Teat Sealers

dar31

anyone have any experience with teat sealers. have never used them before but thinking of using it this year.
any particular brands
tips etc
thanks

jeff greene

I've used Boviseal and Osmonds, no difference.

Some say they split them especially with smaller teats, I don't. No real tips, just dont put in too far, maybe squeeze the top of the teat to prevent it going up. Defiantly worth it.

melly

We used boviseal (€139 for 30 cows)with cepravin dc for the first time this year. With the quota situation we wanted to cull all empty cows and of course these have buckets of milk. Used the sealers with the dry cow, straw and restricted water for a week. They have dried up great and are back on grass with a few days. Good job i think

dar31

was looking around the internet for information, and a few places said it was for cows with scc <200,000, is this because it is more effective with low scc or will high scc lead to problems when teat is sealed

jeff greene

dar31 wrote: »

was looking around the internet for information, and a few places said it was for cows with scc <200,000, is this because it is more effective with low scc or will high scc lead to problems when teat is sealed

I'm guessing that for use without ordinary dry cow tubes. Sealers do nothing put prevent dirt and bugs entering. You'll still need dry cow tubes for high scc cows. I use both on all cows.

lefthooker

Been using osmonds for as long as i can remember and always got on well with them. A lot of lads in the discussion groups are using them too.
I remember when they first came out and the vets told us they were a waste of time and money.

5live

dar31 wrote: »

was looking around the internet for information, and a few places said it was for cows with scc <200,000, is this because it is more effective with low scc or will high scc lead to problems when teat is sealed

I was talking to the guy with Osmonds at the ploughing and he said young cows with low sccs just need the sealant at drying off but high scc cows need dry cow tubes and sealant and preferably a long dry off period. As jeff said, the seal only stops dirt getting in. If the buggers are already inside then you will probably need dry cow tubes to get rid of them before the cow starts bagging up again.

I will probably use the teat seal this year for the first time and try to get the scc down for the year

keep going

there was an issue down our way
with one of the brands of sealer leaving a residue which showed up as black specs in the cheese after 6 months

jeff greene

Heard that too, some coops in the UK sent out letters about using them correctly, it can linger but the filter should catch it anyway

blue5000

Hi Dar31, I presume you are dairy farming? If you are suckling I wouldn't advise you to use a sealer. It can be hard for calves to get a suck after sealer has been used on the cow.
Depends on what you do after a cow calves, do you milk the cow and feed/tube the calf, or do you let the calf suckle for a few days? You just need to be aware that if you use a sealer then you have to feed the calf colostrum.

jeff greene

blue5000 wrote: »

Hi Dar31, I presume you are dairy farming? If you are suckling I wouldn't advise you to use a sealer. It can be hard for calves to get a suck after sealer has been used on the cow.
Depends on what you do after a cow calves, do you milk the cow and feed/tube the calf, or do you let the calf suckle for a few days? You just need to be aware that if you use a sealer then you have to feed the calf colostrum.

I know sucklers aren't as docile but I just strip it out after she calves and let the calf suck then, it would be hard for a calve to get it out alright.

blue5000

jeff greene wrote: »

I know sucklers aren't as docile but I just strip it out after she calves and let the calf suck then, it would be hard for a calve to get it out alright.

Ya, that means you have to be there to make sure the calf sucks, don't think dar 31 is suckling though.

kenny d

We have been using the Osmonds teat seals for years and have found them to be A1. We usually do the first lactation animals with the seal only while everything else gets dry cow tube + teat seal.

5live

went to a DEP meeting today and the advisor said to be careful using some teat sealers. Most dry cow tubes are oil based and one teat sealer is water based and its not supposed to work as well with oil based sealers.

Also the osmonds 1 2 (?) sealer has shown up black spots in cheese made after 6 months so you may have to use a filter all year, if you dont already