Teat Dipping in Sheep and Goat Dairy: Products and Protocols

Small Ruminant Dairy Hygiene: Overlooked but Important

Dairy sheep and goat operations are significant in North Africa and the Mediterranean — Tunisia's sheep milk sector, Moroccan goat and sheep production in the Atlas and Rif regions, and Algerian sheep milk used for traditional fresh cheese all represent substantial production in AgroLyne's markets.

Professional teat hygiene in small ruminant dairy has historically received less attention than cattle dairy hygiene. This is partly because small ruminant operations tend to be smaller in scale (less pressure from processor quality programs), partly because traditional milking practices predate commercial dip use, and partly because the product range for small ruminants has been less specialized than for cattle.

Shared Principles, Adapted Protocol

The fundamental logic of teat hygiene is the same across dairy species:

• Post-milking, the teat canal is open for 20–30 minutes
• Bacteria that enter the teat canal during this period can cause mastitis
• Post-milking teat dipping with a bactericidal product kills bacteria at the teat end and protects the open canal

The differences in applying this to sheep and goats versus cattle:

Teat size and application: sheep and goat teats are smaller than cattle teats. Dip cup size should match — standard cattle dip cups may not ensure adequate contact on smaller teats. A spray application technique (covering teat and teat end from below) often works better than dipping.

Product concentration: the same iodine-based products used in cattle are effective in sheep and goats. Vilnus 3000 Active at 3,000 ppm active iodine is appropriate — higher concentrations are typically not required for small ruminant applications.

Pre-milking preparation: for commercial milking parlors handling sheep or goats, pre-milking preparation with Vilnus LACO or Vilnus LA improves milk hygiene and reduces somatic cell count in the milk.

Between-Animal Cluster Disinfection in Sheep Dairies

Commercial sheep and goat milking parlors (herringbone or rotary designs) milk large numbers of animals in rapid succession. The risk of contagious mastitis transmission in this environment — cluster contact between animals — justifies between-animal cluster disinfection using xxO Flush PA 5, exactly as in cattle dairies.

Contact AgroLyne for small ruminant dairy hygiene product selection and protocols.