Milking

Hand milking is performed by massaging and pulling down on the teats of the udder, squirting the milk into a bucket. Two main methods are used:

• The top of the teat is pinched shut between finger and thumb, trapping milk in the lower part, which is then squeezed by the other fingers, squirting the milk out through the hole in the tip of the teat.
• The top of the teat is pinched shut by the fingers and thumb, which are then slid down the teat, pushing the milk towards the bottom.

File:Melkgeschirr.jpg

Most milking in the developed world is done using milking machines.{{Cite web |last=Farm and Ranch Depot |first=Farm and Ranch Depot |date=2022-07-22 |title=Cow milking equipment |url=https://farmandranchdepot.com/ |access-date=2022-07-22 |website=Farm and Ranch Depot}} Teat cups are attached to the cow's teats, and then the cups alternate between vacuum and normal air pressure to extract the milk. The milk is filtered and cooled before being added to a large bulk tank of milk for storage.{{Cite web |title=Milking, milk production hygiene and udder health |url=https://www.fao.org/3/t0218e/T0218E02.htm |access-date=2022-07-22 |website=www.fao.org}}

The average time of milking is 5–7 minutes and a cow can be milked with a machine 2–3 times a day.{{Cite web |title=Milking Machines: How to Milk a Cow |url=https://www.usdairy.com/news-articles/how-do-you-milk-a-cow |access-date=2022-07-22 |website=www.usdairy.com |language=en}}

The existing robotic milking has allowed cows to have the freedom to decide when to milk, but still needs to make contact with people.{{Cite book|last=Robert E. Graves|date=2004|chapter=A Primer on Robotic Milking|chapter-url=https://elibrary.asabe.org/abstract.asp?aid=16895|language=en|location=St. Joseph, MI|publisher=American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers|doi=10.13031/2013.16895|isbn=9781940956152|title=2004, Ottawa, Canada August 1 - 4, 2004}}{{Citation|last1=Billingsley|first1=John|title=Robotics in Agriculture and Forestry|date=2008|work=Springer Handbook of Robotics|pages=1065–1077|publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-540-30301-5_47|isbn=9783540239574|last2=Visala|first2=Arto|last3=Dunn|first3=Mark|citeseerx=10.1.1.523.184}}

A known side effect of machine milking is mastitis in cows.{{Citation |last=Neijenhuis |first=F. |title=Mastitis Therapy and Contro {{!}} Role of Milking Machines in Control of Mastitis |date=2011-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123744074003058 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Dairy Sciences (Second Edition) |pages=440–446 |editor-last=Fuquay |editor-first=John W. |place=San Diego |publisher=Academic Press |language=en |isbn=978-0-12-374407-4 |access-date=2022-07-22}} Non-sterile machines can introduce bacteria into the teat and cause infection. Another side effect is physical teat damage by the machine.

The word "milking" is also used by extension to describe the removal of venom from snakes and spiders for the production of antivenom.

Spider venom milking can be done either by manual stimulation or with electrical stimulation. The former causes greater trauma to the spider and the latter produces venom of high quality.{{Cite journal |last1=Oukkache |first1=Naoual |last2=Chgoury |first2=Fatima |last3=Lalaoui |first3=Mekki |last4=Cano |first4=Alejandro Alagón |last5=Ghalim |first5=Noreddine |date=2013-03-28 |title=Comparison between two methods of scorpion venom milking in Morocco |journal=Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins Including Tropical Diseases |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=5 |doi=10.1186/1678-9199-19-5 |issn=1678-9199 |pmc=3707106 |pmid=23849043 |doi-access=free }}

• Breast pump
• Milking the system

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Category:Milk