¹Harran University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Husbandry Department, TR-63250 Şanlıurfa - TURKEY
²Harran University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases Department, TR-63250 Şanlıurfa - TURKEY
³Harran University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Genetic Department, TR-63250 Şanlıurfa - TURKEY
⁴Harran University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Histology Department, TR-63250 Şanlıurfa - TURKEY DOI : 10.9775/kvfd.2021.26084 This research was conducted to determine the effect of using zeolite used as a litter in tent-type sheep shelters on milk yield, milk quality, and animal welfare parameters. A total of 34 İvesi sheep in the control (n=17) and zeolite (n=17) groups were used as animal material in the study. Milk yield, milk quality, and blood parameters were monitored for 30 days period from the beginning of the study. In-shelter climatic conditions were recorded daily. The average milk yield in the control and zeolite groups were 1137.18 and 1168.94 g on the 2nd control (P>0.05); 536.83 and 790.88 g (P<0.05) on the 3rd control (P<0.05) respectively. In terms of somatic cell count, the zeolite group got a lower value on the 2nd and 3rd control of the study (P<0.05). According to the findings obtained from the research, other milk quality parameters were not affected by zeolite. Ammonia and humidity rates in the shelter are lower in the zeolite group (P<0.05). On the 3rd control of the study, significant differences were found between the groups in terms of BUN, urea, LDL, and TAC values (P<0.05). According to the our results, it may be stated that using zeolite as a litter contributes positively to the improvement of milk yield and animal welfare in the tent-type shelter environment. Keywords : Milk quality, Milk yield, Sheep, Welfare, Zeolite