How to Milk a Cow With a Milking Machine

Dairy cows need to be milked at regular intervals.

Cows have been milked by hand for centuries. The development of the milking machine and the milking parlor have greatly eased the burden on the farmer, and allow him to milk many more cows in a short space of time. Milking by hand may have been quite a restful occupation in some ways, but it could also be dangerous, and was hard on the back and the arms. The parlor and milking machine make milking cows a safer as well as a more hygienic and efficient job.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Hot water
• Disposable gloves
• Iodine
• Paper towels
• Teat Sprayer
• Food-safe sanitizer

1. Bring the cow into the parlor. This is easier if it is used to walking into the parlor and if there are other cows also being milked. Many parlors include a feeding system where you can program in the grain ration. This then falls into the trough in the stall where the cow needs to stand to be milked. The sound of the corn dropping into the trough becomes familiar to the cow, and is an incentive for it to stand and be milked.

2. Wash your hands and wear disposable gloves when milking. Clean each teat by spraying it with iodine and then wiping it dry with a clean piece of paper towel. Strip the cow's teats. Do this by squeezing each teat and drawing your hand from the base of the teat to the tip in a smooth movement. The first few drops of milk that are released in this way do not go into the system.

3. Apply the teat cups to each teat. The milk is removed from the teats by a vacuum action. This is controlled by the pump, which is part of the milking system. You usually start the process by pressing the "Milk" button on the unit that is attached to each set of clusters and teat cups. When the cow has finished milking, the "Detach" button will light up on this unit and the cluster and cups will automatically detach from the cow's udder. Spray the udder again, using the teat sprayer and iodine.

4. Wash out the milking system by flushing hot water through the milk lines. Add an appropriate sanitizer to the water.

Tips & Warnings

• You must test the cow's milk if mastitis is suspected. Mastitis is inflammation of the teat, which can be caused by poor hygiene or an infection in the cow's udder. The cow must be treated for this, and you may need to discard the milk.

• Always take care when cleaning the cow's udder. Do not put your hands in the way of the cow's legs as a kick can do serious damage.

References

• University of Illinois Mastitis Resources: Mastitis Case Studies: Milking Machine
• Farmingads.co.uk: How to Milk a Cow