TYPOLOGY OF GOAT FLOCKS BASED ON SOMATIC-CELL COUNTS IN BULK MILK

A study was conducted on 1 777 goats bulk milks collected monthly from january to december 1990 from farms of Poitou-Charentes-Vendee area in order to state a typology on the basis of somatic cell counts evolution (Fossomatic method). From january to june, as the first period of lactation. 63,9 % of somatic cell counts are below 1000 000 sc/ml. From july to december, 75,5 % are over 1 000 000 sc/ml. Multidimensional statistic methods permitted to identify different groups of flocks characterized by a << cell count profile >>. The profile of group 1 (6,4 % of flocks), which could be considered as reference profile ; in such case, somatic cell counts are below 500 000 sc/ml at the beginning and below 1 000 000 sc/ml at the end of lactation. The profile of groups 2, 3, 4 (58,5 % of flocks) and the profile of groups 5, 6 (35,1 % of flocks) are characterized by higher somatic cell counts, respectively greater than 500 000 sc/ml and 1 000 000 sc/ml at the beginning of lactation. The increase of somatic cell counts observed during lactation in each profile would depend on physiological factors while the increase of somatic cell counts average between each profile would be induced by zootechnic and especially sanitary factors.