Vol. 11, Special Issue 6 (2022)

Author(s):
Rakhshan Jeelani, Asma Khan, Dipanjali Konwar and Biswajit Brahma

Abstract:
Dairy farmers require animals that are healthy and productive. Udder health is vital for optimum production. The importance of proper management in maintaining udder health cannot be overstated. The somatic cell count and microbiological qualities of milk are indicative of milk quality. The study comprised an assessment of hygienic standards of udder and milk of dairy animals, raised under different managemental practices. A total of 30 households keeping dairy animals (herd size >10) were selected for the collection of information on managemental practices. These households were randomly selected and spanned over 13 villages and peri-urban areas. A total of 100 milk samples were obtained from these selected families to examine the physicochemical and microbiological properties of milk. The standard plate count and coliform count of all milk samples was determined using standard technique. Udder hygiene score was satisfactorily fair (66.10%) in the sampled animals which had significant association (p<0.01) with with Standard Plate Count and Coliform Count.