Effects of milking interval on milk partitioning in the udder of dairy goats milked once- or twice-daily

Fourteen Murciano-Granadina goats milked once- (1X) or twice- (2X) daily were used in early lactation to evaluate udder compartments at different milking intervals (8, 16, 24 h). Alveolar milk increased from 8 to 16 h after milking, but did not change thereafter. Cisternal area and cisternal milk increased linearly up to 24 h, indicating continuous milk storage in the cistern. Cisternal: alveolar ratio increased with milking interval (from 57:43 to 75:25). Milking frequency had no effect on udder compartments. The highest correlation between cisternal area and cisternal milk was obtained at 8 h after milking (r = 0.74). Multiparous goats had larger cisterns than primiparous goats and were able to store more milk in their cisterns at all milking intervals.