Wetit

No Nozzles in Waves

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +1300

Why WETiT Waves don't have Spray Nozzles

For many years, WETiT have been frequently asked why they don’t have nozzles for teat spraying in their Wave (foot placement device). The WETiT Wave was originally developed to enhance the accuracy of the Platform Magic teat sprayer for rotary sheds. It was never designed to use for teat spraying, even though much thought has been given to this concept.

Since release in 2004, the WETiT Wave has been installed in over 700 rotary sheds nationally and internationally. One of the reasons for the success of the Wave is that it is the brainchild of a company which specialises in teat spraying and invests heavily in research and development. A large part of this being on the farm because years of experience have taught WETiT that nobody knows better whether something is doing a good job than the person using it every day.

Through extensive testing and trials, Director David Carey and Product Development Manager Brian Sexton have proven exactly why spraying from underneath the cow doesn’t give effective coverage.

Spray nozzles fitted centrally within the bail will not give spray coverage to the outsides of the teats as they are in the spray shadow.
There is scientific evidence that it is not necessary to spray the teats the instant the cups are removed.
The bridge mounted type of teat sprayer sprays from side to side at the udder while the cow moves past the fixed spray nozzle, achieving the most effective spray coverage.
The large cost of fitting spray nozzles and solenoid to every bail challenges the cost effectiveness of the ‘individual bail’ system.
The high maintenance cost for the ‘individual bail’ systems when something as simple as a blockage occurs.
Coverage on the back of the teat is not possible if the cow moves back.
Some brands of teat spray settle out and create an Iodine sludge, which corrodes filter meshes, creating multiple blockages.
Initial setup cost can be significant due to the number of components and installation time.
If two nozzles are used per bail, a 60 point shed would have 120 spray nozzles to remove, and flush out the lines if the teat spray reacted badly causing a chalky residue. It would take days to fix.
Solenoid electrical caps need regular servicing and checking for corrosion. A standard check would take 60 times longer.
The need to phone a service technician is much higher due to the size of a hassle if one occurs. WETiT has always had pride in making a robust, farmer friendly system, which invites a small simple check-over as part of the milking routine. Any spray check of an ‘individual bail’ system would require the total of all bails to be sprayed. Time and chemical wastage would stop these checks from being done.
Cup removers can go out of flavour, and if the ‘individual bail’ system relies on the cup remover for a signal, then the teat sprayer couldn’t work. On occasions that the cup remover is out of operation there will be not teat spraying if it relies on a signal from the cup remover.

WETiT has invested significant time and money over the past 10 years in other technologies that are more effective at getting full teat coverage to the complete teat surfaces.

Source: No Nozzles in Waves

Teat Spraying for Udder Health

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1300

Teat Spraying – Coverage, not Timing, Important for Reducing Mastitis.

Many studies have shown that teat spraying reduces mastitis by 50-60%. However, it must be also done well to be effective. “Good coverage of teat barrel, using a good teat spray that stays in suspension, spraying twice a day are all important factors and have trials to prove that it is of benefit to mastitis prevention,” says Mel Eden.

It is recommended that you should teat spray every time cows go through the dairy, and ensure that the whole surface of the teat is being sprayed. Good coverage on the back of the teats is very important, as this area is exposed to the weather. A good spray will use up to 20ml per cow. When aiming for good teat condition it is a good idea to use teat spray with emollient added – up to 15% is recommended at times of the year when the weather could lead to skin damage. Why? Because maintaining good skin condition is a key factor in reducing keeping new infection rates low.

Good coverage is important to control the growth of bacteria, which can be responsible for an increased number of new infections at calving. Teat spraying for this purpose alone should be done twice a day, and for every milking of every cow for the full lactation. There is some suggestion that it is the removal of bacteria on the skin that is important rather than the timing. Studies done in New Zealand on the prevention of Streptococcus uberis by teat spraying before calving resulted in a reduction in new infections by 40% - an amazing result. Theoretically, the teats at this time are closed.

The question is often raised regarding the timing of teat spraying in relation to how long the teat canal remains open after cup removal. There is evidence that teats do not shut tight for several minutes after cluster removal at milking time. The information varies about the actual time taken for the teat canal to reseal completely – some reports indicate around 8 minutes, others up to 1 ½ hours.

According to Dr Graeme Mein, all teats experience at least one longitudinal contraction just as the cups are removed at the end of milking. This teat contraction induces refolding and immediate closure of the teat canal. It is easy to see that the teat canal must have closed immediately after milking. If it didn’t close, then a small amount of stripping milk would continue to dribble out. Although the canal is closed, it cannot reseal immediately because tiny ‘puddles’ of milk remain trapped in the crevices and folds of the keratin lining. These milk residues are removed by re-absorption and by drying at the external orifice. This process is more rapid in conditions of low humidity and moderate temperatures, much slower in cold wet climates. The teat canal never returns to its pre-milking sealed condition if the teat-ends are kept wet.

Dr Mein concludes: “Given that this post-milking process of drying and natural resealing may take 30-90min, it is difficult to believe that the timing of post-milking teat disinfection has any significant practical influence on mastitis incidence over a range of, say, 1 sec to 5 min after teatcups are removed. Therefore, my advice is to concentrate on doing the job really well rather than interrupting a milking routine to get it done at the instant of teatcup removal.”

Sources: Mel Eden – Farm Dairy Specialist - Fox, Eden & Associates

Graeme Mein – Werribee, Australia

Source: Teat Spraying for Udder Health

New Teat Sprayer

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1300

WETiT has released the NEW in-race teat sprayer QD0 (QuaD spraying zerO shadowing)

Taking ten years to develop, this innovative technology is able to monitor the cow, switching the spray on and off at different positions depending on individual cow requirements. Every cow that walks through is sprayed with the best coverage, extremely accurately, completely covering the surface of each teat. Even the ‘clever’ cows can’t get past this system.

There was a great response from everyone that came to Mystery Creek Fieldays this year and plenty of orders were placed. Sadly no one won the competition of 'Name the New WETiT Teat Sprayer' that was held at Mystery Creek Fieldays, but we decided to do a draw and get three names out of a hat for consolation prizes. Congratulations to the lucky winners: Craig Hanna from Lang Beach, Kelly Symmons from Murupara and Richard Dwyer from Patea.

[[youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QG6ePdd3Ck&feature=player_embedded]]

Source: New Teat Sprayer