Milk Yield

the amount of milk, in kilograms or liters, obtained from agricultural animals, mainly cows, sheep, and mares, during a specified period, for example, a given milking, a day, a month, a period of lactation, or the animal’s entire life. The size of milk yield depends on the type of animal, the animal’s breed, age, individual features, and period of lactation, and the conditions under which it is fed and cared for. The highest milk yields are from cows of specialized dairy breeds. As the animal grows older, its milk yields increase until the sixth or seventh lactation and then decrease. Milk yield increases in the first 1½ to two months after calving and gradually decreases after the third month. Increase in the animal’s weight to the optimum for the breed is accompanied by an increase in milk yield. Milk yield increases if the animal is milked three or four times a day; however, this entails a greater expenditure of labor.