SummaryA field survey with 70 cows in 15 herds was carried out to find a possible correlation between the depth of teat penetration into the teatcup liner during milking, and udder health. The investigation showed that the depth of penetration into the liner of fore teats was positively correlated with the fore teat end hardness (P < 0·01), and with the frequency of clinical mastitis for the whole udder (P < 0·1). The investigation also showed that the teat end height above the floor was negatively correlated with mean cell count for the previous year (P < 0·001), and with the prevalence of subclinical mastitis in rear quarters (P < 0·05).
SummaryTeat penetration into transparent silicone rubber teatcup liners was recorded during milking of 90 cows on 15 farms. The cows were of Norwegian Red Cattle breed with mean teat length close to the average for the breed. The mean teat length was 54 and 48 mm for fore and rear teats respectively, and mean penetration at the end of milking was 104 and 94 mm. No significant correlation between initial teat length and teat elongation (difference between penetration and initial length) was found. This indicated that the teatcup liner was more stable on long teats than on short. The distribution of teat penetration at the end of milking showed that a large proportion of fore teats penetrated too far into the liner at the end of milking. The optimal liner length for Norwegian Red Cattle was ~ 150 mm.
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