Milking parlour + mastitis

Question 1

What are common problems with milking machines?

Answer 1

• Vacuum
  = too high (Settings, regulator not working)
  = fluctuating / inadequate vacuum (inadequate vacuum pump, holes in tubing, liner slip / clusters falling off)
• Blocked air bleeds on cluster unit = flooding of claw piece = milk not draining away properly
• Faulty Pulsator = poor circulation, set too fast, set inadequate rest phase, holes in tubing

Question 2

What are simple tests on milking machines?

Answer 2

• Examine cluster = blocked air bleeds, cleanliness of liners, wear of liners, perishing / holes in tubing
• Vacuum pressure + fluctuations (42Kpa lo line + 48Kpa high line)
• Liners slipping - inadequate vacuum
• Watch cows - paddling/kicking = over milking, faulty vacuum/pulsators, excess vacuum, hard liners
• Teat score
• Wash up routine?

Question 3

How can milking parlour hygiene be improved?

Answer 3

• Gloves
• Pre-milking teat prep (fore-milking, teat disinfection)
• Post milking teat dipping
• Loafing time
• Parlour management of clinically / sub-clinically infected cows = milking order, cluster disinfection
• Parlour wash up routine

Question 4

What is good about fore milking?

Answer 4

• Stimulates milk let down = faster milking
• Check for clots / mastitis
• Legal requirement

Question 5

What are different premilking teat preperation?

Answer 5

• None
• Wipe with common udder cloth
• Disinfectant wipe - one per cow
• Wash + dry (must dry)
• Spray / dip cup with disinfectant
• Foaming products

Question 6

What are common disinfectants?

Answer 6

• Chlorohexidine
• Iodophors
• Chlorine dioxide
• Hypochlorite
• Make sure correct conc., contact time + teat coverage

Question 7

What is the milk ejection reflex?

Answer 7

• Teat stimulation causes afferent neural inputs terminating in paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus
• Oxytocin released from posterior pituitary (efferent endocrine arc)
• ..leading to contraction of myoepithelial cells in mammary gland
• Stimulation - secretion delay determines milking routine

Question 8

Why is post milking teat dipping carried out?

Answer 8

• Remove bacteria transferred to teat during milking
• Prevention for infection with the contagious pathogens - staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus dysgalactiae + strep agalactiae

Question 9

What is loafing time?

Answer 9

• Allow closure of teat sphincter post milking
• Prevent environmental infections
• 30mins in clean area

Question 10

How would you manage cows with mastitis / high cell count cows?

Answer 10

• Reduce spread of infection in herd
• milking order
• cluster disinfection

Question 11

What is ideal milking order?

Answer 11

• Milk least likely to be infected + most susceptible first =
  1. Heifers
  2. Fresh calvers
  3. High Yielders
  4. Low Yielders
  5. High cell count cows
  6. Mastitic cows