Lecture 3

Animal Science 2
Dairy Production
History of Dairy Husbandry

Milk producing mammals were an important

part of agriculture in the world.
Goats were among the earliest domesticated
animals first adapted in Western Asia from
wild forms about 10-11,000 years ago.
Cattle were domesticated in the eastern
Sahara no later than 9,000 years ago.
It is surmised that at least one primary
reason was to make a source of meat easier to
get than by hunting.
 But domestic animals also are good for milk
products like cheese and yoghurt.
The earliest evidence for the processing of
milk fats comes from the early Neolithic of
the 7th millenium BC in northwestern Anatolia;
the 6th millenium BC in eastern Europe; the 5th
millenium BC in Africa; and the 4th millenium
BC in Britain and Northern Europe.
 Evidence for dairying, that is, milking dairy
herds and transforming them into dairy
products such as butter, yoghurt and cheese
is only known because of combined techniques
of stable isotope analysis and lipid research.
Until that process was identified in the early
21st century, ceramic strainers were
considered the only potential method of
recognizing the processing of dairy products.
 A recent study by Leonardi et. al. 2012,
described genetic data concerning the
development of lactose intolerance in
adulthood.
The molecular analysis of genetic variants in
modern people suggests that adaptation and
evolution of the ability of adults to consume
fresh milk occurred rapidly in Europe during
the transition to agriculturist lifestyles, as a
by-product of the adaptation to dairying.
 But the inability of adults to consume fresh
milk may also have been a spur to inventing
other methods for using milk proteins: cheese
making for example, reduces the amount of
lactose (acid) in dairy.
 Source:
Early Developments in the American Dairy
Industry, USDA, National Agricultural
Library
Breeds of Dairy Cattle
Breeds of Dairy Cattle (Indian Breeds)

Sahiwal
Milk Yield:
Under village
conditions- 1,350
kgs.
Under commercial
farms- 2,100 kgs.
Age at 1st calving-
32-36 months
Breeds of Dairy Cattle (Indian Breeds)

Gir (Gyr)
Milk Yield-
Under village
condition- 900
kgs.
Under commercial
farms- 1,600 kgs.
Breeds of Dairy Cattle (Indian Breeds)

Red Sindhi
Milk production:
Under village
conditions- 1,100
kgs.
Under commercial
farms- 1,900 kgs.
Breeds of Dairy Cattle (Indian Breeds)

Tharparkar
Milk Yield:
Under village
conditions- 1,660
kgs.
Under commercial
farm- 2,500 kgs.
Breeds of Dairy Buffaloes

Murrah
Milk Yield:
Average daily milk
yield is 8-10 liters
Crossbreds give
6-8 liters
Breeds of Dairy Buffaloes

Nili-Ravi
Milk Yield- 1,500-
1,850 kgs.
Breeds of Dairy Buffaloes

Jaffarabadi
Milk Yield- 1,800-
2,700 kgs.
Breeds of Dairy Buffaloes

Philippine Native
(Swamp-type)
Milk Yield:
1-2 liters per day
Dairy Goat breeds

Anglo-Nubian
Variable milk
production with 4-
5% butterfat
Dairy Goat breeds

Saanen
One of the top
producers of the
dairy goat breeds
with 2-3% butterfat
Dairy Goat breeds

Alpine
Very steady milk
producers with 3.5%
butterfat
Dairy Goat breeds

Toggenburg
Impressive milkers
like the Saanen
Milk has strong
goaty taste.
Dairy Goat breeds

La Mancha
Average milker with
4-4.5% butterfat
NEXT TOPIC

REPRODUCTION IN DAIRY CATTLE