A Study of the Effect of Stilbestrol Induced Lactation on Dairy Goats

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Abstract
Injn. of virgin Toggenburg does with diethylstilbestrol was studied as a possible means of identifying at an early age female goats having a superior capacity for milk production. Some injd. does came into milk by the 4th or 5th injn. and reached a peak of 3 lbs. daily by the 3d mo. Other injd. does gave little or no response. In general, good producers under induced lactation were good producers in their natural lactations. Highly significant correla-tions exceeding 0.6 were obtained between induced lactation and 1st natural lactation. In spite of this correlation, it appears that only the very low or very high producers could be detected by this procedure with any certainty and that many useful animals might be eliminated if culled on this basis. The induced and natural lactation curves were similar. A few does produced milk without injns. Injn. and prebreeding lactation had no harmful effect on estrus and breeding.