My first milk test results

[Laura G in Idaho]

I got my first test results back, and here they are:

Standard Plate Count (total bacteria) <2,500 mg/l. Their test doesn't go lower than 2500 mg/l. I needed to have less than 15,000 mg/l to pass.

Coliform 12/ml. I needed to have less than 25/ml to pass.

Somatic Cell Count (can indicate mastitis) 190,000/ml. I needed to have less than 500,000/ml to pass.

Not only did I pass, but I passed with flying colors! I was feeling really good about this, until another cow-owning friend of mine pointed out that ANY coliform indicates SOME contamination from fecal matter. I guess I didn't do as well as I thought.

Please read my procedures and tell me where I can improve:

1. Brush cow all over, special attention to underbelly and udder.
2. Using hot water with a gurgle-glug of vinegar in it, wash cow's udder. Never double-dip, special attention given to the teat openings. I use a stack of clean white rags (washed in my "brightest whites" cycle with a gurgle-glug of chlorine bleach added to the wash load) and wash until the rag comes back clean.
3. Dry the udder with a clean, dry rag.
4. Milk the cow.
5. Strain the milk into clean glass jars using a stainless steel milk strainer and disposable milk filter.
6. Wash up: rinse in lukewarm water until the water is clear, wash in hot soapy water with a dedicated milk brush (brush is only used on the INSIDE of pails), air dry.

Jars are washed similarly - lukewarm rinse, run through dishwasher (or hand-washed in hot soapy water) with heated dry. If hand-washed, jars are rinsed with 1 T bleach per gallon of water and allowed to air dry.

[kellyhensing]

Hand-milking?
Machine-milking?

Are you on well water? Your coliforms could be coming from your well water. Have your well water tested.

Congrats on your test results. They are excellent.
-Kelly

[Laura G in Idaho]

Hand-milking. Well was tested for coliforms when we moved in almost 2 years ago. It took us shocking the well three times to get it to acceptable levels.

You might be onto something. Since moving to this house, I have had trouble with my cloth diapers stinking. I have had to add a little chlorine bleach to my hot cycle, and it works. Thanks for helping me think through it. I'll get the well tested again.

[suzorse]

I second the well, as when I started having problems with coliforms , it ended up being my well
so now I have a sterilight system that sterilizes my water so no more problems
mine that I just got back were SPC <2500 E coliform < 1 E SCC 220000
and because I had to work that morning I did not have time to milk, I just ran out and milked some into a goat pail
strained and put in the ice chest in ice water for Charlene, as she said she did not need a full gallon
I do not see any problem with your system
Suzanne

[BlackWillowFarm]

It's nice to have numbers from the test. It gives us something to compare to and also a goal to meet. My lab says they want to see coliforms testing at 10 or below and preferably zero. Since your lab is at 25 or below, you exceeded the goal but the lower you can get the number the better. Coliforms are an environmental contamination and are an indicator of cleanliness. Since you hand milk, your equipment is your bucket and your hands. Do you sanitize your milk bucket? It should be done within 30 minutes of milking to be effective. Don't forget your hands. They need to be clean and dry too.

You should be proud of your first test. The numbers are good. Now you have something to go by and can try to get them even lower.

[Laura G in Idaho]

As soon as the health department opens, I'm heading over to get a vial for my water sample. In the meantime, I'm going to bleach everything that comes in contact with the milk.

[simplynaturalfarm]

Laura, for handmilking, your numbers are really good! (in case you think they are not)

[Laura G in Idaho]

Aug 20, 2013 8:37:24 GMT -5 simplynaturalfarm said:

Laura, for handmilking, your numbers are really good! (in case you think they are not)

Thanks. I was pleased to see that I passed all the tests, especially since the sample collector told me that most people fail their first time, and not to worry about it. But then when I was reminded that any coliform is indicative of some failure to be absolutely sanitary... it sorta took the wind out of my sails. However, I'm done licking my wounds and I've taken action.

First, I took a water sample to the health department and should find out tomorrow if we have a coliform problem in the well. Second, I bleached EVERYTHING. I want to see that coliform result at <1 next time.

[kellyhensing]

Is it a specific test for fecal coliform?
If not, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. If I remember correctly (from my own freak-out episode), coliforms are just bacteria.
People freak over bacteria...I am the mom screaming for them to quit putting Purell on my kids.

-Kelly

[Laura G in Idaho]

No, it's a total coliform test, not fecal. I'm confused on whether all coliform are fecal or not. What I'm reading says that there are coliforms other than fecal in the environment, but was told otherwise by my friend who said she researched it thoroughly and her mom is an expert on it. <sigh> I will be glad to see that number go down, in any case. I want it at zero, or as close as possible.

[Laura G in Idaho]

No call back from the health department today. This is good, in that I don't need to shock my well. This is bad, in that it indicates some failure somewhere in my routine as the cause of coliform being in the milk.

So, I reviewed it all again in my mind, and realized that I haven't been sanitizing the bucket that I use for the wash water. So, I have added a bleach rinse to my wash-up routine, including the wash bucket. I hope this is the answer. I want another test right away... too bad I don't get another test until September.

[kellyhensing]

We had coliform bacteria in our well years ago & I remember doing a lot of research on it then. I thought that fecal coliforms (E.Coli etc) were a specific type that they can test for. I think our well tested positive for coliform bacteria but negative for fecal coliform (maybe why you didn't get a call back from the HD today??).
Anyway, a quick search found this:
www.bfhd.wa.gov/info/coliform.php

"Coliforms are a broad class of bacteria found in our environment, including the feces of man and other warm-blooded animals."

Again, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. You are doing a great job! I think your friend may have you more worked up than you need to be. You wouldn't want your cow's somatic cell count to be zero...you passed your first test & it is a great baseline as to which you will base your future tests off of
-Kelly

[simplynaturalfarm]

I asked DH and he said that while the majority of coliform is from fecal material, the test is testing for the Coliforms are a group of bacteria commonly found in the environment, including soil, surface water, vegetation and the fecal material of warm blooded animals. The test itself is for Enterobacteriaceae family. E. coli, Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., and Citrobacter spp. are the most common coliforms.
OF the 4 mentioned, two of them are NOT fecal so yes, it is environmental contamination. IF you are worried about fecal contamination you can ask for different tests (that go further into the process).

Coliform testing is monitor for poor herd hygiene, contaminated water, unsanitary milking practices, and improperly washed and maintained equipment. So yours could have come from a multitude of things. I would try to get it below 10 for sure as your state has high allowable levels, but again for hand milking you are doing a killer job!

[wyomama]

Try not brushing your cow before you milk, other than just her udder. The fine particles of dirt you raise will settle into your bucket. Same for sweeping your stanchion floor - do that after you finish, not before you milk.

Total coliform isn't just fecal material - that is one source, but pretty much any "dirt" is going to have coliform bacteria - so to keep that down, aside from washing things well, you need to keep the stirring up of dust and dirt to a minimum.

[Faith]

Just a thought, do you turn the teat up to see that the end is clean and give a good squirt before you start milking. I feel sure you do but just wanted to mention for new people. When I first started milking, I cleaned her up really well and would start milking and then one day, I realized that there was sometimes a little black in the end teat orifice.

I know a lot of Amish people who just sit down and dry brush the udder and start milking though! I guess we have the ability and research is saying that we actually need some "dirt" to be healthy and to turn on certain immune responses. So I think your doing an awesome job.

Be careful with all the chlorine. It is not good for you and of course your skin absorbs everything (strong links to cancer) and it is not good for the natural environment in the septic. I'm assuming if you have a well that you also have a septic. Just a thought. I do use some when I wash my rags and one of my goals is to get a divirter on our washer drain to send it into a seperate gravel pit and not the septic system.

[Laura G in Idaho]

Thank you for mentioning the teat openings, too. And yes, I do check and clean that part carefully, and discard the first squirt from each teat. Yup I'm wearing gloves when handling the chlorine and have the same concern about putting too much in my septic. I would rather not have any bleach going down the drain, too, but I don't have it set up to divert anywhere else. I'm using the minimum possible and still have a disinfecting effect.