Make Your Own Essential Oil Teat Spray For Goats and Cows!

Meghan Nowlin
by Meghan Nowlin
6 Materials
Easy
Do you milk goats or cows? If so then you probably use a teat spray or teat dip after milking to prevent mastitis.Using chemical laden sprays makes me cringe! So I decided to make my own using all natural ingredients!
Why do we use teat sprays? The answer: Fear! Fear of mastitis! Mastitis is something that you hear goat veterans talk about when sharing goat horror stories!I did not want my goat to be one of the ones that wouldn't produce from half of her udder, or who got extremely ill from a nasty case of mastitis!Everybody in the goat world uses these sprays. I have run into some that use bleach, but I really wasn't crazy about that idea either. So I just stuck with my chemical spray, thinking that it was the only way to go.
Why I chose to create a natural teat spray!The purpose of teat sprays is to kill any bacteria on the teat until the orifice (this is the small hole that the milk comes out of) has closed, to prevent any bacteria from entering the teat.Knowing that this is the purpose of the spray, I realized that the faith that I have in essential oils to kill bacteria is stronger! I know from my own experiences what essential oils are capable of!So if the purpose of the spray is to kill bacteria, why would I not make my own spray with natural ingredients that have been shown to create a healthy environment and benefit the goat?!Coming to this realization eliminated my fear! So I sat down and formulated my Essential Oil Teat Spray!
Here are the ingredients that you will need:(This makes an 8oz. bottle)
  • Rosemary Essential Oil- 12 drops
  • Ravensara Essential Oil- 10 drops
  • Lavender Essential Oil- 20 drops
  • Colloidal Silver- 2oz.
  • Plant Enzymes- 6oz.
  • An 8oz. PET Spray Bottle
Add ingredients in the order given to your 8oz. bottle. Shake well.Directions for use: Shake well before each use. Spray the end of each teat 4-5 times making sure that it is completely covered. (If you don't feel the need to spray it that many times that's fine. Being the worrier that I am I like to make sure that it's covered really well!)
Additional Mastitis Prevention Tips:1. Clean the goats udder before milking. (I use baby wipes:)2. Hand Milk. I know this might not be possible if you have a lot of goats to milk. But if you aren't careful a milk machine will spread mastitis and bacteria from one goat to another if you have an infected goat and are unaware. You definitely want to milk any goats that have mastitis by hand and discard the milk.3.Keep the goat from lying down for about 15 minutes after milking. We let our goats remain on the milk stand until they have finished eating. Then we move them back to the field where we give them some hay to munch. This keeps them on their feet for much longer than the recommended 15 minutes.Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoy the spray! Please visit my blog to read the full post. Disclaimer: I am NOT a doctor! The information provided in this post is for educational purposes only. I do not prescribe, diagnose or treat any medical conditions. Please consult your health care provider or veterinarian before implementing any of the information provided in this post.
Suggested materials:
  • Rosemary Essential Oil   (http://www.healingblendsforlife.com/store.html#!/Select-Oil-Type-10ml-bottle/p/76200926/category=21706338)
  • Ravensara Essential Oil   (http://www.healingblendsforlife.com/store.html#!/Select-Oil-Type-10ml-bottle/p/76200926/category=21706338)
  • Lavender Essential Oil   (http://www.healingblendsforlife.com/store.html#!/Select-Oil-Type-10ml-bottle/p/76200926/category=21706338)
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Meghan Nowlin
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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