Milking Parlour and Mastitis

What is the vacuum on to off ration of a milking machine?

2:1

How can the milking parlour cause mastitis?

• Hygiene

• Machine

  • Damage to teat and teat end can be vector for spread of infection

How can the milking machine cause transfer of infection?

• Contamination of liners

• Wet milking: milk flushed upwards into the teat canal, carrying pathogens with it

  • Inadequate vacuums

  • Fluctuating vacuums

  • Blocked air bleed

What are some common problems with milk machines?

• Vacuum

  • Too high

    • Settings

    • Regulator not working (can hear hissing)

  • Fluctuating/ Inadquate

    • Inadequate pump

    • Holes in tubing

    • Liner slip/ clusters falling off

    • Inadequate vacuum reserve

• Blocked air bleeds

  • Milk doesn't drain - causing teat end impacts/ fluctuating vacuums

• Faulty pulsation

  • Poor circulation

  • Set too fast

  • Inadequate rest phase

What will a faulty pulsator cause?

Blue teats

What simple tests can you carry out on milking machine?

• Examine clusters

  • Blocked air bleeds

  • Cleanliness of liners

  • Wear of liners

  • Perishing/Holes in tubing

• Vacuum gauge: level and watch whilst milking and observe for fluctuations

• Liners slipping see, hear “shh” sound inadequate vacuum ( 5%)

• Watch cows

  • Paddling or kicking

• Teat score

• Ask wash up routine

• Ask when serviced- look at invoice

List some things you can do for milking parlour hygiene?

• Gloves

• Premilking teat prep

  • Fore-milking (drawing out some to inspect, can make milk faster)

  • Teat disinfection

• Post milking teat dipping

• Loafing time

• Parlour management of clinically or subclinically infected cows

  • Milking order

  • Cluster disinfection

• Parlour wash up routine

What common disinfectants can be used for the udder?

• Chlorohexidine (non irritant, 0.35 to 0.5%)

• Iodophors (0.1- 0.5%)

• Chlorine dioxide (active in presence of faeces)

• Hypochlorite (bleach, irritant, 4%)

How can you teat prep pre-milking?

• Disinfectant wipe

• Wash and dry

• Spray or dip cup with disinfectant

• Foaming produces

• Teat brush

How does the milk ejection reflex work?

• Oxytocin release from teat stimulation

• Secretion delay determines milking routine

What does good letdown of milk flow look like? What can slow let down lead to?

• Slow let down if there is not enough preparation (biphasic milking)

  • Increases teat end damage

What is this showing?

Milk filter analysis

• Bacteriology

• Remove filiter before cleaning cycle to get true picture

What is the purpose of post milking teat dipping?

• Remove bacteria transferred to teats during milking

• Key preventionof contagious pathogens

  • Staphylococcus aureus,

  • Streptococcus dysgalactiae

  • Streptococcus agalactiae

• Widely practiced

How can loafing time help with mastitis?

• Allow teat sphincter closure post milking

• Prevent environmental infection

• (30 mins in clean area but not if have lameness problems)

What milking order would you do in an ideal world?

1. HEIFERS

2. FRESH CALVERS (do not know status?)

3. HIGH YIELDERS

4. LOW YIELDERS

5. HIGH CELL COUNT COWS

6. MASTITIC COWS

N.B STILL NEED TO DISINFECT CLUSTER

What should you check to ensure appropriate cluster disinfection?

• Water cleanliness

• Chemical concentration

• Dispensed volume

What problems can you get with parlour wash routine?

• Not hot enough (>60C so tank needs to be 85-90C)

• Not enough hot water 10-12 litres per unit

• If Staphylococcus aureus hot wash every milking

How should you carry our a parlour investigation?

• Milking machine

  • Observe cows

  • Observe vacuum gauge

  • Listen for liner slip

• Teat score (minimum 20% of herd)

• Observe parlour hygiene routines

• Management high cell count and mastitic cows

• Parlour wash up routine

• Take milk samples for bacteriology