- You must wear gloves and disinfect your hands between every cow
- Never attach cluster to dirty teats
- Never attach cluster to wet teats
- If using buckets/test buckets ensure that they are disinfected inside and out, use lids at all times.
- Make sure work areas are clean and free from manure
- Observe the cow, looking for signs of infection – Does the cow have mastitis? Is the cow scouring? Does the cow smell?
- If in doubt, ASK!!
Ensure the milking plant is set up correctly to collect colostrum.
Ensure the environment is clean and tidy before collecting colostrum. Wash down all surfaces before and between rows.
Disinfect your hands/gloves and forearms with BlueGuard or Aseptol between cows whilst harvesting colostrum.
PRE CLEAN - If the udder is heavily soiled, wash the cows udder and dry with paper towels, use a different surface of paper towel or new paper towel for each teat.
Check cow’s health history, if the cow is subject to a milk withholding period paint the cow RED as per the Paint Marking System Chart, after milking send cow to the Hospital Herd. Ensure to discard the colostrum from all cow’s with milk withhold
If the cow has a retained foetal membrane inject 4ml of Syntocin once in the muscle in a single site. Record the cows number on the RFM sheet and enrol the cow in to the RFM procedure
Relieve Mammary Odema in maiden heifers (first calvers), treat with 10ml of Frusemide via intramuscular injection. Click here to view Mammary Odema Knowby
Spray the cows’ teats with a premixed solution of Blue Guard, clean and dry teats with a clean paper towel use a different surface of paper towel for each teat
Clean and dry each teat with teat wipes.
Fore-milk the cow to check for mastitis and to remove any teat seal. If the cow has mastitis treat cows as directed by the Mastitis (Fresh Case SOP). Paint the cow RED as per the Paint Marking System Chart.
Milk mastitis and sick cows separately so other cows and the colostrum is not contaminated, after milking and treatment send cow to the hospital herd, Discard the colostrum as it is not suitable for calves
Setup Test Bucket if not collecting milk with the milking plant.
Attach the cups to the cow.
If the cow was flagged or has symptoms of Milk Fever administer Calcium flow pack over the ribs and fresh cow drench or oral calcium treatment