Hi all,

Wooooo, wooooo, a chance to use my animal science degree again.

Barbara Wilson-Clay wrote:
<<...globs of material floating in pumped cow's milk is a
familiar sign of mastitis.  In fact, dairy herdsmen traditionally
identify
mastitic cows from identification of fatty material in milk.>>

I remember doing and recommending this to farmers. Typically, the herds
that practised squirting a few streams from each teat before attaching
the milkers would notice early indications of mastitis and start
treating (antibiotics, what else). However, most herds who get their
milk production checked every month can opt to get each cow's milk
counted for somatic cells, also an indication of mastitis setting in.
Each cow seemed to have a "normal" level, high somatic cell counts
didn't necessarily mean there were blobs in the milk and vice versa.
Counts generally went up over the course of the lactation and with age
of the cow.

Donna Hansen
Burnaby, BC
(who still hasn't figured out why my posts get chopped up when I cut and
paste from another message)