[Milking without additional hand stripping and health status of the mammary gland].

A field trial was performed in two half-sib first-calver groups of the Bohemiam Spotted breed. Each group included thirteen animals, studied for the effect of milking without additional hand stripping on the health condition of the mammary gland for a period of one lactation. The indices of an udder health condition were not affected at an appreciable level of statistical significance (the clinical and bacteriological picture, the positivity of the Mastitis test - NK, the content of milk cellular elements, milk chloride ion content, lactose content, and the value of the chlorine-sugar number. The unstripped udder halves showed a slight increase of the irritation index (by 0.1), milk cellular element content (by 33 000 per per 1 ml), chloride ion content (by 0.81 mmol 1+-1), and chlorine-sugar number (by 0.03). However, the mentioned increase did not exceed the limits of the physiological ranges of the parameters under study - hence it cannot be treated as a sign of udder alteration due to milking without additional hand stripping.