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Cell Counts of Platform Samples of Herd Milk

Departments of Animal Industries and Animal Diseases University of Connecticut, Storrs

ABSTRACT

The leucocyte counts of 1,707 platform samples of milk from 39 herds were determined for an 11.5-month period. This period was divided into 23 2-week intervals, and the logarithmetic average count of the herd milk for each period was calculated. The geometric mean cell count of the herd milk was approximately 500,000 cells per milliliter for the entire period. A polynomial function of logarithmic mean cell count on biweekly intervals was fitted to depict the leucocyte counts of herd milk over an 11.5-month period. In this study, although there was considerable variation from month to month in the leucocyte counts of herd milk, the cell counts were generally highest in the summer and lowest in the winter. The mean percentage of mastitis animals was at its highest during the late summer and lowest during the spring and early summer. The results suggest that factors other than the number of mastitis animals within a herd may affect the leucocyte counts of herd milk during the midwinter months.