Effects of mammae hand massages on oxytocin release, milk yield, and milk quality in dairy cows

Objective: The objective of this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Mammae Hand Massages (MHM) on oxytocin release, milk yield, and milk quality in dairy cows. Methods: Twelve dairy cows with the following criterion: 5-yr-old, 1st to 9th month of lactation, and average body weight of 390 ± 5.55 kg were used. Cows were assigned in a randomized block design with 4 treatments, i.e. T0 (without massage), T1 (MHM for 20 s), T2 (MHM for 50 s), and T3 (MHM for 80 s). Oxytocin release, milk yield, and milk quality were measured accordingly. Results: Data obtained were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that MHM had only a significant effect on milk yield (P<0.01). MHM for 50 s produced the highest oxytocin release (0.22955 pcg/0.1mL), milk yield (13.08 ± 3.38 lt/head/d), and milk protein content (2.96 ± 0.03 %). Conclusions: It can be concluded that MHM for 50 s (equal to 1-1.6 volts) before milking increases oxytocin release, milk yield, and milk quality.