Dairy farmers have been advised to “milk smarter” in order to reduce repetitive strain injuries and improve milking efficiency.
Teagasc dairy specialist Nicholas McKenna has outlined the key pointers to bring about a safer and more efficient milking routine.
Providing the advice in a recent Teagasc dairy update, McKenna said: “There are six main areas to focus on during the milking routine which will help achieve the above objectives most efficiently.”
- Preparation for milking;
- Row filling;
- Preparing the cow;
- Preparing in batches;
- Cluster changing;
- Teat disinfection.
Preparation for milking: First off, McKenna advises to have the parlour ready for milking before going for the cows, as this reduces stress caused by standing around.
Wet down the parlour before starting and wear a clean milking apron as well as disposable nitrile gloves, ensuring these are cleaned regularly during the milking process.
“The milker is a conduit between the machine and the cows”; therefore cleanliness is essential, he added.
“Allow the cows to filter into the parlour on their own; do not let cows get into the habit of having to be pushed in from the collecting yard.
To produce safe quality milk, cleanliness is of huge importance. Clusters must be put onto clean dry teats. If cows need to be washed then the teats must be dried with paper towels.
“Preparing in batches improves milking efficiency. Preparing five cows and then transferring the clusters as you move back to the pit can save a lot of time.
“Spraying as you go also allows the milker to open the exit gate earlier and let cows walk out at their own pace,” McKenna said.
Moving on to cluster changing, the dairy specialist said: “A cluster can weigh on average 3kg so it is important to spread out that weight as much as possible in order to reduce repetitive strain injuries. Use both hands!
Milkers should alternate hands depending what side of the parlour they are working.
When applying clusters to the cows on the right-hand side, the unit should be held in the left hand and clusters attached with the right.
On the left-hand side, the unit should be held in the right hand and clusters attached using the left, McKenna said.
Turning to teat disinfection, the specialist said: “15ml/cow/milking should be applied when spraying teats, while 10ml/cow/milking should be applied when dipping teats.”
- Consistent production of top quality milk;
- Increased parlour efficiency;
- Consistent milking for cows and milkers;
- Reduced repetitive strain injuries;
- Less mastitis and reduced somatic cell count (SCC);
- More profitability.
Teagasc has also produced a video on “Smarter Milking”, which can be viewed here.