PARAMETERS IN MILK QUALITY AND MASTITIS
3 The milking routine and its effect on milk quality
machine is detached. If not, the milk film will be a perfect growth medium for the mastitis-causing organisms that are on the teat, especially if these come into contact with manure and organic bedding. This will help prevent pathogens from entering the teat end and help reduce the incidence of mastitis and improve milk quality. Good teat disinfectants should have documented efficacy against the major mastitis pathogens. In addition, they should be economical and should maintain good skin condition. Both traditional and barrier teat dips are available.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS After the milking is done, cows should exit the parlor to fresh water and feed rather than lie down (Fig. 5). This will allow the teat end to close before exposure to pathogens present in the bedding. It takes 25Â to 30Â minutes for the sphincter at the
Figure 5. Cows should have access to fresh feed immediately after milking to allow the teat ends to close before the cows lie down.
end of the teat canal to close. The milking should be regular by starting at the same time and in the same way every day. A milking routine should be followed consistently. In addition, milking routines should be optimized to avoid wasted efforts. All cows known to have mastitis or other conditions should be separated from the herd, housed in a separate pen and milked
Once a suitable milking routine has been developed, it should be typed, distributed to the milkers in their native language and posted in the milking parlor.
last to avoid the spread of disease from cow to cow. A practical method to evaluate the milking routine consists is checking the milk filters used during milking. Dirty filters indicate that
Training should be conducted to explain the reason behind the
teats are not being adequately cleaned prior to milking. Filters
different steps in the routine. Clear communication of expecta-
that are full of garget indicate the possibility of clinical mastitis
tions that the routine needs to be followed by all milkers should
not being adequately identified. Both territorial and sequential
be part of the training. A good milking routine will ensure cows
milking routines are adequate as long as the steps and times
are being milked in a timely fashion while producing better qual-
are respected.
ity milk, thus providing for a more profitable dairy.
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