Abstract
ABSTRACTThe objective of the present study was to explore the impact of robotic walkway cleaning on clinical mastitis and the somatic cell count in lactating cows. Data collection was carried out on a large dairy farm for two six-month periods in 2012 and 2013. Walkway cleaning with five robot scrapers was performed only in 2013. The incidence of clinical mastitis was analysed using the chi-square test. A linear mixed-effects model was applied for the analysis of the somatic cell count. Results indicated that the proportion of incidences of clinical mastitis decreased between 2012 and 2013 by 2.42 percent points. On the other hand, the somatic cell count of the cows slightly rose between both investigation periods and thus increased the likelihood of intramammary infection. This contrary development between clinical mastitis and somatic cell count also occurred in previous studies in which it was attributed to a pathogen-specific effect owing to farm management. An investigation over a longer period can help to clarify the influence of robot scrapers on udder health in dairy cows.
Highlights
KEYWORDS Mastitis; somatic cell count; robot scraper; hygiene; dairy cow Mastitis is a bacterial infection of the mammary gland in dairy cows which negatively influences animal welfare and the physical–chemical composition of milk
Subclinical mastitis lacks any visible signs of inflammation, but is identified by an increased Somatic cell count (SCC) in the milk predominated by immigrating neutrophilic granulocytes (Green et al 2008; Hand et al 2012)
The present results provided insight into the effects of a robotic cleaning system on udder health in lactating cows
Summary
Mastitis is a bacterial infection of the mammary gland in dairy cows which negatively influences animal welfare and the physical–chemical composition of milk. It is a source of considerable milk loss and reduces the economic returns of dairy farmers worldwide. Subclinical mastitis lacks any visible signs of inflammation, but is identified by an increased SCC in the milk predominated by immigrating neutrophilic granulocytes (Green et al 2008; Hand et al 2012). Milk of healthy udders contains a SCC of 10,000,000 cells/ml (Dohoo & Meek 1982; Green et al 2008)
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