TEAT LENGTH AND PENETRATION INTO TEATCUP DURING MILKING IN NORWEGIAN RED CATTLE

Teat penetration into transparent silicone rubber teatcup liners was recorded during milking of 90 cows on 15 farms. The cows were of Norwegian Red Cattle breed with mean teat length close to the average for the breed. The mean teat length was 54 and 48 mm for fore and rear teats respectively, and mean penetration at the end of milking was 104 and 94 mm. No significant correlation between initial teat length and teat elongation (difference between penetration and initial length) was found. This indicated that the teatcup liner was more stable on long teats than on short. The distribution of teat penetration at the end of milking showed that a large proportion of fore teats penetrated too far into the liner at the end of milking. The optimal liner length for Norwegian Red Cattle was ~ 150 mm. © 1990, Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research. All rights reserved.