When To Forestrip

Before or After Teat End Disinfection?

A question often asked is "when should forestripping be done in the milking routine -- before or after teats are disinfected"?

In her presentation on cow prep at the 2004 NMC Regional Meeting, Dr. Pamela Ruegg, University of Wisconsin, said that when both predipping and forestripping are practiced, there is no data that indicates that the order that the steps are performed will affect milk quality.

Ruegg went on to say that on a practical basis however, when teats are clean, it may be best to forestrip before teat end disinfection to reduce the opportunity to re-contaminate the teat skin.

In milking parlors, cows can be forestripped onto the floor but the appearance of the milk should be noted to identify cows with mild cases of clinical mastitis. In stall barns, milk should never be forestripped onto cow beds. The use of gloves by milking staff is recommended to reduce the potential spread of mastitis pathogens by contaminated hands.

Source: 2004 NMC Regional Meeting Proceedings, pg. 34 (Ruegg)

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