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Milk Production of Beef Shorthorn Cows

United States Department of Agriculture^,4

Abstract

Milk production of 30 beef Shorthorn cows at the Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland was estimated by weighing their calves before and after nursing on one day each week. The over-all average was estimated at approximately 4400 lb. of milk with 3.98% butterfat for a lactation period of 252 days. Peak production was reached on the average at the end of the second month. The average production for the highest 28-day period was 22.7 lb. per day. Production for the last month of lactation averaged 13.6 lb. per day. Both age of cows and years had marked effects on level of production. Food requirements of the calves indicated that the level of milk production by the cows was at least as high as was estimated.

At Manhattan, Kansas, in a cooperative project between the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the United States Department of Agriculture, 24 highly selected beef Shorthorn cows were milked as though they were dairy cows. Forty-two complete lactations of 365 days or less were obtained which averaged 4,862 lb. of milk, 192 lb. of butterfat and tested 3.95%. Production was apparently affected by years and age of cow although these effects could not be separated from those of selection and culling. On the average, the fact that the cows had not been milked before did not appear to affect the results significantly although for a few cows it did seem to make a difference. For 26 lactations of 365 days or less on which the information was recorded the average length of lactation was 298 days.

¹ Animal Husbandman.

² Retired, formerly Animal Husbandman.

³ Formerly Animal Husbandman, now with the International Cooperation Administration, Washington, D. C.

⁴ Beef Cattle Research Branch, Animal Husbandry Research Division, A.R.S., Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland.

The authors wish to acknowledge the help of the late W. H. Black, formerly in charge of Beef and Dual Purpose Cattle Investigations, of W. F. Ward, retired, formerly in charge of Beef Cattle Investigations, Bureau of Animal Industry, and of George Beattie, beef cattle herdsman, Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland. They also with to express their appreciation for the work of the officials at the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

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