Animal Production

Seyrani Koncagül, Ph.D.

Ankara University
Departmen of Animal Science
Ankara
2021
Cattle Breeding
 Milking There are common parts in every milking machine as seen in
the picture.

If it is a small family farm, the portable milking machine

shown on the side can be used.

If it is a big scaled business then a milking house with a fixed

milking machine is used like seen below.
Cattle Breeding
 Milking
How to Milk a Cow by Machine
Milking machine actually helps you
to collect milk from your cow, and
it saves you time and labor.
Follow the steps below carefully for
milking your cow properly.
1. Check the Machine Before Using
First of all, check the milking machine
before using it. Regular cleaning and
maintenance is necessary for keeping your
machine to work good for a long time.
So you must have to clean the machine
before and after daily use. And
maintenance on the machine should be
done once a month or after every 2 or 3
months.
Regular maintenance is mandatory to
ensure the parts are well oiled or greased
(and any repairs that may need to be done
before things get worse).
 Cattle Breeding
 Milking
Secure the Cow and Clean Her Udder & Teats
Process of cleaning and securing the cow are same whether you milk your cow by hand or with a milking
machine. After following those steps, follow the steps mentioned below.
Turn On the Machine
Turn on the machine before start milking by the machine. Because before you begin milking the cow, the
machine will need to be running for a few minutes for building pressure. You can secure the cow and
wash and dry it’s udder during this time.
Hand Milk
Before start milking with the machine, you need to hand milk each teat for a few times to let down the
milk.
And as mentioned previously, this system is called ‘stripping’. Stripping will not only encourage milk to
flow from the teat, but also help to squirt out any dirt or bacteria that has built up in the cow’s teat.
You should not take the milk produced from stripping, because
it may contaminate the rest of the milk.
 Cattle Breeding
 Milking
Place Suction Device
After stripping, release the machine’s pressure and place each
suction device on each teat of your cow.
And suction will begin as soon as you release the pressure buildup
on the machine.
Adjust the devices so that they hang straight down from the udder
when milk begins to flow from the teats into the suction device.

Keep the Machine On

Keep the machine on and leave it for around 5 minutes, and wait
until the machine draws all of the milk out of the udder.
Although exact time can vary depending on the cattle breed you are
raising, but most of them will be fully milked out within 5-10
minutes. Remove the device as soon as milk stops flowing.
Cattle Breeding
 Milking
Turn Off the Machine
Turn of the device’s suction and remove the suction devices from the teats. You
will need to maintain an order; turning off the device’s suction first and then
remove it.

But if you try to remove the milking device while suction is on, then you risk
causing pain to the cow and possibly damaging the sensitive tissue around her
teats.

Today, there are many modern milking machines available that do not require
the person milking the cow to manually remove the suction cups.
Cattle Breeding
 Milking
Clean the Cow’s Udder & Teats
Perfectly clean the udder and teats of the cow after successful milking by
machine. Because cow’s teats are vulnerable to bacteria and infection
immediately after having been milked.
So their teats should be properly cleaned and protected from bacteria. You can
apply a post-milking disinfectant for protecting the cow.
Cattle Breeding
 Milking
Tips for Milking a Cow by Machine
 When you move around the milking area while milking, be careful not to
trip over the milking machine’s tubes or wires.

 Most of the cows generally like to eat after they have been milked. So,
provide the cow with grain, fresh grass or hay.

 While stripping, don’t pull so hard on the udder, because it can cause the
cow pain and discomfort.
Cattle Breeding
 Milking
Tips for Milking a Cow by Machine
 You probably know, ‘anything that is not respectful and gentle to a cow is
actually the wrong way to milk her’. So don’t beat or hit your cow if she
puts her tail in your face or tries to kick you or even kicks the pail out. Be as
gentle as possible.

 Don’t approach your cow suddenly when milking. Gentle and slow
movement will be good for both of you and your cow.

 Some cow can drop a ‘cow pie’ in the middle of her milking, don’t be
surprised if you notice so (some cows will urinate as well). You should
watch her back and if it arches, you should grab the bucket and move back.
Cattle Breeding
 Milking
Tips for Milking a Cow by Machine
 You probably know, ‘anything that is not respectful and gentle to a cow is
actually the wrong way to milk her’. So don’t beat or hit your cow if she
puts her tail in your face or tries to kick you or even kicks the pail out. Be as
gentle as possible.

 Don’t approach your cow suddenly when milking. Gentle and slow
movement will be good for both of you and your cow.

 Some cow can drop a ‘cow pie’ in the middle of her milking, don’t be
surprised if you notice so (some cows will urinate as well). You should
watch her back and if it arches, you should grab the bucket and move back.
Cattle Breeding
 Biosecurity
Have a biosecurity program. Control and monitor all livestock, equipment and
people entering your facility. Seek advice from your local veterinarian in
planning your disease prevention and treatment program.

Personnel
• Wash your hands in a sterilizing solution before handling individual
animals.
• Always wear clean clothes and boots when working with animals.
• Don’t use equipment or share feeding equipment between animals or pens
without sanitizing them first.
• Have the same person(s) handle the cows daily to reduce disease
transmission between animals.
Cattle Breeding
 Biosecurity
Monitoring calves
Use a rectal thermometer regularly to help detect early fever in sick calves. The
normal body temperature for calves is 38.6° C.
Separate calves so they can’t make physical contact with each other. This will
allow you to watch calves individually during the crucial pre-weaning stage. Or
monitor them closely if they are group housed prior to weaning.

Additional biosecurity practices

 Routinely evaluate your vaccination program but don’t depend on
vaccinations alone to solve disease problems.
 Manage infection sources, especially feces. Water, feed utensils, rodents,
birds, pets or people can also be sources of infection.
Cattle Breeding
 Biosecurity
Additional biosecurity practices
• Deliver the calf on to a clean plastic sheet rather than into bedding.
• After a calf is born, rub it dry with clean cloths. Don’t use bedding or feed bags.
Wipe the nostrils free of mucus.
• Always remove calves right away from the cow, urine, and feces.
• When doing chores, work from the youngest to oldest animals.
• Isolate sick calves and feed and handle them last.
• Use individual maternity pens and sanitize them between calving. This includes
removing bedding, manure, and other material from previous births. Each cow that
enters the maternity pen brings in pathogens.
• Prevent the spread of Johne’s Disease. Johne’s disease occurs when calves eat
contaminated feces or colostrums. Properly managing newborn calves can reduce
disease risk.
• Wash, disinfect and dry individual hutches, stalls or pens between calves. Scrape the
ground to a fresh level of dirt and remove all leftover organic material.