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Summer milking routines to prevent mastitis
Summertime, and
the milking is easy. But the cell count is rising… Even in summer when milking routines should be at their easiest, some issues need careful management to prevent clinical mastitis. Countdown Downunder’s Dr Pauline Brightling has some milking routine tips for preventing mastitis in summer. Teats should be clean and dry when cups go on. This is important for good milk quality and to reduce the opportunity for mastitis-causing bacteria to be carried to the teat opening. “When you start up the sprinklers at the dairy, do the cows walk onto the platform with wet, dirty teats, and how will you adapt your milking routine to reduce the real risk of new mastitis infections occurring?” asks Dr Brightling. Try checking the cleanliness of some teats (about 10 cows you are about to put cups on) by taking white tissues or teat wipes and gently rubbing the bottom of the teats. If there is dirt or faeces on the wipes, these teat ends are not really clean enough. Dr Brightling says it is better to increase the likelihood of cows entering the shed clean than to try to deal with dirty udders once they are there. “When it is hot, manage holding yards so slurries of manure and water don’t occur when sprinklers are operating,” she says. If teats do need washing the best method is with low pressure hoses. During summer the heat makes ‘drip drying’ a real possibility if cups on occurs 30-90 seconds later. Flies may also interrupt good milking routines by making cows (and milking staff) fidgety. Cow behaviour is a good indicator of cow comfort. If flies are plentiful and cows are stepping (lifting a foot off the concrete) before the machines are attached, review your fly control management. For more information refer to the Countdown Downunder Farm Guideline 4.2, 4.3 and 13.1 or phone Countdown Downunder (03) 9620-7283. |
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