• Crops
  • Arable Crops
    • Arable Crops Home
    • Barley
    • Carrots
    • Potatoes
    • Making Crisps
    • Peas Home
    • Harvesting 'Frozen' Peas
    • Freezing Peas
    • Wheat
  • Energy Crops
    • Energy Crops Home
    • Biofuel
    • Willow
  • Forage Crops
  • Horticulture
    • Peppers
• Livestock
  • Beef
    • Beef Industry
    • Calving
    • Beef Production
  • Dairy
    • Dairy Home Page
    • Milk Production - Cows
    • Calving
    • Milking Cows
  • Goats
    • Goat Farming
    • Goats - Processing Milk
  • Pigs
    • Pigs Home
    • Pigs Cycle
  • Sheep
    • Sheep Home
    • Sheep Production
    • Lambing
    • Shearing Sheep
• Pests Diseases
  • Pests Diseases Home
• Careers in Agriculture
  • Careers Home
  • Agricultural Engineer
  • Farm Manager
  • Stockman
• Wildlife
  • Wildlife Home
  • Habitats
    • About Habitats
    • Grasslands
    • Hedgerows
    • Ponds
    • Woodland
    • MicroHabitat - Cow PAt
    • MicroHabitat - Soil
  • Birds
  • Mammals
  Slugs Snails
• Dip Land Based Studies
• Teaching Curriculum Map

 

Milking Cows - the process.

The milking process.

These are the stages of the milking process. Cows are generally milked twice a day around 5 am and then again at 4pm.

Cows entering parlour

Stage 1 - The cows come into the parlour.

Dairy Cows soon get to know the daily routine and will enter the parlour with little prompting keen to release their milk.

Cleaning Cows Udders

Stage 2 - Cleaning Udders

The cows udders are cleaned to so that the milk does not become infected with any bacteria they may have picked up.

It also gives the cow man a chance to check the cows health.

Attaching the Milking Cluster

Stage 3 -Teat cups attached

The teat cups are attached to the cows udders.

These work on suction and must be checked regularly so that they work safely.

 

Milking in progress

Stage 4 - Milking in progress

The cows stand quielty whilst the milk is gently sucked from their teats.

The amount of milk a cow gives each day varies depending on what stage of lactation the cow is at - i.e. how long since she had her calf. The peak of lactation is around 5 weeks after birth when she could be giving around 40 litres of milk a day. Towards the end of lactation when she is about to finish milking to have the next calf this could drop to below 10 lites a day.

Automatic cluster removal

Stage 5 - Automatic Cluster Removal

Once the cow has finished being milked the teat cluster is removed auotmatically.

Cows leaving parlour

 

Stage 6 - Milking over Udders Sprayed

The cows udders are are then sprayed with a mixture of iodine and lanolin which stops infection and keeps them healthy ready for the next milking.

The cows leave the parlour to return to their housing.

The parlour is cleaned between batches, which helps to reduce and contamination of milk.

The whole process

The whole milking process in one...