The longer cups are on teats at milking, the higher the risk of teat damage.

Cows may become extremely uncomfortable if cups are attached for extended periods when there is little or no milk flow. This is most commonly seen in the first two minutes and the last two minutes of milking.

Signs of cow discomfort include kicks aimed at milking staff, deliberate attempts by the cow to remove the cluster by stepping on it, or frequent lifting of the hind legs clear of the floor during milking.

This discomfort is the cow’s response to what is happening to the teat tissue. Short term changes, such as swelling and thickening at the barrel and teat end, may occur at a single milking. This is caused by impaired blood circulation. If cows are consistently over milked, long term changes in teat tissues include thickening of the teat skin and damage to the teat ends.

Overseas research shows that by picking the best time to attach teatcups, you can achieve shorter milking times, better teat condition, and often a higher milk yield per cow. The key is to wait until the teats become plump with milk before attaching the teatcups.

Removing clusters as soon as milk flow slows is also important to avoid over milking. This will help keep the teat skin and teat ends healthy, and therefore minimise the risk of mastitis.

Evaluating teat condition can be difficult without a reference point so Countdown has worked with Dr Bill Morgan and Professor Graeme Mein to develop a new scoring system for assessing teat damage.

Ask your vet or milking machine technician for a teat assessment. The system is described in the Countdown Downunder Technotes. Teat damage can be the clearest indication of something wrong. It might indicate for example a problem with milking machine function or a need to review milking procedures. 

Image and caption

2aug01 “Ask your vet or machine technician for details on new milking time observations”

Countdown Downunder Farm Guideline or Technote
Farm Guideline 5.4, 5.8, 6.1, and 9.1

Keywords
Over milking, teat condition

Word length
312