Milking Parlor Cleaning

A survey of milking equipment in Florida revealed that many of the pulsators and vacuum controllers were not functioning properly. Research has demonstrated that major mastitis problems can occur when cows are milked with malfunctioning pulsation and vacuum controllers. The most common cause of these malfunctions, is a lack of regular maintenance. If you have not performed these maintenance chores in some time, now would be a good time to start. Routine performance and use of the schedule on the back of this sheet should be helpful. The checklist can be removed and placed in or near the milking parlor to monitor maintenance items. Here are some guidelines to follow.

Daily : Wash outside of milk line, receiver jar and trap and claws and hoses.

Two weeks or 1200 milkings : Replace liners.

Monthly :

1. Remove pulsators and clean them.
2. Replace filters and/or clean vacuum controllers.
3. Wash trap inside and out.

Every 6 months :

1. Monthly cleaning as usual.
2. Replace all pulsator rubber parts.
3. Replace all pulsator hoses, air tubes.
4. Replace receiver jar gasket.
5. Replace all milk hoses.
6. Replace rubber udder wash hoses and rubber hose nozzles if present (rubber hoses harbor bacteria).
7. Flush pulsator and vacuum lines.
8. Check belts on vacuum pumps.

Yearly :

1. Do monthly and 6-month cleaning as usual.
2. Replace all wash line hoses.Replace trap gasket.
3. Replace wash manifold cups.
4. Replace belts on vacuum pump.

Tables

Table 1.Milking Parlor Checklist

Milking Parlor Cleaning - Image 1

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Footnotes

^1.This document is DS10, one of a series of the Animal Science Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Reviewed June 2003. Visit the EDIS Web Site.

^2.D.R. Bray, Dairy Extension Agent, Milking Management and Mastitis Specialist, Dairy Science Department and J.K. Shearer, Assistant Professor , Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.

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Milking Parlor Cleaning

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