“The objective is to reduce the bacterial population on the teats and maintain teat condition, by complete coverage of all four teats. This should require about 15 to 20ml per cow”, Dr Jane Lacy-Hulbert, senior scientist with DairyNZ, says.
“Excessive spraying may increase the risk of a residue penalty.”
Teats should be sprayed within half an hour of the cups coming off, before the sphincter closes.
Teat spraying systems can be grouped as manual hand pump, manual pressurised, automatic in-bail, automatic walk-over, or automatic dipping and flushing.
Installation costs will vary depending on dairy layout, existing plant, such as air compressors, and teat spraying requirements.
For in-bail systems, the per bail cost should reduce as the dairy size increases. The costs in the table are estimates only.
Manual systems
The effectiveness of manual sprayers depends on the operator taking care to get a thorough coating of the teats, without over-application.
Manual, hand pump: These are cheap and require no installation. Pressure must be maintained by regular pumping. Manual hand pump sprayers start with those like the Cambrian 1.5 litre with enough capacity for about 75 cows per fill.
Manual, pressurised: These systems generally have a reservoir and pump, or a pressurised vessel of teat spray, which is delivered to droppers in the bail area. In a herringbone there is generally one dropper for every four cows, while rotaries will have one or two at the cups-off position.
Automatic systems
Automatic systems must be carefully set up to give coverage of all four teats, and monitored and maintained to make sure this continues. They tend to use more teat spray than a manual system. They spray cows while in the rotary bails or in a walk-over system while they are exiting.
Automatic, in-bail: Installed in rotaries, they may have one unit at the cups-off position or spray nozzles set in leg spreaders in each bail.
Milkers can see and monitor teat sprayer performance and detect problems more easily than a more remote exit race system, and their spray pattern is not affected as much by wind. Staff who are allergic to teat spray will be affected more by an in-bail system.
There’s also a greater risk of incurring a spray residue penalty.
Spray can enter the milk line when a cow being milked is mistakenly sprayed and the spray is drawn in through the air admission hole or between the teats and liners, or if a cow did not get milked out and is re-cupped after the teats are sprayed. Installation of an in-bail system must incorporate fail-safe systems to ensure these actions do not occur.
Automatic, walk-over: Sprayers are mounted on the yard floor in the exit race. For larger herringbones, having two of these races will minimise
the disruption to cow flow. They could be side-by-side in the exit race, or there could be one at each of the herringbone bail gates where they can be monitored by milkers and will be less affected by wind.
For outside teat sprayers, wind shielding may be necessary, especially for cross-winds, and nozzles producing heavier droplets can reduce drift.
Automatic dipping and flushing: The British Automatic Dipping and Flushing (ADF) system immerses the teats in teat spray at the end of milking before the cluster is removed. Once the cluster is removed – it needs auto cup removers installed – a compressed air-sanitiser-compressed air cycle cleans the cups, ready for the next cow.
ADF claims include labour saving, more effective treatment because of better teat spray cover and application before the teat sphincter closes, less mastitis cross-infection between cows, less teat spray used, and a resulting decrease in mastitis and bulk milk cell count. Running costs are about 8c/cow/day.
Teat spray tips
There are some more points which apply to most teat spraying systems:
• Teat spray solution can be mixed manually and tipped into a reservoir. Alternatively, water, teat spray, and emollient can be automatically drawn according to a pre-set ratio from their containers and mixed. Teat spray recommendations might include a “use-by” period after mixing.
• Teat spray mixes can be modified to suit environmental conditions and teat condition. The recommended mixes are well-documented by suppliers.
• Portability and simplicity of installation can be important. Where a sharemilker installs a system like the Ambic or DeLaval vacuum operated systems, it can easily be relocated. They take about two hours to install, with fitting being quite straightforward.
• Most teat spraying systems either have a reservoir with pump, or a compressor with a pressurised vessel. The reservoir-pump system, if fitted with a bypass, will keep the teat spray solution mixed. If a compressor is used, one used for milk purging can’t be also used to pressurise a teat spray system.
Brand, make, model |
Claimed Features, Comments |
$ installed* |
Manual hand pump systems; suitable for all dairy types |
||
Cambrian CSP15T |
Self contained 1.5 litre hand (garden type) sprayer |
$96 |
Manual pressurised systems; suitable for all dairy types. |
||
Ambic Jetstream |
Vacuum-operated system. Easy, cheap, and quick installation. Low maintenance. Extended reach lance and solid cone nozzles for effective spraying. |
$865 (kitset) |
De Laval Vacuum Operated |
Vacuum-operated system. Easy, cheap and quick installation. Low maintenance. Extended reach lance and non adjustable nozzles for effective spraying. |
$1800 |
DeLaval Concentrated TS Mixer |
Dosing pump mixes water, teat spray concentrate, and glycerine to ensure accurate mix ratios. Pressurised by compressed air. |
$2100 |
GEA Milfos Drop Down Herringbone Teat Sprayer |
Pressurised by compressed air. Spray guns on self-retracting coiled hose. |
$3500 |
GEA WestfaliaSurge Drop Down Herringbone Teat Sprayer |
Pressurised by compressed air. Spray guns on self-retracting coiled hose. |
$3500 |
Automatic in bail systems; suitable for rotary dairies. |
||
Wetit Platform Magic |
Compressor and pressurised vessel system. Sensors detect the cow, bail position, retention bars. Additional sensors can be added to enhance performance. Failsafe system to minimise residue risk. |
$8260 |
Waikato SmartSPRAY |
Two nozzles set in each bail leg spreader, triggered by electronic cup removers. 125 litre reservoir with compressed air spray pump. Spray duration, delay, and pressure can be varied at the controller. |
$650 per bail |
Double K Robo Teat Sprayer |
A spray arm extends under the udder, directed by the platform positioning system. Intelligent controller prevents spraying empty bails, bails with restrainers down, and when reversing the platform. Adjustments by a digital controller. |
POA |
Double K Platform Teat Sprayer |
Fixed nozzle sprayer, triggered by the platform positioning system. Sensors trigger spraying only when appropriate. Manual adjustment of spray start and stop. |
POA |
OnFarm Solutions Teatwand Exact |
A 500mm spring arm fitted with two nozzles extends to directly under the udder. Spray volume minimised by cow position sensing and short concentrated spray bursts. Failsafe system to minimise residue risk. |
POA |
GEA Milfos iPUD |
Pressurised by compressed air. Twin nozzles set in leg spreaders in each rotary bail deliver cross fire hollow patterns, directed by cow positioning locator. Automatic cup removers needed. |
$400 to $550 a bail |
Teatsafe Rotary Platform Teat Sprayer |
Complete package, or spray delivery system can be connected to an existing reservoir or tank. Spray nozzles fitted to side of bridge. Cup removers not needed. Cups-off detection to minimise residues. |
$4800 to $7800 |
ADF |
Automatic teat dipping and cluster flushing. |
POA |
Automatic walk over systems; suitable for all dairy types. |
||
Wetit In Race Superior |
Compressor and pressurised vessel system. Two nozzles are triggered by a single sensor. |
$7565 |
Technipharm Speed Sensitive Teat Sprayer (SST) |
A solenoid pump without diaphragms provides pressure. Cow position and speed trigger spraying by two nozzles. Installation by most farmers. Master and slave system for 40-plus herringbones. |
$7795 (kitset) |
Double K In Race Teat Sprayer |
Compressor and pressurised vessel system. Single race system or dual system for herringbone bail exit. Two nozzles for complete cover. |
POA |
GEA Milfos Walk Over Sprayer |
Pressurised by compressed air. Sensors trigger spraying for maximum teat coverage. |
POA |
Teatsafe Walk Over Teat Sprayer |
Complete package or spray delivery system can be connected to an existing reservoir or tank. Single or dual race; exit race or herringbone bail gate location. Two adjustable nozzles. |
$4300 to $8500 |
* These costs are estimates only, and can vary greatly with dairy layout, specific farmer requirements, and componentry on hand. |