How to Milk Dairy Cows

Dairy Farmers start their day by waking up between three and four in the morning to care for their herd. The milkers will fetch their herd and begin their daily routine.

Once at work, milkers will gather all the paperwork and equipment (medicine, treatment, cleaning materials, etc.) they will need to milk.

From there, milkers will go into their parlor and begin to set up all the equipment inlcuding setting out: disinfectents, towels, medicine, protectants, and anything else they may need for their milking session.

Then once parlor is set up, the milkers can go and fetch their first milking group. These cows are the ones that have either recently calved and need to give colostrum or they are bottle feeding cows. All this means is that these cows are the ones who produce milk for the calves.

Then the milkers can actually begin the milking process.

First, the milkers will let in their first six cows. (Other dairy farms will have a variety of how many cows get milked at one time)

Then, the milkers will pull a rope attached to a feeding unit in order to allow cows to eat while they are being milked. (Keeps them nice and happy!)

Next, the cow will have a disinfectant dip applied to their teats in order to ensure the best quality of milk produced.

The cow’s teats will then be milked by hand to check for any abnormalities in their milk.

Then, the cows teats are wiped clean using a new cloth for each cow.

The cow is now ready to be milked!

Once the cow is finished milking, she is dipped with a protectant liquid in order to ensure infection stays out of her teats for the few hours after milking.

The amount of milk the cow produced is recorded onto a sheet of paper to keep track of her average production levels. (Keeping track helps milkers make sure the cows are feeling good and remain healthy)

The cows are then released out into the freestall barn where they can choose to eat, drink, or laydown.

Once the entire herd is milked, recorded, and sent out into the freestall barn, they can then be turned out into pasture to enjoy grazing or even a nice tasty meal of TMR made specifically for them!

Key Terms to Know:

Parlor: a holding place where cows enter to be milked

Calved: process of giving birth to a calf

Colostrum: the first bit of milk from the cow that is the most important for the newly born calves

Calves: a baby cow

Freestall Barn: a place where cows can eat, drink, and sleep

Grazing: cows are moved to a field where they can eat the grass

TMR (Total Mixed Ration): a feed made specifically for cows and their dietary needs