The influence of low-line and high-line milking plants on udder health and lipolysis.
The basis vacuum level of the milking machines participating in the field survey was 35.0 Hg (approximately equal to 47 kPa) and 38.0 Hg (approximately equal to 51 kPa) for machines with low-level and high-level pipelines, respectively. During milking the vacuum level near the claw piece was in average 32.8 cm Hg (approximately 44 kPa) (low-level pipelines) and 31.4 cm Hg (approximately equal to 42 kPa) (high-level pipelines). The average concentration of free fatty acids in bulk milk was 0.58 meq/1 (low-lines systems) and 0.73 meq/1 (high-line systems) (P less than 0.05). The prevalence and incidence rate of mastitis as well as the new infection rate for Staphylococcus aureus were lower in herds milked with low-line than in those milked with high-line systems. The bulk milk cell counts were highest in low-line herds. However, none of the differences for udder health parameters were found to be statistically significant.
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002452:Cell Count / Q000662:veterinary; D003612:Dairying / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D008066:Lipolysis; D008414:Mastitis, Bovine / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008892:Milk / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary