The udder must be processed not only before, but also after milking.
How to prepare the udder for milking / Photo: Unsplash, Collage: Today
In order for the cow to give good milk, it is clean and safe, and the udder is not exposed to the threat of infection, it is important to milk the cow correctly.
Regardless of whether you use manual or machine milking, a cow, and especially udder requires careful care
. After all, the animal is far from being in sterile conditions, the cow grazes and can also lie on the ground, dirt and manure get on her skin, which then end up on the nipples and in the milk. In addition, there is a constant threat of the development of infectious diseases in the cow’s body, and the most common disease is mastitis.
How to wash the udder and care for it before and after milking, read our article. These simple manipulations will help maintain the health of your nurse, and make milk safe and pure
.
How to prepare the udder for milking: life hacks
- Life hack 1. Wet treatment of the udder
How to care for an udder / Photo: screenshot from YouTube / Kurkul
Before milking, it is necessary wash not only the teats and udder of the cow, but also her belly and legs
, since from there the bacteria are easily spread to already washed areas with the help of a tail. For washing, special antiseptic agents are usually used. But if they were not there, you can wash the udder with a soapy solution with ordinary laundry soap using a washcloth, and then rinse with warm water and wipe dry with a napkin. Napkins for the udder and legs should be different.
- Life hack 2. Wet processing of the udder
How to care for an udder / Photo: screenshot from YouTube / Kurkul
The wet method of processing is the most effective, but if it is inconvenient to use, you can use special wet antiseptic wipes
and make a dry method of cleaning the udder. The udder, nipples, then the belly and legs of the cow are carefully processed with napkins.
- Life hack 3. Udder massage
At the stage of washing, processing and cleaning, or after it, it is useful to massage the udder in order to avoid the formation of clots and stagnation of milk
, prevent the development of mastitis and tumors in the cow. They wrap their palms around the cup of the udder, stroke and rub the udder in a circular motion with a slight pressure. At the end, he is patted and pushed up and down.
- Life hack 4. Milking
How to care for the udder / Photo: pixabay
After processing the udder, but before the start of milking, you need to milk the first streams
in a special container for the analysis of milk for mastitis and blood clots. This will help to evaluate the milk visually: is there any casein clots, flakes, blood, etc. in it. Expressed milk should be processed in a special reagent that will show the number of somatic cells and make it clear whether the animal is healthy.
- Life hack 5. Handling the udder after milking
How to care for an udder / Photo: screenshot from YouTube / Kurkul
The nipple sphincter is a natural barrier to bacteria. However, after milking is completed, the teat canal of the udder may stay open from half an hour to 2 hours
. At this time, the udder is especially vulnerable to infection because dirt can easily get inside, especially when the cow is lying down. Therefore, it is important to treat teats after milking with special disinfectant antiseptics that work on the principle of a protective film. It envelops the skin of the nipple, penetrating into all the folds and crevices.
- Life hack 6. Folk remedies
How to care for the udder / Photo: pixabay
In addition to laundry soap, in small farms or in difficult conditions, other cows are popular for caring for the udder of a cow. folk remedies
:
- before milking, you can rinse the udder with warm water with a solution of chamomile or calendula;
- some owners use a weak solution of potassium permanganate for processing;
- after milking, you can grease the udder with oil: olive, sunflower, linseed;
- so that the udder does not crack, sea buckthorn oil, baby cream, petroleum jelly, as well as melted animal fat, such as pork lard, help well.
Earlier we talked about how to keep homemade milk longer.
Source: Segodnya
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