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Bovine Serum Corticoid Response to Milking and Exteroceptive Stimuli¹

Department of Dairy Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48823

ABSTRACT

Six lactating Holstein cows were housed in pairs, and alternate members of each pair were milked on consecutive days. Each pair was milked separately to avoid the influence of exteroceptive stimuli that might be associated with milking other cows. Blood was collected simultaneously from the milked and nonmilked members of each pair via indwelling jugular cannulae at 10, 5, and 1 min before milking; at the start of milking; and at 1, 3, 5, 16, 60, and 90 min after the start of milking. Corticoid n serum from milked cows averaged 3.9 ng/ml before milking, increased (P<.05) to 8.1 and 11.5 ng/ml at 5 and 15 min after milking began, and declined (P<.05) to 4.7 ng/ml at 60 min after the start of milking. Corticoid in serum from nonmilked pairmates was 4.6 ng/ml 10 min before the milkng process was initiated and increased slightly (P>.05) to 6.7 and 8.2 ng/ml at –5 and –1 min. By 60 min after their pairmates were milked, serum corticoid of nonmilked cows averaged 3.1 ng/ml, 32% lower (P<.05) than the comparable average at 10 min before milking. We conclude that the milking stimulus per se and exteroceptive stimuli can cause increased serum corticoid in cows.

¹ Published with approval of the Director of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station as Paper 5581.