Udder wash & teat dip questions...

[LoneStrChic23]

I am trying to figure out what udder wash/teat dip I should get. I've seen the recipe on Fias Co farms website, but I'd like some alternatives to the bleach & dawn mix. If y'all wouldn't mind posting what you use, how you use it and where you buy it from (or if you make your own, where you purchase your ingredients)? I've seen horribly mixed reviews of Fight Bac, and have seen some great reviews of iodine dips....but have seen mention of some syrupy dips that cause chapping & build up, so now I'm thoroughly confused as to what I should buy, lol

When I was a kid, my mom always brushed the goats really well, used a warm, wet towel to wash the udder before milking, and never dipped teats...She just left them on the milk stand for at least 10 minutes after milking with some hay and she never had chapped teats or any issues....but from everything I've read I guess my mom was just really lucky she didn't have problems?? Also, do I need to wash the udder in the same type of stuff that the teat tip is made from? I've seen mention of people using un-scented baby wipes before milking and just adding alcohol to the container of wipes....but to me, it just sounds like that would be very drying and harsh on the udder......

What type of container should I use for teat dipping?

Oh, saw mention of a foaming teat dip....Anyone ever try it? Is it effective?

I know this is a game of 50 questions but my head is spinning with all the options and partial information I've seen, so I'd just like to hear what y'all use and how it works for you. I want sanitary conditions and I want to do my best to keep the does udders/teats in good shape, but I also don't want to make the process more complicated than it has to be

Thanks!!

Best Wishes,
Crystal
http://noodlevilleadventures.blogspot.com

[Alice In TX/MO]

Hey, Crystal!

I've used a lot of them. Started with the water/Dawn/bleach formula from Fiasco Farm.

Used Chlorhexadine after a case of staph mastitis on the surface of the udder of one of my first does. (Now I vaccinate for that.)

Have used the thicker iodine dip, but didn't feel like it was any more effective.

Have not used Fight Bac.

I'm back to the Chlorhexadine again. A gallon lasts forever because you dilute it.

http://vetamerica.com/chlorhexidine-...-2-gallon.aspx

I spray rather than dip. I have a spray bottle with a tip that angles up, so I put it under the teat/udder and get a pretty good soaking spray.

I use the same solution for pre-milking udder wash. You know those blue paper towels that are made for shop towels? If you cut the roll in half, remove the cardboard center, then the half roll fits perfectly in a plastic coffee can. I pour about 3 cups of the Chlorhexadine solution over the roll, put on the lid, and use one towel for each goat as I milk.

People milked goats for thousands of years without all the fancy teat dip/wash products were developed. Do what you are comfortable with and what you learn works for your goats.

[CaliannG]

I am afraid that I am the more.... non-conformist...of the group. I don't use a "dip" at all.

I use Equate brand Antibacterial wipes, with Aloe and Vitamin E added for skin softness! LOL One wipe before I milk and then another wipe after I have finished up.

I haven't had any problems with chapped teats, or even tough teats.

I like the fact that I can just keep can of them in the milking room, and I don't have to carry containers of dip, pour anything out, or worry about spilling anything.

Edited to add: I got the idea from my mother. Her doctor recommended she use the wipes when she got shingles to clean tender areas. They helped her so much that she continues using them to clean tender areas. One day, I was headed out to the barn with my usual accoutrement of pails, basin of soapy water, cloths, etc., when she asked, "Why don't you just use some of those wipes? Then you wouldn't have to worry about dumping soapy water into your milk pail while you are fumbling with gate latches."

Sometimes, my mother makes PERFECT sense.

[sammyd]

we used to use an iodine teat dip and some sort of pink udder wash with single use paper towels.
We currently don't use a thing, haven't for 2 years.
Only problem we have ever had was a flare up on a dry doe so the dip and wash weren't even an issue....

[LoneStrChic23]

Thanks so much for the input!

My mom used her simple routine for her milk goats for about 5 years, never had a single issue, and we always had great tasting milk.... but then again my mom can grow an awesome garden, while I kill all plant life I come in contact with......so I just don't have her luck and would like to be as safe as I possibly can.

Maybe once I have some "hands on" experience and feel comfortable with my management and care I'll tweak things or go off the usual path, but until that point I'd like to go with a well liked plan used by those with more experience than me.

Caliann- Are the wipes you use in the cleaning isle...sort of like the clorox wipes?


Thanks so much!

Best Wishes,
Crystal
http://noodlevilleadventures.blogspot.com

[CaliannG]

I went and read the label, just to make sure, although I was already certain they *did not* contain bleach.

The label says, "Compare to "Wet Ones" wipes". So I would imagine they would more likely be found in the baby aisle.

~grinz~ I feel you on the title of "Murderess of green, growing things." I have a heck of a time with plants. The last time I was able to keep a plant alive all by myself was *cough, cough* decades ago, in my dorm room in college.

I am sure you can guess what kind of plant a college student might want to have. I managed to make that one grow VERY well. Too bad it turned out to be male.

At any rate, the wipes I use are the off-brand of the Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes. I guess if it is good enough for a baby's butt, it is good enough for a goat's teat.

[LoneStrChic23]

Originally Posted by CaliannG

I went and read the label, just to make sure, although I was already certain they *did not* contain bleach.

The label says, "Compare to "Wet Ones" wipes". So I would imagine they would more likely be found in the baby aisle.

~grinz~ I feel you on the title of "Murderess of green, growing things." I have a heck of a time with plants. The last time I was able to keep a plant alive all by myself was *cough, cough* decades ago, in my dorm room in college.

I am sure you can guess what kind of plant a college student might want to have. I managed to make that one grow VERY well. Too bad it turned out to be male.

At any rate, the wipes I use are the off-brand of the Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes. I guess if it is good enough for a baby's butt, it is good enough for a goat's teat.

Ohhh! For some reason the only wipes my brain was coming up with was the baby wipes & clorox wipes...totally forgot about Wet Ones!

As to the green things....can't tell you how much time and $ I've wasted trying to garden. I have mimicked my mom EXACTLY and hers thrive while mine die.
She says it's because she talks sweetly to her plants while I have a habit of cussing at mine, but that can't possibly be the reason as I don't start cussing until the death process has already begun!

My date for the Ice Castle Ball my Jr. year had the same type of "green things" that you did in college. He actually left the dance to go check on them! :eyeroll:

Best Wishes,
Crystal
http://noodlevilleadventures.blogspot.com

[Lada]

You just have to figure out what works for you, but I'll share what works for us!

When I go out to milk, I take along an old country crock tub of hot water with a squirt of dish soap, and two rags that are designated just for milking. I wash the udder, dry, milk and then I use a squirt of fight bac on each teat. Have never had a problem with that system. I used to use the bleach, but found it very drying to the skin and ended up having to use udder balm. Without the bleach, and using the fight bac which has glycerin in it, I never have a problem with chapping, and have never had any mastitis.

[Jay27]

I don't wash teats unless they are obviously dirty. I take a soft brush and brush away any hair or loose debris. I milk a small amount into a dish to check the milk's color and consistency (The kittah's are climbing over me at this point because they know that is theirs). I have never had any issues and feel the issues caused by washing the teats daily (especially in the cold weather) do not outweigh the benefits. I would wash teats if I sold milk, but I don't.

[WagleFarm]

I use unscented baby wipes to clean before milking and spray with diluted chlorhexadine solution after milking.

[issylthesthlia]

I grew up using Basic-H as a teat dip. Also to get rid of flies lol!

http://search2.shaklee.com/?siteURL=...D%3D&q=basic+H

[steff bugielski]

Just remember dipping before milking is for cleanliness, dipping after is for the health of your goat.

[wintrrwolf]

I started out with the light bleach mix and had a problem with cracking and drying of the teets even with using udder cream afterwards, went on to use an iodine mix and havn't had that problems since. But I think will try the wet ones it would be so much handier then using the mason jar with iodine mix.

[missythemom]

I wipe each teat with an unscented alcohol free baby wipe before i milk then I spray each teat with Fight-Bac spray I buy online.

[Ann Mary]

Apx. 150 years ago when I was a girl and helped with milking we used Bag Balm for ...something??? Is that not a good thing to use in today's milking barns? I THINK it was used after milking. I am interested in this thread because hopefully this spring I TOO will be milking again.

[CaliannG]

Ann Mary, Bag Balm (and its competitor, Udder Butter) still have a place in the milking stall today. ~smiles~ I have one of those square tins of it in my milking stall, and another in my kitchen (for use on hands after doing the dishes).

It's is used after milking to condition and soften the teat, and to keep it from becoming dry and cracked.

Now, if i could just find rolls of those towlettes in dry form, without ANYTHING on them, I'd make my own solution to soak them in and use that.

That solution would likely contain peroxide, rather than alcohol or bleach, as is so common. My DH uses a weak solution of peroxide on the roots of young seedlings that I buy from nurseries...clean out all of the dirt that comes with the plant, and wash the roots in the mixture to kill any fungus, bugs or other nastiness that might have come home from the nursery so it doesn't infest *our* gardens.

I figure if, according to DH, the stuff is gentle enough to not harm fine, delicate root hairs on seedlings, it is likely gentle enough to use on skin for an anti-bacterial/fungus/virus/etc.

Unlikely I'll ever be able to test that theory out, as I still don't know where to get a roll of dry, untreated towlettes.

[Lada]

I have used bag balm but only when the teats start to feel dry or get chapped. It's helpful in cold weather to apply it after milking so the moist teats aren't exposed to freezing temps. At least that's what I use it for.

[Lada]

Cali - you can cut a roll of bounty paper towels in half lengthwise. We used to do that for baby wipes. But don't skimp on the paper towels or you'll just have a soggy mess. Get the good strong ones. I've also heard those rolls of blue shop towels work too.