Taking good care of tight, tender teats of springing or freshly calved heifers reduces the risk of mastitis.  Some hints to get their first lactation off to a healthy start are to:

Act on swollen udders 

Oedema reduces teat tissue health and can make heifers awkward to milk. If teats are enlarged, sore or on strange angles, cups can be difficult to site and often slip (whether ‘assisted’ or not). Get these animals into the shed sooner rather than later to milk out completely. This may require planning some prostaglandin inductions in the last few days of pregnancy. They may also need treatment for oedema for a few days after calving. Talk to your veterinarian about the treatment options.

Prepare udders before milking

Although washing and drying udders before each milking is not a routine part of milking in many sheds, it is worthwhile preparing udders of all freshly calved heifers and cows. Taking a little extra time to clean and dry teats for the first few milkings helps remove dirt and bacteria picked up at calving.

Putting cups on clean, dry teats is an important element of mastitis control, so if you do wash udders, clean them manually using a low-pressure hose and DRY the teats using one cloth per cow. Disposable cloths, such as rewashable Chux-type towels, can be washed then rinsed in 200 parts per million chlorine and spun dry in a washing machine.

Use an emollient in the teat dip

After milking, consider using a teat disinfectant that contains an emollient - such as 10% glycerine. Emollients soften and condition dry, chapped skin and will improve teat skin health. Healthy teats avoid the problem of having bacteria multiply in teat cracks and possibly passing through the teat canal and infecting the quarter. Dipping teats, rather than spraying them for the first few milkings, ensures good coverage of the whole teat surface and helps kill the remaining bacteria.

Recognise a problem

The Countdown Downunder Farm Guidelines for Mastitis Control state that more than 5 clinical cases per 100 cows during the first month after calving signals a problem in the herd. Taking extra care of teats for the first 8 milkings of the first lactation is a good way to reduce the risk of heifers becoming infected with mastitis around calving.

Image and caption
Take extra time to prepare udders of heifers and fresh cows

Countdown Farm Guideline or Technote 
Farm Guideline 2, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 7.5, 13

Keywords       
freshly calved heifers, teat swelling, milking routine, emollient, risk management

Word length   
380