Influence of teat zones on the assessment of teat cleaning in automatic milking systems
2011
Stoffers, A. | Kuehberger, M. | Harms, J., Bayerische Landesanstalt fuer Landwirtschaft (LfL), Freising (Germany). Institut fuer Landtechnik und Tierhaltung | Haeussermann, A. | Hartung, E.
In automatic milking systems (AMS's), and unless the technical equipment for teat cleaning complies with the provisions of Appendix B, ISO 20966, the cleanliness of the cow's udder must be ensured before milking takes place. The aim of the present study was to evaluate how successfully the directly visible surface of the teats and the defined teat zones had been cleaned. Teat contamination was assessed on three farms with Lely and three with DeLaval AMS's. In the inspection, an overall mark was given for the visible portion of the teat, as well as for the degree of contamination in the four zones of base of teat, tip of teat, front and back. The type of contamination, pigmentation, or damage to the teats was separately noted. Depending upon the farm and teat contamination before cleaning (bC), the percentage of clean teats after cleaning (Level 1: 1% of teat surface visibly contaminated) ranged from 95-100% (Level 1 bC); 50-80% (Level 2 bC) and 7-57% (Level 3 bC). The assessment of the visible teat surface and the mark calculated for the area percentages of the four teat zones showed a good correlation. Greater success in cleaning the base of the teat was achieved through brushing, and the tip of the teat through use of a strip cup. The farms differed in terms of type of bedding used and stall hygiene, and influenced cleaning success via the resultant prior contamination of the cows' teats.
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