Medycyna Wet. 64 (3), 327-331, 2008
| Wroński M., Jarmuż W., Skrzypek R. |
| Interactions among pre-milking and post-milking procedures used in cows for protecting udder health |
| The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of the interaction between methods of udder and teat cleaning before milking, the sequence of fore-stripping relative to udder and teat cleaning, and post-milking teat disinfection on somatic cell count and total microorganism count in bulk tank milk. The study was carried out in 2004 on 160 dairy farms (average 19.4 cows per herd), located in neighboring parts of the Mazowsze and Warmia and Mazury regions. It was found that the optimal combination of pre- and post-milking procedures is: fore-stripping, then pre-milking udder and teat wiping with a towel soaked with a disinfectant, and post-milking teat disinfection. However, in very dirty cows the most favorable combination is washing with water containing a disinfectant, followed by fore-stripping. In this case post-milking teat disinfection should not be employed, for the joint effect of this procedure and the specified method of pre-milking udder cleansing is negative in cold months (January-March and September-December), with no effect in other months. |
| Keywords: cow milk, milking procedures |