Research Into the Influence of Clinical and Subclinical Mastitis on the Milk Flow Rate of the Yaroslavl Breed Cows

Abstract

The process of milking healthy cows and those with mastitis is analyzed in terms of such parameters as average onetime milk yield, milk flow rate, milking duration to assess their diff erences and the need to use alternative milking methods. (Research purpose) To study the impact of mastitis on the milk yield of cows and develop recommendations for milking diseased animals. (Materials and methods) Three groups of animals were formed according to the mastitis test results: the first group included healthy cows, the second one those with subclinical mastitis, and the third one included the cows with the clinical form of the disease. The data were collected by control milkings and the milk flow rate results were recorded every 15 seconds. (Results and discussion) The results revealed significant differences for the tree groups, both in the rate of milk flow (1.90; 0.89 and 0.49 kilograms per minute, respectively) and the duration of milking (281; 375 and 294 seconds, respectively). (Conclusions) The longest milking duration is detected in the case of subclinical mastitis, (375 seconds on average). There is a shift in the peak of the milk flow rate from the second minute of milking to the third in comparison with healthy animals. In the case of clinical mastitis, the milking duration (295 seconds) proves to be less than the subclinical one, while there is practically no peak in the rate of milk flow. It is confirmed that there is a necessity to shift the intensive milking mode by 30-45 seconds for an animal with subclinical mastitis, as well as to use a gentle milking mode for cows with clinical mastitis.