Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T14:59:01.026Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Teatcups with automatic valves in machine milking of goats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2017

Alberto Manzur ,
José Ramón Díaz ,
Nemesio Fernández ,
Sebastià Balasch  and
Cristòfol Peris
Alberto Manzur
Affiliation:
Departamento de Rumiantes, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Ctra. Tuxtla-Ejido Emiliano Zapata, km 8, México
José Ramón Díaz
Affiliation:
Departamento de Tecnología Agroalimentaria, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Orihuela, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Ctra. Beniel, Km. 3,2, 03312 Orihuela, Spain
Nemesio Fernández
Affiliation:
Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Animal, Universitat Politècnica de València, Cami de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Sebastià Balasch
Affiliation:
Departamento de Estadística e Investigación Operativa Aplicadas y Calidad, Universitat Politècnica de València, Cami de Vera s/n. 46022 València, Spain
Cristòfol Peris*
Affiliation:
Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Animal, Universitat Politècnica de València, Cami de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
*
*For correspondence; e-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This Research Paper addresses the hypothesis that using teatcups with automatic valves, without cutting off the vacuum prior to cluster removal, could increases the risk of mastitis and affect other milking variables on goats. A first trial used 46 intramammary infection (IMI)-free goats that had been milked with normal teatcups (without automatic valves) during a pre-experimental period of 8 ± 2 d postpartum. These animals were divided into two groups (n = 23), randomly assigning each group to teatcups with automatic valves (teatcups A) or without automatic valves (teatcups B) for a 20-week experimental period. During this period, several strategies were applied to increase teat exposure to pathogens in both experimental groups. In the first eight weeks of the experimental period, the new IMI rate per gland was significantly higher (P < 0·05) in the group of animals milked with teatcups A (6 of 46; 13%) than in the group milked with teatcups B (1 of 46; 2%). However, throughout the rest of the experimental period the same number of glands appeared with new IMI (n = 7) in both animal groups. SCC was higher in goats milked with teatcups A, but no significant differences were found in the remaining variables (milk production and composition, frequency of liner slips + teatcup fall-off). In a second experiment, in a crossover design (54 goats in fourth month of lactation, 2 treatments – teatcups A and B – in 2 experimental periods each lasting 1 week), no differences were observed in total milk, average milk flow, total milking time or teat thickness changes after milking between both teatcups. However, teatcups A worsened slightly the maximum milk flow. We concluded that the use of teatcups with automatic valves, without cutting off the vacuum prior to cluster removal, increases the risk of mastitis on goat livestock farms.

Keywords

Milking machineteatcupsautomatic valvesmastitisgoats
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 85 , Issue 1 , February 2018 , pp. 64 - 69
Copyright
Copyright © Hannah Dairy Research Foundation 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ali, AKA & Shook, GE 1980 An optimum transformation for somatic cell concentration in milk. Journal of Dairy Science 63 487–490 Google Scholar
Bergonier, D, De Crémoux, R, Rupp, R, Lagriffoul, G & Berthelot, X 2003 Mastitis of dairy small ruminants. Veterinary Research 34 689–716 Google Scholar
Billon, P, Sauvee, O, Menard, JL & Gaudin, V 1998 Effects of milking and the milking machine on somatic cells counts and intramammary infections on dairy cows. Rencontres Recherches Ruminants 5 305–311 Google Scholar
Billon, P, Fernández, N, Ronningen, O, Sangorgi, F & Schuiling, E 2002 Quantitative recommendations for milking machines installations for small ruminants. Bulletin of the International Dairy Federation, Brussels, Belgium 370 4–19 Google Scholar
Boletin Oficial del Estado 2005 Royal Decree 1201/2005 on the Protection of Animals Used for Experimentation and Other Scientific Purposes. Madrid, Spain. BOE 242 34367-34391Google Scholar
Bramley, AJ 1992 Mastitis and machine milking. In Machine Milking and Lactacion, pp. 243–372. (Eds Bramley, AJ, Dodd, FH, Mein, GA & Bramley, JA) Vermont, USA: Insight Books Google Scholar
Contreras, A, Luengo, C, Sánchez, A & Corrales, JC 2003 The role of intramammary pathogens in dairy goats. Livestock Production Science 79 273–283 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Contreras, A, Sierra, D, Sánchez, A, Corrales, JC, Marco, JC, Paape, MJ & Gonzalo, C 2007 Mastitis in small ruminants. Small Ruminant Research 68 145–153 Google Scholar
Hubert, A, Poulet, JL & De Crèmoux, R 2015 Milking Clusters in Goats. Description and Features. Technical Data Sheets. Paris, France: Institut de l’Élevage Google Scholar
ISO 3918 2007. Milking Machine Installations-Vocabulary. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization Google Scholar
ISO 5707 2007. Milking Machine Installations-Construction and Performance. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization Google Scholar
Le Du, J 1985 Functional parameters affecting the efficiency of milking machines adapted to sheeps and goats. In 36th Annual meeting of the European Association for Animal Production, Kallithea, Greece, Vol. 1, pp. 430–431Google Scholar
Littell, RC, Henry, PR & Ammerman, CB 1998 Statistical analysis of repeated measures data using SAS procedures. Journal of Animal Science 76 1216–1231 Google Scholar
Manzur, A, Díaz, JR, Mehdid, A, Fernández, N & Peris, C 2012 Effect of mid-line or low-line milking systems on milking characteristics in goats. Journal of Dairy Research 79 375–382 Google Scholar
Mein, G 2012 The role of the milking machine in mastitis control. Veterinary Clinics: Food Animal Practice 28 307–320 Google Scholar
Mein, G, Reinemann, D, Schuring, N & Ohnstad, I 2004 Milking machines and mastitis risk: a storm in a Teatcup. Meeting of the National Mastitis Council. In 43nd Annual Meeting of the National Mastitis Council, Charlotte (NC), USA, 1–4 February 2004. pp. 176–188Google Scholar
O'Shea, J 1987 Machine Milking Factors Affecting Mastitis- A Literature Review, pp. 5–32. Brusseles, Belgium: International Dairy Federation. Bulletin n° 215Google Scholar
O'Shea, J, O'Callaghan, E & Walsh, JP 1984 Milking machine research. In Moorepark 25th Anniversary Publication. Part II: Animal Health and Machine Milking, pp. 115–214 (Ed. O'Shea, J). Fermoy, C. Cork, Ireland: Moorepark Research Center Google Scholar
Rasmussen, MD, Frimer, ES & Decker, L 1994 Reverse pressure gradients across the teat canal related to machine milking. Journal of Dairy Science 77 984–993 Google Scholar
SAS 2002 SAS User's Guide: Statistics. Release 9.1. Cary, NC, USA: SAS Institute Inc. Google Scholar
Thiel, CC, Cousins, CL, Westgarth, DR & Neave, FK 1973 The influence of some physical characteristics of the milking machine on the rate of new mastitis infections. Journal of Dairy Research 40 117–129 Google Scholar