As farms quieten down between the first and second cut of silage, you should be looking into servicing your milking machine and bulk tank.
Many milking machines are often neglected with other jobs being prioritised, only receiving proper services when issues such as high somatic cell count (SCC) and mastitis are present on farm.
However, proper maintenance should be carried out before it gets to the stage of affecting your herds health and production.
The milking machine is one of the most important parts of the farm, as it is the only part that comes in direct contact with your cows.
On average cows spend 50-100 hours during each lactation attached to the cluster.
The most common reason for problems with milking machines is often the lack of routine maintenance.
Your milking machine should be serviced twice a year, now and during the dry period.
Servicing the milking machine
Your milking machine should be serviced twice a year by a registered technician, if it has not being serviced in a while, this should be nearing the top of your priority list.
This summer, it is important to inspect the vacuum ( which should ideally be 48 kilpascal (kPa)), the claw bowls (for cracks or chips) as well as the seals and shut-off valve seals for the claw bowls.
The short pulse tubes and long milk tubes should be checked and replaced, as well as full replacement of liners.
It is also important to make sure your teat sprayers are serviced so that any blocked or faulty nozzles are replaced.
It is considered good practice to regularly check the inside of the liners throughout the year, making sure they are soft and smooth without any cracks or roughness.
When your liners are worn, they will reduce milking performance, damage the teat and increase the risk of mastitis and cross-contamination.
When liners lose their tension, they will absorb fat, hold bacteria, and deteriorate due to the cleaning products going through them twice-a-day.
Liners should be replaced every 2,000 milking’s or every six months.
The following calculation can be used to work out the number of days between linear changes:
For example, if you are milking 180 cows in a 16-unit milking parlour twice a day, liners should be changed every 89 days.
This means that the liners in this parlour need to be changed at least three times a year in a spring calving herd with a two-month dry period.
However, every parlour is different and will need their own calculations.
It is always a good idea for farmers to have spare parts – such as claw bowls, milk liners, pulsation tubes or vacumn pump belts and oils – on hand in case of untimely breakdowns.
Bulk tank
It can be a good idea to also have your bulk tank serviced too.
All chemical pipes should be inspected and changed as well as any flexible rubber pipes/seals and hoses.
As well as this, if there is a permanent fixed bottom fill system on the tank, it should be dismantled for examination and cleaning.
Check and service your wash pump, water filters, and the condensing unit.
In addition, a hot caustic wash should be carried out directly after service is completed, as well as a calibration of detergents.
