Most cows will be served by now and a lot of first cuts of silage will be in, meaning that the pit of the parlour will be where most time is spent over the next few weeks.
With peak milk production coming that bit earlier this year, farmers are focusing on holding solids production and grass quality, but as a lot of time will be spent in the parlour, a good routine to promote hygiene and efficiency must be considered.
Most farmers will be set in their own ways when it comes to milking cows, but as it becomes the main task on the farm over the next few weeks, farmers should question whether there are a few tweaks they can make to improve milking for both the milker and the cows.
We know that cows are creatures of habit, so having every day similar to the previous and the next is essential in order to have the cows at ease.
Having a good milking routine should also be about making life easier for the farmer, as it should promote maximum product quality, safety for milkers and cows, and efficiency in time spent milking.
Parlour routine
It is important to make sure that the milking parlour is ready before the cows are rounded up, to avoid causing any unnecessary stress on the cows waiting to be milked.
A clean milking apron should be used with disposable nitrile gloves to help stop the spread of mastitis during milking. Doing so will also protect against any zoonotic diseases, such as leptospirosis.
Clusters should be attached to clean, dry teats. Some farmers strip each quarter before attaching clusters to check for mastitis and to stimulate milk let-down, but this can be very time-consuming.
Keep a close eye on cows’ udders as they come into the parlour and as you are putting clusters on. Strip quarters that you may be sceptical of, and carry out a California mastitis test (CMT) on cows that are off form or have a high temperature.
Keep the pulse and milk tubes on the cow exit side when attaching the cluster, as doing so will allow for quick movement along the pit from one cluster to the other.
Manual cluster removal should happen when there is only a single stream of milk visible in the claw piece, in order to minimise the risk of over-milking.
Avoid causing air blasts when removing – turn off the vacuum by kinking the milk tube or by using the button on the claw piece.
If you have automatic cluster removers (ACRs), ensure that they are in operating order.
Teat spraying or dipping should be done as soon as possible after cluster removal, ensuring at least 10-15ml of the spray is applied evenly, covering all the teats, from top to bottom.
Washing down should commence as soon as the last row of cows have left – having a standard operating procedure in place for both milking and washing down is essential in maintaining a clean, hygienic parlour.
Do not forget that the milker is producing food and that the quality of this food is essential in sustaining and creating markets.
Cow space
Cow flow begins in the paddock or cubicle to the collecting yard, through the parlour and back out to the paddock or cubicles.
Cow flow has a massive impact on milking efficiency and time spent in the parlour and is dictated by: cow roadways; facilities (collecting yard and parlour); and the milker.
Roadways should be about 5m wide for 120 cows, with an extra 0.5m for every 100 cows thereafter.
Roadways need to be wide enough for the number of cows with a good surface, to make sure that there are no pinch points or restrictions along the roadway.
A farmer needs to ensure that the gathering yard can fit all of the herd, typically allowing for 1.52m2/cow, so cows are getting pushed and shoved, causing stress and potentially lameness issues.
Where there is a backing gate in the gathering yard, ensure it is used solely to decrease the size of the gathering yard, rather than forcing cows into the parlour.
It is easy to overlook factors like your milking routine at this time of the year, but as cows are at peak, you want to do everything in your power to make sure they hold that peak – and that comes down to environment, as well as nutrition of course.
You also want to maximise your milk price during the cows’ peak and having a high somatic cell count (SCC), total bacteria count (TBC) or thermoduric count is only going to deteriorate the price you receive per litre of product sold.
