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The Sayler Farm
Walla Walla, Washington
DHI Milk Testing
Does Milk Testing seem super complicated and hard to understand?
Are you having trouble finding information on where to begin the process?
This year we decided to dive in and do our first year of milk testing our does with the help of a couple local breeders. We thought we would share what we learn along the way and hopefully it will make Milk Testing easier for others who want to begin with their herds.
Begin by answering a couple questions:
What Type of Milk Test (Record Plan) is best for my herd?
How many does do I plan to test?
What Dairy Records Processing Center (DRPC) will I use?
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WA State DHI works with a couple of DRPC:
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Do I want to become a certified milk tester or do I know a tester who can come test my herd?
Where do I get a Herd Code?
What type of scale do I want to purchase and from where?
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The scale must weigh to the tenths of a pound
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​DHIA has a list of Certified Scale Centers on their website
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WA State DHIA allows you to purchase a scale on Amazon and have it sent
directly to DHIA
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H Series Hanging Scale on Amazon (scale we choose to use)
What are the milk, butterfat and protein requirements to earn a Milk Star?
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Scale
Tester
DHIA
ADGA Frequently Asked Questions
Milk Testing instructions and forms are full of Acronyms that can be confusing at first. Here is a list of a few acronym definitions that will help you better understand the process.
OS: Owner Sampler
VT: Verification Test
AR: Advanced Registry
*M: Milk Star (number in-front indicates number of generations of continues milk stars)
ST: Meets minimum requirements for One Day Milk Test, OS or prodigy/pedigree
DHI: Dairy Herd Improvement
DHIA: Dairy Heard Improvement Association
DHIR: Dairy Herd Improvement Registry
DRPC: Dairy Records Processing Center
LAC: Number of lactations
D/AV: Daughter Averages
FRESH: Freshening date of this lactation
DIM: How many days a doe was in milk for a previous lactation or how many days currently in milk
HERD: The herd code for the doe during a lactation
CTRLNO: The doe's Animal Control Number within a herd
# Milk: DHIR report of Milk (in pounds) produced by a doe
# Pro: DHIR report of Protein (in pounds) produced by a doe
# Fat: DHIR report of Fat (in pounds) produced by a doe
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Milk Testing Supplies
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2 Quart Stainless Steel Milk Pail
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4 Quart Stainless Steel Milk Pail
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Stainless Steel Milk Jug with Lid - 1 gallon
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Stainless Steel Mason Jar Milk Strainer with 300 Filters
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Cheese Cloth - Reusable Unbleached Ultra Fine Cotton (4 yrds
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Teat Dip Cup - 2 pack
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Teat Dip - Providone Iodine Solution 16 oz.
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1% Iodine Teat Dip - 1 gallon
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Teat Wipes, Udder Prep by Udder Check - pail of 700 wipes
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Mastitis Indicators - Box of 30
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Premier 1 Kid Feeding Bottle with Pritchard Nipple
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Pritchard Nipple for Kid Goat - pack of 8
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Nylon Goat Hobbles - pack of 2
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Durvet Selenium Vit. E paste
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Hay Bag for Goats
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