Jennet milk production during the lactation in a Sicilian farming system.

This research explored jennet milk production in Sicily, Italy. An 18-month experiment was conducted on a farm to monitor milk yield and composition over a lactation period. They found variations in daily milk yield, lactation length, and milk properties that depended on the season when foaling occurred. The study established that strategic management of jennet milk production could not only improve yield and quality, but also profitability.

Research Context and Methodology

• This study was carried out in response to the growing interest in jennet milk production in Italy. Jennets are female donkeys. Milk harvested from them is said to have high nutritional value and medicinal properties, prompting farmers to consider it as an alternative to traditional cow or goat milk.
• The experiment was conducted on a farm near Milo in Sicily, where 24 Ragusana breed jennets were monitored for an entire lactation period, that spanned 18 months.
• The jennets were kept in a large paddock and fed hay and concentrate.
• Twice daily milking commenced from the 28th day after the jennets had foaled. The interval between milking was 5 hours.
• Milk volume from each jennet was recorded every three weeks. Individual samples were collected for analysis of fat, protein, casein, non-proteic nitrogen, lactose, and somatic cell count.

Findings on Jennet Milk Production Pattern and Quality

• The study discovered that these Ragusana breed jennets from the Sicilian latitudes are not seasonal polyestrous; they do not have multiple estrous or reproductive cycles in one breeding season.
• There were fluctuations in daily milk yield, the length of the lactation period, and milk components, depending on the season of foaling.
• An average total milk production of around 490 kg was observed over approximately 295 days following foaling. This was based on twice daily milking.
• The yield gradually reduced over the course of the lactation period, sinking from 1.98 kg to 1.28 kg per jennet per day.
• Analyses of the milk revealed decreasing fat and protein percentages as lactation progressed, while lactose percentage increased. This trend seems unique to equines in comparison to ruminants.
• In terms of seasonality, springtime yielded the best quantity and quality of jennet milk.

Implications for the Jennet Milk Production

• These findings offer insights that can be used to optimize jennet milk production in terms of both yield and quality.
• Planning the timing of foaling to coincide with spring could boost the productivity and profitability of jennet milk farming.
• Given its nutritional properties and rising popularity, jennet milk production could be a profitable business, especially with refined management strategies informed by studies like this one.