Different Milking Methods and their practices

Milking Methods by Assistant Professor Boby Basnet.

1. Milking Methods Boby Basnet ASSistant Prof. Animal Science Ilam community agriculture campus Purbanchal university

2. Different MILKING methods and their practices Milking is an art, requires skill, and experience. The process of milking should be conducted quietly, quickly, gently, cleanly and completely without any pain, annoyance or inconvenience to the animal. Characteristic of good milking Milking at regular interval Milking fast within stipulated period. Milking completely. Use of sanitary measures. Advantages High milk yield. Quality milk production. Less occurrence of mastitis. More profit per cow.

3. Method 1. Hand milking i . Full hand milking ii. Stripping iii. Knuckling. 2. Machine milking i . Full hand milking Full hand milking simulates natural suckling of a calf. Cows and buffalo with large teats are milked full hand method. It is done by: a. Grasping the teats with whole hand and steadily pressing it equally on all sides against the palm with the fingers. b. Maintaining a quick succession of alternate compression and relaxation in which the alternate streams of milk from two teats sound like a continuous stream. c. Full hand milking removes milk quicker than stripping because of no loss of time in changing the position of the hand.

4. Stripping: adopted in small cows with smaller teats. a. Stripping is accomplished by firmly seizing the teats at its base between front of the thumb and forefinger. b. Drawing them down the entire length of the teat while pressing simultaneously to cause the milk to flow in a steam. c. Repetition of this action by quickly taking the hand to the base of the teat again. d. Use of both the hand in holding different teats and working alternatively. e. Milking of the two nearest first followed by the two farthest teats. Advantages The last drown milk at the close of milking called stripping is richer in fat than fore milk. Disadvantages Application of unequal pressure more than necessary on teats. More frictional effect on teats by sliding the finger and thumb up and down. Production of undue irritation of skin resulting in sores. Necessity of undesirable lubrication of the teats frequently with milk, oil, water or grease. More pain to animal in stripping operation in event of chapped, cracked, sore or teat affected with cowpox. Loss of richest part of milk due to inefficient milking.

5. Knuckling/Fisting: It is the pressing the bent thumb against the teats while teats are in the between bent thumb and finger. It may cause injury to the teat This method is not advisable and is least recommended of all milking method.

6. Types of milkers: There are two types of milkers Wet hand milkers: who use oil, water milk or ghee to moisten and soften the teats, which is a pernicious habit. They usually draw and stretch the teat. As such, calf is a wet milker since it has no choice of system. Wet hand milking should be avoided Dry hand milkers: who draw the milk with dry hand without use of any moistening material. Desirability of cleanliness demands milking with dry hands. Milking side: left side is usually taken for milking more preferably as it is: Customary to reach all large domesticated animals by their left side. Most convenient to milker. Applicable to most men being right handed. Right hand being stronger. Easy and more convenient in use to draw milk from hind teats. Difficult for left hand to reach hind teats due to their position between hind legs.

7. Pre-milking preparation 1. Provide the stall platform or stall length byre, sufficient bedding, proper ventilation, light and drainage. 2. Wash the flank with water with the help of stiff brush. 3. Wash the udder and teats before each milking as the procedure not only removes dirt but also initiates milk ejection reflex. 4. Wipe dry with clean dry clothes. 5. Milker must wash hands and arm with clean water before each milking and should be neat, tidy and free from communicable diseases. 6. Use round bottom milking vessel/pail with dome shaped top and fitted with filter cloth. 7. Use only clean milking pail well rinsed in clean water. 8. Do not wear dirty greasy old clothes saturated with filth and dirt likely to be rubbed against animal's flank during milking and thereby introduce large number of bacteria into milking utensils. 9. Do not develop the habit of washing dirty fingers and nails with first few drops of milk to moisten the hands before milking. 10. Insist upon dry full hand method and final stripping to remove all milk from udder. 11. Always discard the first few streams of milk from each quarter to remove the bacteria having gained access in the passage of the teats between each milking as the first drawn milk contain as high as 1,400,000 microorganisms per cubic inch. 12. Do not drag milk out of teats rather squeeze it. 13. Do not draw the teats during milking beyond their natural length. 14. Milk quickly, quietly, thoroughly and gently without any annoyance or discomfort to the animal. 15. Clip the hair from the udder flank tail and belly to reduce raw bacterial count by 45 to 75 per cent. 16. Avoid change of milker, as it would cause variation in milk yield due to individual variation in milkmen. 17. Treat the animal with kindness. 18. Always observe regular hours of milking. 19. Strain milk through a clean cloth and cover it. 20. Cool the milk as quickly as possible.

8. Milking interval: 12 hours intervals is desirable. Milking interval should be evenly spaced particularly with cows at the height of their lactation, which should be 12 hourly instead of 14 and 10-hour interval. Three times milking should be only for every high milking cows Milk yield is increased by up to 15 per cent with thrice daily milking but despite slightly lower butter fat percentage an overall greater weight of fat is obtained. Effect of milking method on yield: Irregularity on milking hours disturbs the animal's yield. It exerts harmful influence on the work of the cow during entire period of lactation, It finally results in closing the milking period than it would have been closed. The difference of even one hour in milking virtually makes a difference of as much as 10 % in milk yield. Repeated irregularity of this kind of unequal milking interval tends to diminish the flow of milk permanently. Failure to milk in time leads to unduly distension of udder with milk, leads to inflammation of udder, loss of one or two quarter and proves fatal in few cases. Loss of 5 to percent in milk production may occur due to non-adherence to principle of stopping milk lactating pregnant cows 30 days before calving. Regular use of hormone to induce let down and mil cow in the event of death of her calf adversely effects the milk production during next lactation.

9. Machine milking: Approx. 55 % of total labour time in dairy herd operation involved in milking machine milking reduced. Nearly 160 cows are milked per hour with machine milking per hour with 10 to 12 cows are milked per with hand milking. Types of milking plants: commercial milking operation consists of 4 distinct types of plants: 1. The bucket type of plant with tapped overhead fixed vacuum line installed. 2. Pipeline milking, which involves pipeline into which milk is delivered direct from the teat cups without intervening buckets. 3. Fixed milking parlor or movable milking bail for use with yarded cows or cows pasture. 4. Rotary system in which cows or circulate on a revolving platform past an operator in standing position. The milk machine performs two basic functions. 1. It opens the streak canal through the use of a partial vacuum and allow the milk to flow out of the teat cistern through a line to a receiving container. 2. It massages the teat, which prevents congestion of blood and lymph in the teat.