When
discussing milk and lactation in general, two
aspects must be taken into account. The first is the
amount of milk produced per day and per lactation
period.
The other aspect, which is as important, is the
type of milk produced. Animals living in cold areas
or in the sea need a different quality of milk from
those living in hot areas; this applies also to
fast-growing animals as compared with slow-growing
animals (Yagil & Etzion, 1980).
This section will deal with the lactation,
milking and amount of milk produced.
The mainstay of the desert nomad's food is
camels' milk, which is consumed fresh or when just
soured (Mares, 1954, Gast et al.1969). Data on the
actual amount of milk produced by camels are not
very accurate for judging the milk-giving
capabilities of camels.
Calves must be allowed to drink; therefore, the
herder and his family must share with the calf the
milk produced by the herd. How much the calf drinks
certainly varies with its size, age, and health. The
amount of grazing and water available to the camel
will also determine the amount suckled, and the
total produced.
The camel, like the cow, has a four-quartered udder.
It is firmly suspended from the abdomen, without
deep cuts (Sharma, 1963) (Photo 4). There are four
teats, each having two orifices.
China
The two-humped Bactrian camel is used mostly as a
working animal (Dong Wei, 1979). The lactation
period is 1416 months, and the amount of daily milk
production averages 5 kg per animal; although some
animals can give as much as 1520 kg per day.
Normally, only about 2 kg are milked; the rest is
suckled by the calf.
Russia
Milking capabilities of the Bactrian, the dromedary,
and the hybrid of these two types of camels were
examined (Kheraskov, 1955, 1961, 1965; Lakosa &
Shokin, 1964; Dzhumagulov, 1976). The dromedary gave
more milk than the Bactrian or the hybrids (Table
2). The hybrid - Kazakh - gave more milk than the
hybrid Turmein. The lactation period was 18 months.
Most of the milk was produced in the first seven
months of lactation, from spring, throughout summer,
until Autumn. This was correlated with the
availability of fodder. Grazing in Winter is
difficult, because of snow. The second lactation
yield was far greater than the first, and in each
following lactation more milk is produced. The
estimated milk yield between the third and sixth
months of lactation was 879 1 572 kg (Kulaeva,
1979). Slightly more milk was received from the
back-quarter, 56.4 percent to 43.6 percent from the
forward-quarters. From the sixth month of pregnancy
the amount of milk declined.
With good stall feeding the same amounts of milk
were received as with grazing animals. This would be
of great importance if a steady and balanced diet
could be supplied to the animals throughout the
year.
When the animals are hand-milked the milker stands
on one leg and balances the milking bowl on his bent
left leg. The left hand holds the bowl, while the
camel is milked with the right hand. Another method
is to tie the bowl around the milker's neck so it
hangs low enough to be held while the camel is being
milked. Camels have successfully been machine
milked. Liners of 18.56 mm diameter and 56 mm length
are recommended for the Bactrian and liners of 20.6
mm diameter and 90 mm length are recommended for the
dromedary (Baimukanov. 1974). The animals were
gradually changed from hand to machine milking in
the presence of their calves. The cell-count of milk
of hand-milked camels was lower than that of
machine-milked camels (Kospakov, 1976).
In the vast dry areas between the Caspian Sea and
the Balkash Lake the camel is, and can be, of great
nutritional importance. In Kazakstan, milk and milk
products account for up to 90 percent of the daily
staple diet. The camel is the most important
provider of milk. Thirty-seven percent of all milk
comes from the camel; 30 percent from sheep; 23
percent from the Yak and only 10 percent from cows.
New World Camels
Little is known about the milk production of these
members of the camel family. The alpaca, when kept
on good pasture, can produce up to 0.5 kg of milk
daily (Novoa, 1970).
Horn of Africa
In the Horn of Africa, milking of camels is not only
an act of work, but has become an integral part of
the local culture and heritage. Only boys, unmarried
women or ritually clean men are allowed to milk the
animals (Hartley, 1979). No treatment of the milk is
allowed. The milk is either consumed fresh or when
just soured. In some tribes the herdboys subsist on
camel milk alone. They drink water only after the
camels are watered. Two teats are left for the calf,
while the other two are milked-out for the tent
dwellers. These latter two teats are tied up with
soft bark fibres. The colostrum is not drunk, but is
either given to the calf although it is thought to
be bad for the young camel (Field, 1979), or spilled
onto the ground. This certainly represents a bad
practice since the colostrum contains large amounts
of absorbable antibodies.
The camels are milked twice a day; before dawn and
at night. The average milk production is about 1 800
kg, i.e.: 9 kg per day.
Country |
Daily |
Lactation yield |
Lactation length (months) |
Calculated yield per 305 day |
Reference |
average |
maximum |
China-Bactrian |
5 |
1520 |
1 254 |
|
|
Dong Wei, 1981 |
USSR-Bactrian |
|
|
|
|
735 |
Lakosa & Shokin, |
- Hybrid-Kazak |
|
|
|
|
1 305 |
1964 " |
-Hybrid-Turkmen |
|
|
981 |
|
|
" |
Dromedaries |
|
|
|
|
|
|
China |
7.5 |
|
3 300 |
1617 |
2 288 |
Ensminger, 1973 |
USSR |
|
|
|
|
2 003 |
Lakosa & Shokin, |
USSR |
8.1 |
19 |
4 388 |
|
|
1964 " |
Horn of Africa |
9 |
|
1 800 |
|
|
Hartlet, 1979 |
N. Kenya |
4 |
12 |
|
|
|
" |
N. Kenya |
|
50 |
1 897 |
|
|
Field, 1979 |
Ethiopia |
513 |
|
1 8722 592 |
1218 |
1 5253 965 |
Knoess, 1977 |
Somalia |
5 |
|
1 950 |
13 |
1 525 |
Rosetti et al.,
1955 |
Libya |
8.310 |
|
2 7004 000 |
916 |
2 5323 050 |
C.E.F. Li, 1977 |
Algeria |
4 |
10 |
|
|
|
Gast et al.,
1969 |
Tunisia |
4 |
|
|
12 |
1 220 |
Burgmeister, 1974 |
India: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
good feeding |
6.9 |
18.2 |
3 1058 190 |
15 |
2 1055 551 |
Rao, 1974 |
bad feeding |
|
|
1 360 |
|
|
Yasin et al.,
1957 |
desert |
6.8 |
9.1 |
2 4304 914 |
18 |
1 3732 776 |
Rao, 1974 |
Pakistan: |
8.0 |
13.5 |
13 5603 660 |
|
1 0684 118 |
Yasin et al.,
1957 |
good feeding |
913.6 |
20.5 |
2 7273 636 |
1618 |
3 1504 148 |
" " |
bad feeding |
4 |
|
1 364 |
|
1 220 |
" " |
Pakistan: |
6.7.10 |
|
2 7003 600 |
918 |
2 0443 050 |
Leupold, 1978 |
good feeding |
1535 |
|
5 47512 775 |
12 |
4 57410 675 |
Knoess, 1979 |
desert |
8.10 |
|
2 9203 650 |
12 |
2 4403 050 |
Knoess, 1979 |
Egypt |
3.54.5 |
|
1 6002 000 |
|
1 0681 373 |
El-Bahay, 1962 |
Israel |
|
|
|
|
|
|
+ water |
6.0 |
|
|
|
|
Yagil et al.,
1980b |
- water |
6.2 |
|
|
|
|
" " |
Weaning is carried out when the
calves are 911 months old. A leather band with
protruding thorns is placed on the calf's head in
such a way that the dam is pricked every time the
calf attempts to suckle; the dan thus quickly moves
away.
North Kenya
In North Kenya the camels produce far more milk than
the local cows. The Sakuye camel produces an average
of 4 kg milk daily with a maximum of 12 kg. The cow
produces 0.51.5 kg per day. Camels lactate for
about a year. In areas with only one rainy season
lactation finishes at the end of the dry season;
this is thought to be caused by the shortage of feed
during this period.
In areas of northern Kenya, where the nomads subsist
almost entirely on camel milk, there are two rainy
period. Field (1979a and 1979b) reported lactation
studies lasting three lactations. The duration of
lactation was 4767 weeks. Lactation ended 48 weeks
following conception. Daily milk production reached
21 kg in the first week, declining to 4.8 kg in the
16th week of lactation. There was an average daily
milk yield of 13 kg for the first 10 weeks (1.850.2
kg) and 3 kg for the remainder of the lactation.
Total production averaged 1 897 kg per animal. In
the lactation studies the lowest milk yields were
those given by camels without calves. These animals
also had much shorter lactation periods, even though
they were milked 57 times a day. Four milkings per
day yielded more milk than twice a day milkings:
seven liters compared with six (Evans and Powys,
1979; Shalash, 1979).
Ethiopia
The camel is known to be capable of producing large
quantities of milk under extensive and intensive
management (Knoess, 1979). Knoess rightly stresses
the fact that as the camels are not intensively
milked, but some milk is left for their calves, the
exact amount is difficult to assess. Milk trials in
the Awash Valley of Ethiopia were carried out for
six days in various stages of lactation (Knoess,
1976). As suckling stimulus is an integral part of
milk production (Yagil et al., 1975), it is obvious
that in the short period of hand-milking the maximum
milk producing capabilities were not fully
exploited. Even so, eight liters in two milkings, or
2 470 kg over 305 days were obtained. The daily
average for twice-a-day milking was estimated at 7
kg. These animals grazed on irrigated pastures.
Under rainfed conditions, 13 kg per day can be
milked (Knoess, 1979). It was found that some days
the camels were milked 68 times a day, while other
days they were not milked at all. This certainly
would make the milk supply lower than if the animals
were milked regularly each day. In the dry season
the milk yield was about half that of the rainy
season. This could be due to the lack of feed or to
advanced stages of pregnancy (Lakosa, 1964).
Somalia
The lactation period is between 818 months (Mares,
1954a). The length of lactation depends on when the
lactating dam is remated. The average daily yield in
milk is 5 kg with a total yield of 1 950 kg. The
amount of milk drunk by the calf is regulated by
tying up one or more teats (Mares, 1954a). The
amount the calf is allowed is determined by its
needs and the milking capacity of the mother. Camels
are milked twice a day; just after sunrise and at
least two hours after sunset. Calves run with their
mothers but are penned separately at night. From the
age of six weeks they graze. When calves have
finished suckling the amount left for consumption by
the tent dwellers can vary from 1 to 4 kg (Epstein,
1970).
If a calf dies, the dam dries up if milking is not
stimulated (Mares, 1954a). For this a foster calf or
conditioning of the mother is necessary. Often
arranging for the dam to see the skin of her dead
calf is enough to stimulate let-down of milk.
Fostering is done in three ways: (1) The foster calf
is covered with the skin of the dead calf and
allowed to suckle until the milk is flowing and the
dam can be hand-milked. (2) The calf is tied down in
front of the foster-mother, a rope being tied from
the calf to the mother's muzzle. (3) The nostrils,
ears or anus of the foster-mother are compressed
with a special clamp. When the clamp is released,
and the pain thus removed, the calf is presented for
suckling. This is usually anough for the dam to
allow the foster-calf to suckle.
In all cases the calf drinks from its own mother as
well as from the foster-mother.
Algeria
The nomads of the Ahaggar in the Sahara depend on
milk to given them a balanced diet (Gast et al.,
1969). They have a saying water is the soul; milk
is life, and hungry people say I've lost the taste
of milk. Of course the camel is only one of the
providers of milk. Goats, sheep and cows supply milk
and milk products. The lactating camel produces 45
kg/day, on good pasture, for the first three months.
A good milker can even provide up to 10 kg a day.
When the udders are full the animals are milked
three times a day, otherwise their swaying teats
hinder their walking. After the third month of
lactation the yield averages about 2 kg per day. The
bad milkers dry off very quickly. It is therefore
accepted that one camel is necessary to provide the
requirements of one family. The camel herders' only
source of food is camel milk.
The camels are tied down during the night and the
camels' udders are covered with nets to prevent the
young from suckling. The first milking takes place
before dawn. The young calves are allowed to suckle
for about one or two minutes. This is time for the
milk to let-down. The calves are pulled away and the
dam then milked for the tent dwellers. At twilight
the camels are returned to the camp, and milked
again after allowing the calves to suckle for a few
minutes.
India
The geographical distribution of camels
(dromedaries) in India, is in the States of Gujorat,
Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya, Pradesh, Punjab,
Rajasthan and U.P. (Rao et al., 1970). The females
calve for the first time at the age of 4 years. They
lactate for 818 months. The amount of milk for the
calf, and the amount that is milked, is regulated by
tying up the teats to prevent the calf from
suckling. The camels are milked twice a day. The
daily milk production is between 2.56 kg, but often
15 kg per day is milked. Lactation yields range from
2 000 kg (Gohl, 1979) to 2 7003 600 kg (Rao et al.,
1970) under good feeding conditions, to about 1 360
kg, when feed supplies are poor (Yasin and Wahid,
1957).
Pakistan
The Arabian camel is found mainly in West Pakistan (Yasin
& Wahid, 1957). Length of the lactation varies from
270540 days; daily milk yields of 15 to 40 litres
were recorded (Knoess, 1977). The total milk yield
ranges from 1 3503 600 kg. The lower milk yields
were found in the areas where feed supplies are poor
and under desert conditions. When the camels were
well fed, there was an average milk yield of 1015
kg per day (Yasin and Wahid, 1957). As much as 22 kg
a day were obtained from some camels. In the areas
with poor feeding the daily average was 4 kg. The
heavy Pakistani camels produced up to 35 kg per day
(Knoess, 1979). The desert camels gave more milk
than the animals getting poor feed. These animals
were milked twice daily.
Egypt
With good feeding a daily milk production of 1015
kg was obtained (Shalash, 1979) giving a yield of
approximately 3 0004 000 kg per lactation. Daily
yields of 22 kg have been recorded. Where feeding
was precarious the daily production was only 4 kg,
with a total production of 1 500 kg. These later
data are similar to those presented by El-Bahay,
1962.
Israel
No actual recordings of milking have been made.
Estimates of milk production range from 7 to 15 kg
daily. Lactation periods vary from 918 months. In
order to establish the total amount of milk produced
by the lactating camel, the milk yield was measured
indirectly (Yagil & Etzion, 1980). This method is
based on firts marking the calves' blood with
radioactive water. The calves were not allowed
access to any drinking water as this would have made
milk determinations impossible. The mothers were
allowed drinking water only once a week for an hour,
from the beginning of spring until the end of
summer. The results show that there was a slight
increase in milk yields as lactation progressed (5.7
to 6.2 kg). No decline was found when the animals
were dehydrated. These data do not give the full
potential of the camel as, in fact, what was
measured was the calves' need for water. The calves
ate the same feed as their mothers. They started
eating within the first month of birth. Not
withstanding this fact, it is quite clear that the
feed demand of the calf is fairly large. In
addition, research was carried out using the same
diet throughout the year to eliminate nutritional
factors affecting quantity and quality of milk. The
natural grazing available to camels changes from
winter to spring and in the summer the changes are
even more drastic, in quantity and quality. With a
decline in quantity the calves would tend to take
more from their mothers than when the feeding is
plentiful.
The milk production of camels in general was
reviewed. Only in the USSR and in Saudi Arabia were
any attempts made to milk camels by machine (Baimukanov,
1974). In the main the same milking methods are
still in use as were probably used for the first
domesticated camels. Milk is still shared with the
calf (Photo 4) and many superstitions and ritual
customs accompany the milking of camels. The
dromedary gives more milk than the Bactrian. The
milk yield of dromedaries does not vary so greatly
between the various countries; the maximum daily
milk yields are relatively large; and the lenght of
lactation varies greatly, not only between
countries, but also within a country. It is clear
that status of feed and water will determine the
amounts of milk for human consumption. Improving the
feed is of prime importance in planning for better
husbandry. Intensive farming will also allow for
better husbandry and for easier implementation of
selective breeding for high milk production. These
aspects will be discussed in detail in other
sections.
A most interesting phenomenon was discovered when
research was carried out on intestinal lactase
concentrations in various ethnic groups in Saudi
Arabia (Cook & Al-Torki, 1975). Adult Arabs were
found to have the highest lactase levels. This was
supposed to demonstrate a selective advantage
associated with the fluid and caloric value of camel
milk and indicate the importance of camel milk for
the survival of desert nomads.
To be Continue
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