Cow behaviour affects milk
quality
Poor
behaviour of cows at milking increases the chance that they will get mastitis.
And it is directly affected by the type of interactions they have with the
people in the dairy.
The success
of machine milking depends on the willing co-operation of each cow. The milk
let-down reflex is blocked if cows are nervous or frightened.
A failure of
let-down prior to cups-on causes the teatcups to crawl up the teats during
the first minute after
attachment. This results in a
relatively slow ‘dribble period’ at the end of milking, more milk left
behind as strippings, teat damage and an increased risk of mastitis infection.
Mastitis is
also increased if cups are kicked off or forcibly removed by either the cow or
the operator. The result is similar to a ‘cup slip’ with a sudden rush of
air into the cluster and back up the cups that are still on the cow, taking
droplets of milk (and bacteria) back up into the teats with cups still attached.
Cup slips
can cause 10-15% of the new mastitis infections on an average farm. The effect
could be well above this on some farms depending on other milking machine
factors and the number of subclinical infections already present in the herd.
Finally, a
more pleasant milking experience results in lower stress levels for the
operators and improved decision making. There is less risk of mistakes such as
milk from antibiotic-treated cows going in the vat, and improved attention to
details such as the early detection of clinical cases of mastitis – hand
stripping of a ‘suspicious’ quarter is much easier if the cow is unlikely to
kick the operator’s head off!
If cow
behaviour is compromising milk quality on your farm, the changes needed to get
significant improvements are likely to cost very little – and could be a very
worthwhile investment. To find out more, contact your milk harvesting specialist
or veterinarian.
Image and caption:
"The success of machine
milking depends on the willing co-operation of each cow. The milk let-down
reflex is blocked if cows are nervous or frightened."
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