Milking Hygiene
Towels
Single-use Bay West Dari-Towls help control the spread of infectious mastitis in
dairy
herds. Dari-Towls provide a clean, absorbent prep cloth for each cow, reducing the
chance of cross-contamination. Each Dari-Towl features a different level of wet
strength and absorbency to meet specific milking prep needs.
30357 #34 Predip; 9x10 inch brown. An economical soft and absorbent towel for drying. Our most popular towel. 2680 count.
30443 #39 Parlor; 9x10 inch embossed white. A strong yet soft towel for multiple use as scrubbing or drying. 2000 count.
30647 #36 Black Label; 9x10 inch brown. Our strongest towel for scrubbing. 2000 count.
30455 #35 Scrub; 9x10 inch brown. A softer towel than #36 Black Label. Can be used for scrubbing and drying. 4020 count.
30649 #25 Dari; 9x10 inch white. A soft yet strong and absorbent towel for scrubbing and drying. Two-ply towel can be separated for single-ply use as pre-dip towel. 2250 count.
Premium Disposable 5-mil Nitrile Glove
Premium disposable 5-mil nitrile glove. 9" inch length beaded cuff teal color. Available
lightly powdered inside or powder-free 100 ct.
30292 Small - Powder-free
30293 Medium - Powder - free
30294 Large - Powder - free
30295 Extra-Large - Powder - free
30296 Small - Powdered
30297 Medium - Powdered
30298 Large - Powdered
30299 Extra-Large - Powered
One way of determining the risk your cows have to mastitis from the environment
is to use an udder scoring system. Udder condition scoring can be used by managers
to quickly determine the overall udder cleanliness in the herd, determine the risk
of infection in the herd and to evaluate housing management. One of teh simplest
methods is to use a four point scale of cleanliness. Udders can be compared to model
animals depicted in photos on a scoring sheet or by a written description of the
categories.
Categories are separated into:
- Completely free of or very little dirt.
- Slightly dirty.
- Mostly covered in dirt.
- Completely covered, caked in dirt.
An easy-to-easy scoring chart to be used for reference can be found at: www.uwex.edu/milkquality or download the Udder Hygiene Scoring Chart Now!
Although most people may assume that a dirtier animal equals more mastitis, many do not know the real impact of poor hygiene on udder health. There is a proven correlation between udder cleanliness and prevalence of contagious mastitis and environmental mastitis when animals are grouped into "clean" (scores of 1 and 2) and "dirty" (scores of 3 and 4) animals. "Dirty" animals are 1.5 times more likely to have a major mastitis than animals that are considered "clean". By routinely scoring cows in the herd, a producer can quickly evaluate milking and housing sanitation to determine if improvement is needed.
Key Points for Mastitis Prevention:
- Provide cows with a clean, dry, stress-free environment. Stalls are kept clean and dry on a consistent basis. Alleyways and barn yards are scraped.
- Maintain clean hands or wear disposable milking gloves.
- Check foremilk and udder for mastitis. Milk problem cows last.
- Apply pre-milking teat dip that completely covers the teat skin for 30 seconds or use a sanitizing solution to wash each cow's teats for at least 10 to 20 seconds.
- Dry teats using a single-service paper towel or a clean cloth towel.
- Attach teat cups squarely and securely within one minute.
- Adjust milking units as necessary.
- Shut off vacuum before removing cups.
- Dip teats with a post-milking teat dip. Use a barrier dip if environmental conditions warrant.
