surveys and observations in a total of 59 farms those had ≥10 head cattle between January and June 2018, environmental factors affecting daily milk yield (DMY) were separately evaluated. Important negativeneses were determined on the barn type, bedding material using, calving pens, weaning period of calves, claw care and udder cleaning in the farms. It was informed that local bazaars and cooperatives were commonly used for raw milk marketing, and high feed price was the most important problem. DMY was significantly affected by the experience of farm owner, number of the milking cows, amount of concentrate feed that given and milking type. It was concluded that farm properties and herd management methods have to be restored to elevate milk production in the investigated farms.