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Survey of Milking Hygiene Practices and Their Relationships to Somatic Cell Counts and Milk Production

Dairy Herd Analysis Service, and Department of Animal Science, Macdonald College of McGill University, Ste-Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H0A 1C0

ABSTRACT

A total of 581 official test herds on the Quebec Dairy Herd Analysis Service were surveyed to measure frequency of practices of milking hygiene and effects of milking hygiene on herd averages of somatic cell counts and milk production. Over 99% of the dairymen washed or sprayed cows' udders, 55% used a separate towel for washing, 18% dried udders after washing, 35% rinsed teat cups in disinfectant, 50% used a teat dip, 34% recorded mastitis cases, and 63% had a mastitis control program, but only 18% had a program organized by a professional. Herds using a teat dip had counts 70,300 cells/ml lower than those not teat dipping, and herds drying udders had counts 44,000 cells/ml lower than those not drying udders. Effects of use of separate towels and rinising teat cups were small. Herds on a mastitis control program organized by a professional and those on a self-organized program averaged 58,800 and 40,800 cells/ml lower counts than herds without a control program. The difference between herds subscribing to a monthly cell counting service and those not was 30,400 cells/ml in favor of herds receiving monthly reports. Each increase of 100,000 cells/ml in herd average of cell count was associated with a decline of 59 kg average production in the herd.