Improving udder health with Prosquare teat liners
Significant reduction in somatic cell count after switching to square liners
On the farm of Feike and Ruben van der Heide in It Heidenskip, Friesland, udder health had become a growing concern. Teat-end callousing was common, mastitis cases were rising, and somatic cell count was steadily increasing. Seeking a solution that wouldn’t require drastic changes to their automatic milking system, they found the answer in ProSquare LPX square teat liners.
“We saw immediate improvement in teat condition and a noticeable drop in somatic cell count”
Since 2018, father and son Van der Heide have been milking their 175 dairy cows with Fullwood’s automatic milking system. They are satisfied with the three robots, but the cows’ teat condition could be better. Many cows were suffering from teat end hyperkeratosis and the somatic cell count and mastitis rate were rising. ‘We started looking at how we could improve teat condition without too many adjustments to the robot,’ Ruben explains. With the supplier, they looked at the robot’s settings, but that didn’t deliver much and so they started looking further.
Few adjustments to the robot
‘We first considered other teat liners, but that required too many adjustments to the milking robot. If we didn’t like it, we couldn’t go back quickly. Then I came across the square liners through the Heemskerk website. With these liners, we didn’t have to adjust much to the robot and could easily switch back. Because we were the first to install these liners in a Fullwood robot, we were first allowed to test them for three weeks. That was a year and a half ago and we’re still using them and wouldn’t go back.’
56% milk flow in first two minutes
After switching from round to square teat liners, the Friesian dairy farmers noticed a faster milk flow. ‘Within 2 minutes of connecting, 50% of the milk should be out. We are now at 56%,’ Ruben knows. This fast milk flow had an immediate positive effect on udder health. ‘In the first few months, the somatic cell count immediately dropped by 25.000 and it has since dropped further from 220.000 to 120.000. The condition of the teats is much better and we also have far fewer cows with mastitis’. Father Feike confirms Ruben’s words: ‘The cows are healthier now. Less mastitis means less wasted milk and fewer sick cows to treat. It saves time and money ‘.
Quick and simple liner replacement
With 55 cows per milking robot, robot efficiency plays a lesser role on this farm. ‘We are now around 3.1 milkings and between 6 and 7 robot visits. The milking speed did go up a bit, but that was not the main reason for conversion for us. That was improving udder health’. Where Ruben did make an efficiency gain is in changing the teat liners. ‘It’s now a five-minute job. You just pull the liner through the cup, twist it into place, and it’s secure’.
Effective adhesive teat spray contributes to results
It is not only the switch to square teat liners that has played a role in improving udder health. According to Ruben and Feike, the use of a Heemskerk teat disinfectant based on lactic acid and skin-caring ingredients has also contributed. ‘You can see clearly that the teats have been sprayed thanks to the color,’ says Ruben. ‘It adheres really well. Whether you dry off the cow 5 minutes or 2 hours later, the teat is still coated,’ adds a satisfied Feike.
