Machine milking
and milking machines
Machine milking is gradually being adopted in many large farms, because it reduces labour and performs a better quality milking job than hand milking. However, because most dairy farms have small herds sizes and cheap labour farmers do not see the need to install milking machines. �is is also because milking machines require power and are more expensive to install compared to the few equipment needed for hand milking.
But milking machines have many advantages over hand milking. For high yielding dairy cows it is normally difficult to ensure all milk is removed from the udder within the required time. A cow should be milked within 7 minutes. Milking beyond this time is not productive because the hormone oxytocin that stimulates milk production will have long ceased to be effective. Machine milking on the other hand is very fast such that all the milk will have been removed by the end of this time. Effective milking has a direct bearing on the long term milk yield of the cow. It has been proved that with time cows that are not completely milked gradually reduce milk production whereas those that are completely milked increases milk yield. �e importance of complete milking therefore cannot be overemphasized. Also note that cows cannot endure delays in scheduled milking without serious reductions in milk yield.
Although the cost of installing milking machines is high, investing in a good milking machine is a good decision if conditions allow. Many types and sizes of milking machines suitable for different categories of farmers are available in the market. Small scale farmers with small herds between 5 to 10 cows can invest on simple milking machines to replace the inefficient and labor intensive method of manual milking.
Types of milking machines
�ere are several types which can be broadly categorized as bucket machines and pipeline milking plants.
Bucket milking machines
�ese are the simplest and least expensive to install. �is type of system is suitable for small and medium size herds. Cows are milked on a level oor of a stable or milking shed. �e milking machine is mounted on a trolley with one or two buckets at the base. About 8-10 cows per hour are milked with one bucket type and 16-20 cows per hour with 2 buckets. Simple hand driven mobile low cost milking machines powered by combustion engine are available in the market.
Pipeline milking plants
�is set up has continuous pipeline through which milk is transported direct from the cow ' s udder to a common milk reservoir. �ey are suitable for large dairy farms where the work load is usually heavy.
Parlour milking systems Parlour milking systems are usually installed in milking parlourssuch as tandem and herring
January- February 2017
FARMERS
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