Dairy Milk Production

In this post we will learn about dairy milk production. Dairy production is a topic covered under general science for grade 6.Milk is the source of all the nutrients  for the young cow. The gestation period for a  female cow is 9 months. Shortly before calving, milk is secreted into the udder in preparation for the new born. At parturition, fluid from the mammary gland known as colostrum is secreted. Its similar to human cow milking at times.This yellowish colored, salty liquid has a very high serum protein content and provides antibodies to help protect the newborn until its own immune system is established. Within 72 hours, the composition of colostrum returns to that of fresh milk, allowing to be used in the food supply.

The period of lactation, or milk production, then continues for an average of 305 days, producing as much as 9000 or more kg of milk. This is quite a large amount considering the calf only needs about 1000 kg for growth.
Within the lactation, the highest yield is 2-3 months post- parturition, yielding 40-50 L/day. Within the milking lifetime, a cow reaches a peak in production about her third lactation, but can be kept in production for 5-6 lactations if the yield is still good.