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Artificial cooling of buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in a hot environment, and plasma oxytocin concentration
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2009
Summary
Nine normal lactating Murrah buffaloes from the Punjab Agricultural University Dairy herd were used to assess the effect of showers and evaporative cooling on plasma oxytocin concentration, let-down time, milking time and milk yield in buffaloes. The animals were showered four times daily between 10.30 and 16.30 h or provided with evaporative cooling from 07.00 to 21.00 h. In the hot and dry period the oxytocin concentration in buffaloes given a shower was significantly greater than that of the buffaloes of the control group. In the hot and humid period there was a similar trend.
It is concluded from these studies, that cooling may increase the effective milk ejection reflex because the milk-ejection response to a given blood oxytocin concentration is different when the animal is heat stressed from when it is cooled.
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982