Studies on relationship between milk yield and skin thickness of dairy animals

The aim of the present investigation was to examine the relationship between skin thickness and milk yield. The experiment was conducted at Livestock Farm Complex, C.V.Sc. & A.H., ANDUAT Ayodhya, Ram Newaj Singh Dairy Farm, Kumarganj, Ayodhya (UP) and Gorakhnath Singh Dairy, Baijnathpur Gorakhpur (UP) as per availability of lactating animals (Murrah buffalo, Gir and Sahiwal cows) which was 32 animals of each breed. A total of 96 dairy animals were studied in this experiment in which 32 Murrah buffaloes, 32 Sahiwal cows and 32 Gir cows ranging from first to fourth lactation periods. The dairy animals were selected on daily milk yield and total milk yield were recorded from the records over an average period of 120 days of lactation length. The skin thickness was measured from seven sites or regions namely neck, chest, abdomen, rump, hind quarter, udder and flank of each animal. The result shows that, in Murrah buffaloes the highest average DMY was 8.16 ± 0.52, 8.62 ± 0.55, 8.29 ± 0.78, 8.15 ± 0.55, 8.69 ± 0.77 and 7.86 ± 0.39 litres by animals under thin skin thickness of neck, chest, abdomen, hind quarter, udder and flank regions respectively. In Sahiwal cows, it was observed that the highest average DMY was 7.26 ± 0.31, 7.47 ± 0.65, 7.63 ± 0.48, and 7.69 ± 0.76 litres by animals under low skin thickness of neck, chest, abdomen and udder regions respectively. Where as in Gir cows it was observed that the highest average DMY was 6.23 ± 0.46, 6.06+0.41, 5.96 ± 0.51, 5.06 ± 0.36 and 6.03 ± 0.65 litres by animals under low skin thickness of neck, abdomen, hind quarter, udder and flank regions respectively. However, it was also observed that all the Murrah buffaloes, Sahiwal and Gir cows having thick skin of different regions were found to produce lowest milk yield per day. Least square analysis showed that the relation between DMY and skin thickness of thin, moderate and thick in different regions was found to be statistically non-significant except in flank regions where different types of skin thickness found significant (p