How many days open affect milk production and how long a Bulgarian Murrah buffalo stays lactating at the same time

Abstract

Initiated with the objective of estimating the effect of days open on the milk yield and duration of the
concurrent lactation, a study was undertaken to assign 1021 lactations to 313 Bulgarian Murrah buffalo
cows with milk yield recorded on the farm of Agricultural Institute - Shumen from 1967 to 2001. A
strong negative relationship between days open and 305-day milk output, and more specifically full days
in milk, was shown using linear LS-analyses. The optimal service time for achieving a balance between
reproductive efficiency and productive performance, with breastfeeding lasting as long as desired, is
three to five months.