International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

Shamba Shape-Up Season 16 - Episode 23 - Farm 17 ILRI (English)

Duration: 5:46 1041 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

Low milk production, poor quality, and compromised animal health create significant stress for dairy farmers, making prevention crucial for sustainability. In this episode of Shamba Shape-Up, the focus shifts to mastitis, a bacterial infection of the udder that severely impacts yield and animal welfare. The host interviews Faith Kweiga from ILRI, who explains that mastitis arises in two primary forms: contagious types spread by the milker or other cows, and environmental types caused by dirty bedding or manure accumulation in the cowshed. Faith emphasizes that maintaining a clean, dry environment with well-structured housing is the first line of defense, as unhygienic conditions provide the ideal breeding ground for bacteria that can infect animals and reduce milk output. To detect this condition early, the video introduces the California Mastitis Test (CMT), which is essential for identifying subclinical or hidden mastitis that cannot be seen during regular milking. The process involves milking a small amount of milk from each quarter into a paddle containing a liquid reagent; if the mixture thickens into a gel upon spinning, it indicates a positive result for infection. During their inspection, Faith and the host discovered stress gelling in four quarters, confirming the presence of hidden mastitis. This testing method allows farmers to manage infected animals separately and adjust milking routines to prevent further spread within the herd before visible symptoms appear. Preventing mastitis requires strict adherence to hygiene protocols throughout the entire milking process, starting with thorough hand washing using soap and water before touching any animal. Farmers are advised to use individual cloths for each cow and follow a specific disinfection routine involving pre-dip solutions, typically iodine-based, which are submerged into the teats for about 30 seconds to kill bacteria. After stripping milk to check for clots, the actual milking occurs, followed by a post-dip application to ensure the teat end closes properly within thirty minutes. Crucially, infected animals should always be milked last, and healthy quarters must be processed before affected ones to avoid cross-contamination between cows or even between different parts of the same udder. The episode concludes with a clear call to action for farmers to implement five key strategies: keeping housing and bedding clean, practicing good milking hygiene, ensuring proper teat disinfection before and after milking, regularly testing for mastitis using the CMT, and maintaining overall good milking practices. Faith shares her personal journey of rebuilding her livestock after a devastating loss, highlighting that even after facing severe setbacks, resilience and knowledge can lead to recovery. The host expresses satisfaction at finally learning how to perform these tests, underscoring the importance of education in empowering farmers to take control of their herd's health and boost milk production through simple yet effective management techniques.

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Low milk production, low quality milk, and poor animal health can be very, very stressful to a dairy milk farmer. A farmer needs to know how to prevent this. >> We have invited Faith Kweiga from ILRI who will tell us all about mastitis and how to prevent it. >> I can see a very beautiful I call it beautiful because indeed it is. >> Sure. >> Who who who who is she? >> She's Carol. >> Ah, it had to be Carol. >> [laughter] >> All right. So, Faith, we were here a few years back. There were cows here. So, I don't know what what happened, Sankale. >> I just had a tremendous loss of all my livestock. So, I had to start over. >> And we're just so glad that even after going down, you still had the strength to rise up. >> Indeed. >> Yes, and that's what we're championing today. >> Sure. >> What challenges are you facing with your cows? >> In our region here, there are very few vets. So, when a cow falls sick, it is difficult to find a veterinary. >> All right. >> Yeah. >> Ah, Faith, I know you've done your inspection as usual. The cowshed is very organized and the animal has clean beddings. It's clean and dry. So, this will not have a bacteria. We also examined the animal. The udder was well placed above the ground and it was also very clean. Our farmer, Sankale, wants to have more milk. Isn't that so? >> Indeed. >> First thing is to provide clean water and nutritious feed for your animal and get a well-structured cowshed. And then now we can look at the milking hygiene practices which are meant to improve on your dairy milk production. If your cowshed is unhygienic, this will provide suitable environment for a bacteria and that will infect your animal. So, you may experience something that is called mastitis and this will lead to a reduction of your milk production. >> What is mastitis? >> Mastitis is an inflammation of the udder and it is caused by bacteria. So, the bacteria may occur in two forms. We have the contagious type and the environmental type. So, the environmental type comes from the environment of the animal, as we've said, and also when you have accumulation of dirt or manure in the animal's sleeping area, this harbors bacteria. And also, we have the contagious type of mastitis, which comes now from the milker. The milker may spread this if you do not observe hygienic practices. >> Mhm. >> We have screened cattle for mastitis. We use the California mastitis test. >> There are two types of mastitis, clinical or visible mastitis, and subclinical or hidden mastitis. Visible mastitis is where the disease can be seen during milking. Hidden mastitis [music] will require a test to tell if it's there. The California mastitis test, CMT, is used to test for subclinical or hidden mastitis. [music] This is done using a paddle and liquid reagent. >> You hold the paddle facing the head of the animal, and then you milk your animal into the four quarters represented in the paddle. >> Milk 2 to 5 ml on each quarter, and then pour the same volume of reagent. Now, gently spin the paddle. If the solution thickens from liquid to gel, then your cow is positive for the hidden mastitis. If the solution doesn't thicken at all, then the cow is okay. >> And so, what did you exactly see? >> We found stress gelling. There was a bit of gelling in the four quarters, and that showed stresses of subclinical mastitis. >> Mhm. >> So, what can I do in order to prevent mastitis? >> When you find your animals to be positive for mastitis, you need to separate them from your herd. You need to make sure that you milk the infected animals last. So, you start with the healthy animals, and then finish with infected animals. And in case not all quarters are affected, you need to milk the healthy quarters first, and then finish with the infected quarters. >> Can mastitis be transmitted from one livestock to another? >> Yes, you can transmit the contagious type of mastitis from one cow to another. Before you milk, you need to properly wash your hands with soap and clean water. You thoroughly wash in between your fingers and also up to your wrist. And then you make sure that you have individual cloths for all your milking cattle. So first of all, you will use a pre-dip solution. >> What is a pre-dip solution? >> So a pre-dip solution is an iodine solution that you can get it commercially from any local agrovets. You will use the teat dip to dip all the four quarters. You completely submerge them in the teat dip and then you leave it to stay there for about 30 seconds and then you will wipe it off. So once you wiped it off, you will use a strip cup and you will strip all the quarters into the strip cup because it has a sieve and a black background, you will observe for any clots that may be in the milk. So after that, you can proceed to milk your animal and then finish up with a post-dip using the same solution that you began with. And then you need to make sure that you leave the animal to stand for about 30 minutes to ensure that the teat end completely closes. And then before moving on to the next animal, you also need to wash your hands again and repeat the same process. >> Farmers, remember there's so much you can do on the farm to prevent mastitis. One, keep your housing and bedding clean. Two, good milking hygiene. Three, proper teat disinfection before [music] and after milking. Four, test for mastitis using the CMT test regularly. Five, good milking practices. >> Have you ever done a mastitis test? >> Never. Yes. >> Even with your other >> This is the first one. >> Mhm. >> And I am happy >> Mhm. >> to know how it is done.