| The objective of the study was to analyze the effect of season, parity, stage of lactation and milking procedures on teat-end condition, cow cleanliness and milk somatic cell count (SCC) and identify risk factors associated with milk somatic cell counts greater than 100,000 cells/mL. A group of 15 Italian dairy farms were visited three times during different seasons: the cold (3.8 °C), the hot (23.5 °C) and the mild (12.1 °C) seasons. Hygiene of udder, flanks and legs was scored on 2,330 cows based on a 4-point scale system, from very clean (score 1) to very dirty skin (score 4). On the same cows, a total of 9,201 teats were assessed for teat-end condition and assigned to four different classes of hyperkeratosis: No lesion (N), Smooth ring (S), Rough (R)... |
