19 Best Milking Practices You Need to Know

Producing quality milk is imperative to increase the income of your dairy farm. Many farmers spend most of their surplus money either medicating mastitis-affected cattle or curbing farm losses or both, and eventually miss out on rewards from quality milk production. We’ve pulled down a checklist of improvement areas and milking practices that might need your attention and gain you the perks you’ve been losing out.

1. Watch out for cow cleanliness. Ensure there’s no dirt, mud, or manure stuck on its udder and teats.
   
2. Keep farm equipment and milking pen clean.
   
3. Make sure all your workers and farm employees are wearing gloves when handling cattle.
   
4. Use pre-dip or disinfectant solution to cover the teats before milking. Cover the teats appropriately with the dip, which can be ensured using Paper Towel Test.
   
5. Dip the teats in a disinfectant solution for a minimum 15 to 30 seconds before drying.
   
6. Strip each teat vigorously to get a good milk flow.
   
7. Use strip cups to help you catch early signs of mastitis and minimize the chances of spreading of pathogens.
   
8. Perform CMT test on animals showing signs of an infection.
   
9. Do not use water to clean udder as it catalyzes bacterial growth.
   
10. Follow ‘Dip-Strip-Dry-Apply’ practice when preparing to milk cattle.
    
11. Observe ‘Alcohol Swab Test’ to test teat cleanliness and ensure teats and its ends are thoroughly dried using a clean, dry towel before the milking unit is attached.
    
12. The time from teat’s first contact with the milking unit until it is fully attached, known as the ‘Lag Time’ should be between 60 to 90 seconds.
    
13. The milking unit should be appropriately attached and adjusted to the teats in a square formation.
    
14. Ensure that all your farm employees implement automatic take-offs procedure after milking is done.
    
15. The length of time from which the unit is attached until it’s removed, known as ‘Unit On Time’, should be between 3.5 to 5 minutes with proper milking stimulation.
    
16. Check if there’s any presence of purple ring or damage on teat ends.
    
17. Make sure to give post-dip treatment to teats after milking.
    
18. Consistency is a key to successful dairy farm management hence, confirm that all your employees are following same procedures on your farm.
    
19. Filter milk after milking to check the presence of mastitis or dirt.
    

Round-up
Do you follow the same milking practices as listed above or some other practices that return a considerable profit to you? Share with us right below in the comments and until then, keep following our blogs and subscribe to our videos to learn more about such practices to improve dairy farming. Also, check out our automatic milk collection software.