Full Length Research Paper

Relationship between somatic cell counts, dairy cattle milk yield and composition in Burkina Faso

Ouédraogo G. A¹*, Millogo V², Anago-Sidibé A. G³ and Kanwé B. A³

¹Département d´élevage, Institut du Développement Rural, Université Polytechnique de Bobo-Dioulasso, BP 1091, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
²Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7024, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
³Institut de l´Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, Département Production Animale, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: ani.oued@voila.fr. Tel: +226 70 26 05 16. Fax: +226 20 98 25 77.

Accepted 28 January 2008

   Abstract

The study was carried out on ten local dairy cows called Zebu at a research centre located in the west part of Burkina Faso. Dairy cows were supplemented 53.8 MJ metabolized energy and 735.7 g Crude Protein and were free access to natural pasture. Milk yield recording and individual milk sample collection took place within one month. Milk samples were analyzed for composition with the method of mid infrared spectroscopy and for somatic cell count with fluorescent method. The results showed that saleable milk yield varied between dairy cows and days. The lowest milk yield (1.04 ± 0.29 L/day) was associated to higher somatic cell count (5.30 ± 0.73 = Log₁₀) compare to cows with the highest daily milk yield in this study (3.46 ± 0.39 litres/day and 4.73 ± 0.45 = Log₁₀). But, the higher fat content (5.79 ± 1.62) was found for cow with higher somatic cell count. Saleable milk yield and milk composition were strongly associated to somatic cell count but the study did not show how much milk and its components could vary with higher somatic cell count.

Key words: Local cow, milk yield, Somatic cell count, composition.