title: Technical note: Calibration of a simple udder volume measurement technique.
abstract: A simple technique to measure udder volume in dairy cows using aluminum foil was developed and used to characterize empty udder volume (EUV) in a dual purpose herd (Bos taurus x B. indicus). The technique was calibrated by comparing cows' actual milk yield with the difference between its EUV and full udder volume (FUV). The resulting relationship was: Actual milk volume = 0.718(+/-0.9568) + 0.954(+/-0.0775) * (Calculated milk volume), R2 = 0.949. In 24 lactating cows, EUV was correlated with calving number and milk yield. Estimated mammary parenchyma productivity was 1.85 +/- 0.117 ml/L of EUV. The technique developed is a quick, cheap and yet precise alternative to measure udder volume.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, km 15.5 Mérida-Xmatkuil, 97100 Yucatán, México.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Magaña-Sevilla
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Sandoval-Castro
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000535:Aluminum