(1) Preparation work
Use warm water to remove dirt from the cow's body, clean the cow's bed, and prepare all utensils, such as milk buckets, filter gauze, water basins, towels, etc., for milking Workers should wear work clothes and wash their hands.
(2) Cleaning the breasts
The purpose is to ensure the cleanliness of the milk, stimulate the excitement of the mammary gland nerves, accelerate the blood circulation of the breasts, and accelerate the secretion and discharge of milk to increase milk production. The method is to wet a towel with hot water of 40-45℃, wash the nipples first, then wash the bottom of the breast, the right breast area, the left breast area, and finally wash the hindquarters. Start scrubbing with a wet towel filled with water, then wring it out, and dry the entire breast from top to bottom.
(3) Breast massage
The purpose is to stimulate the breast nerves and accelerate blood circulation, thus promoting the secretion and discharge of milk. The method used before starting milking and during milking is massage on one side and massage on the divided breast area.
(4) Milking posture and method
When milking, the milker sits on the side and rear 1/3 of the cow, at an angle of 50° to 60° to the longitudinal axis of the cow's body. The angle and height of the small stool are appropriate, which can control bad-tempered bulls and kickers to a certain extent. The milk pail should be sandwiched between the milker's thighs to prevent the cow from knocking over the milk pail and causing splashing of feces and urine on people.
With the left knee near the front of the cow's right rear hip joint and the feet spread sideways (in a figure-eight shape), milking can begin. Cows have 4 teats. Generally, the front 2 teats are milked first. This is called the "two-way milking method". There are also unidirectional (2 nipples on one side are squeezed first), cross (1 nipple in front of the other) and single nipple milking methods. When milking, hold the teat with all the fingers of your hand. The teat is almost invisible from the bottom of your hand. Use all the fingers and joints to do it at the same time. This is called the fist holding method or the squeezing method. The advantage of this method is that it can keep the cow's teats clean, dry, not damaged, or deformed, and the milking speed is fast, labor-saving and convenient.
① Squeeze milking method
The lower end of the fist should be flush with the free end of the teat to prevent milk from splashing onto the hand and being contaminated. The technique is to first press the base of the nipple with the thumb and index finger, and then squeeze the nipple with the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger in sequence to squeeze out the milk. The left and right hands are tightened and loosened in a rhythmic and continuous manner. It requires even force and skillful movements, and the squeeze is required to be completed in one breath. Grip strength is generally 147 to 196 N, and try to use even force. The appropriate milking speed is 80 to 120 times per minute. Especially when the cow milks at a fast speed, milking should be accelerated. Generally, the speed is 80 to 90 times in the first minute of milking. Later, as a large amount of milk is discharged, the speed will increase. Increase to 120 times per minute; in the end, less milk is discharged, and the speed returns to 80 to 90 times per minute; the milking volume per minute should be able to reach 1 to 1.5 (2.0) kilograms.
②Sliding milking method
For cows with short teats, finger milking or sliding milking can be used. That is, hold the neck of the nipple with your thumb and index finger, slide it downward, and squeeze out the milk. This method is easy to operate at the beginning, but it is very harmful to the breasts and can cause nipple skin rupture, nipple lengthening, nipple cavity curvature, etc. This method requires the use of lubricant to reduce the friction between fingers and nipple skin. Milk is the most convenient lubricant, but this will increase the chance of milk contamination.
When most of the milk has been expressed, the breasts should be massaged again, using the half-breast massage method, that is, massaging the right and left milk areas of the breasts respectively. The action is to press the two milk areas on one side with both hands from top to bottom, from outside to inside, with a slightly heavier force. Repeat this 6 to 7 times to make the milk in the breast flow to the milk pool, and then squeeze each milk area repeatedly. At the end of milking, massage the breasts for the third time. This time, you must massage the breasts vigorously and fully, especially for newly born cows. The method is to massage the 4 milk areas one by one with both hands until they are completely squeezed. After squeezing, you can apply grease (Vaseline) on the nipples to prevent nipple cracks. During each massage, the milking bucket should be put aside to prevent cow hair, dander and other dirt from falling into the bucket and contaminating the milk during the massage.