Dr.iCows’ Diary
Date: 27.01.2020
Dear Dr.iCow,
I am a dairy farmer. I have a cow that produce milk. When I boil the milk it becomes sour.
From: Edwin Korir, County: Kericho, Kenya.
Discussion:
There is a cow in the herd whose milk become spoilt when boiled. The cow looks healthy though her milk yield has lowered. This has gone on for a long time and does not seem to end. The milk from the rest of the cows in the herd is good.
Dear Edwin,
The milking from one of the cows that is spoiling after boiling it, is because of high number of bacteria in the milk. Milk may become contaminated with bacteria during or after milking and the cow could be having subclinical mastitis which is contributing to the high amount of bacteria or yeast in the milk.
In subclinical mastitis, the cow shows no obvious signs of the illness and no visible changes to her milk composition and her udder, and it is therefore hard to diagnose. Please call a vet to examine the cow for subclinical mastitis and take milk samples to a veterinary investigation laboratory -VIL for analysis, culture and sensitivity tests, and give the cow the right treatment. Remember: The loss from subclinical mastitis is greater than that of clinical mastitis.
Bacteria can also get into the milk by contamination of the udder and the teat from the farm environment, e.g. from beddings, wet and dirty animal environment, milk equipment and the milker. To avoid milk spoilage and for good quality milk please observe good milking practice, cleanliness of the milking equipment and the hygiene of the milker, maintain a clean milking parlour, frequent changing of beddings materials, the manure should be removed regularly, keep a hygienic and clean environment, and feed the cows with quality feeds and minerals supplements. It is advisable to screen the cows for subclinical mastitis regularly.
To ensure milk quality it is important to; – observe strict hygiene and cleanliness, dairy cows should be healthy, avoid long storage hours for raw milking by selling it immediately after milking, the farm personnel should be healthy and observe cleanliness. The milk market demands and offers safe and quality products and prevention contamination at the source by good hygiene reduce exposure of food borne pathogens and chemical milk residues.
Thank you.
From your friend and advisor,
Dr.iCow