Act on early
warning of teat damage
Healthy
teat skin is easy to keep clean and to disinfect after milking. Healthy teat
ends resist the entry of bacteria into the teat canal that cause mastitis. These
protective advantages are lost if teats becomes damaged.
Each
day milking staff should check the sides and ends of teats after teat cups are
removed. Teats in good condition are soft, supple and smooth. Signs of damage
include red or blue colouration, swelling or firmness, skin cracks or sores
anywhere on the barrel of teats, or rough skin around teat openings.
If
more than 1 in 20 teats is damaged, this is a trigger to do some more
investigation.
The first step is to have the herd assessed in a standard, repeatable way. This
involves a close inspection of all teats on at least 25 cows (or 10% of cows for
herds of more than 250 cows). Advisers now have a comprehensive teat scoring
system for investigating and monitoring teat condition in Australian dairy
herds. Teat scoring enables the type of damage and its pattern of occurrence to
be specified and provides important clues to the causes of damage.
If
you notice early signs of deterioration in teat health, act early and contact
your milking machine technician or veterinarian to assess teat condition over
the whole herd and help resolve teat problems.
"Maintenance
of healthy teat skin and teat ends is a key requiremnt for an effective mastitis
program"
Length: 227
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