The process of extracting milk from a cow 6. Conditions for obtaining high-quality milk. Milk quality: discussing positive and negative factors of influence

Keeping a cow in the household is very beneficial, since this animal can delight the whole family with healthy dairy products. However, in order to get them, it is important not only to look after and feed your pet well, but also to milk it correctly.

It would seem that it is a simple matter, however, both the amount of milk and the general condition of the cow's body depend very much on the milking technique.

It is important not only to adapt to the nature of the animal, but also to the characteristics of its udder, the amount of milk that the cow is able to give.

Naturally, experienced milkmaids also know various ways milk production and quality, which we will be happy to share with you in the article below.

We prepare not only ourselves, but also prepare the cow for the milking process

Before you start the process of milking a cow, it is very important to take care of hygiene.

First of all, it is worth cleaning the stall - fresh manure must be removed, instead of it, fresh and always dry straw is laid (sawdust is also possible).

Secondly, it is important that the barn is ventilated before this. In the summer, when there are many different insects, it is very important to close the door to the barn even before and during milking. This will slightly reduce the activity of the flies, and the cow will not fan her tail as much.

The tying of the tail also helps from this, although this will not relieve the animal of nervous tension.

Young and temperamental cows are best tied, as they can knock out a bucket of milk and spill milk on the ground, at best, throw garbage into it. But still, the cow gets used to such a process quickly, and over time she will get used to getting into a comfortable position for milking at the same time and behaving obediently throughout this process.

Experienced milkmaids advise to treat the animal very gently, trying to maintain “friendly” relations with it.

To save the cow from stress, before starting milking, it is recommended to stroke her, call her by nickname and spoil her with some kind of treat. The fact is that a cow is very good at remembering its owner because she recognizes people by smell, and responds to her kindness.

Even absurd things happen when a cow gives milk to only one person, to which she is accustomed.

Do not forget wash your own hands before milking put on a clean robe or at least an apron. Also, you need to thoroughly wash the udder, removing all accumulated dirt from it.

To wash the udder, it is better to use warm water so as not to irritate the cow. After, the udder is wiped dry.

In order to stimulate the return of cow milk, it is important pre-massage the udder. It should include light rubbing and patting, and not only on the nipples, but throughout the udder. Thanks to this, your cow will form a milk ejection reflex, the flow of milk to the nipples will increase significantly.

Features of the milking process: the main techniques and good advice

It is most convenient to milk a cow while sitting on a low bench, because the more milk a cow gives, the longer the milking process will be.

To collect milk, you need to take some kind of container - an enameled bucket or a special pail. Please note that after each milking, the vessel used for milk will need to be washed and dried. After the cow has been milked, the milk will need to be covered with either a lid or gauze to keep debris out.

There are two ways to grab the teats during milking - either just with two fingers, or with a whole fist. Although finger milking is more convenient for many (especially if the cow's teats are small), experts believe that such milking can lead to various problems with an udder.

For this reason, when milking, the nipples must be clasped with all fingers of the hand, that is, with a fist. In order not to rub the skin of your hands and the skin of the nipples of the cow, rub your hands before milking and lubricate them with oil.

Description of cow milking technique

A cow must be milked with both hands at the same time. The two front teats are milked first, followed by the two back teats. The bucket is placed on the floor under the udder, it can also be clamped with your feet so that it does not accidentally turn over or be knocked out by a cow.

We carry out milking:

Grasp the nipples with both hands and press on them with all your fingers. The brush remains motionless, but with our fingers we pull a little to the bottom, as if pulling the nipple.
A trickle of milk should run from the nipple, hitting it in the milking machine, open our fingers a little and grab the nipple again, repeat the described action. The main thing is not to pull the nipples very hard and sharply.
Usually the first two streams of milk are expressed into a separate bowl. According to the condition of the milk received, it is determined whether the animal has diseases.
Also, with the first milk, dirt comes out of the nipples.
It is imperative to adhere to such a milking sequence, when the front teats are first milked, and then the back ones. You need to switch from one to the other as the streams of milk are depleted.
You can periodically massage the udder so that new portions of milk begin to flow to the nipples.
It is especially important to do a massage before the end of milking, then the milk will flow more fat.
Upon completion of milking, it is important to wipe the nipples dry, and then grease them with some greasy substance - petroleum jelly or butter. This will protect the nipples from cracking in the hot season.

How often you need to milk: get acquainted with different options and opinions

Most cows are milked three times a day.

However, some farms where animals are grazed around the clock and no additional feed is used to feed the cows, except for grass, one-time milking is practiced.

But this is done solely for economic reasons, and also due to the fact that in such conditions cows usually give a small amount of milk.

But still, if a cow is capable of producing a large amount of milk, then one-time milking will by no means suit her. But in the future, the opinions of both milkmaids and other specialists differ greatly.

Some believe that three times milking allows you to increase milk yield, others are of the opinion that the number of milkings does not affect the amount of milk received.

Probably, it would be more correct to say that if a cow is first milked three times a day, and then switched to two times a day, then drops in milk yield are more likely.

Therefore, this issue should be approached based on their own capabilities. If it is easy for you and you have enough time to milk your pet three times a day, do it three times.

If in the daytime you are too busy, and it is more convenient for you to milk only in the morning and in the evening, you will have to give preference to two-time milking.

Is it important to take into account the time of cow's milking and how does this affect the amount of milk?

The time for milking should always be about the same.

Firstly, with the help of this you will discipline your cow, and secondly, you will regulate the processes of milk accumulation in the udder.

The fact is that the more milk accumulates in it, the further it is produced slowly. But after milking and the massage carried out during her mammary glands of the cow are activated, and milk begins to be actively produced again.

If you decide to milk your pet three times a day, then intervals between two milkings should be approximately 8 hours. That is, milking should start at about 6:00 in the morning, at 12:00 in the afternoon and at 19:00 in the evening.

But with a two-time this period of time, it is advisable to increase up to 12 hours. Thus, if the cow was milked in the morning at 6:00, then in the evening this process should be started at 18:00. But still, it is important not to observe the interval between milkings, but to adhere to approximately the same time.

Even if these intervals are difficult to maintain, milking can be done either an hour earlier than the usual time, or an hour later. That is, if you usually milk a cow three times a day, then the minimum interval between milkings can be a period of 7 hours, and the maximum is 9.

Many also combine milking time with cow feeding. In fact, this is very convenient, because you do not have to go to the barn very often, first to feed, and then to milk the cow.

Problems and diseases of the cow associated with the udder and quality characteristics of milk

In cows, there are two of the most common and problematic diseases that affect the mammary glands and greatly affect the quality of the milk produced. Therefore, if you decide to keep a cow, you need to be prepared for this.

Why is leukemia dangerous and how to understand its symptoms?

Your cow can become infected with leukemia in many ways. Very often this happens when veterinarians carry out various work related to blood sampling from an animal. But in addition to blood, causative agents of leukemia can also be found in semen, milk, and amniotic fluid (that is, the disease is transmitted from mother to calf).

It is very important to limit sick animals in contact with the whole herd., since the described disease is even transmitted through blood-sucking insects. Another negative nuance of the disease is that at the first stage it is almost impossible to determine the presence of the disease.

Yes, and on the second there are no clearly visible symptoms, the disease is determined by the hematological changes that occur in the peripheral circulatory system.

Since the causative agents of leukemia are also found in milk, it cannot be eaten fresh; before that, it should be boiled well.

Unfortunately, but leukemia is not treatable. The only necessary preventive measure is an annual two-time check of the blood of animals for the presence of infection.

Thus, if necessary, you can learn about the disease in a timely manner and apply the necessary measures to isolate or destroy livestock.

Mastitis: symptoms, prevention and treatment of the disease in cows?

This disease can be identified almost immediately by the strongly inflamed mammary glands of a cow. Most often pay attention to it when milking.

Causes of mastitis may be the following factors:

Unsanitary conditions of detention, when the udder is poorly washed or not washed at all before milking; in the absence of regular cleaning in the corral with a cow.
During dry summer periods when milk stagnates in the udder. Very often, during the dry period, mastitis manifests itself due to the fact that it was not cured earlier.
With catarrhal diseases of the animal, when it has a high temperature for long periods of time.
With improper milking.

Thus, the prevention of mastitis may well be full feeding, as well as compliance with all necessary sanitary standards for keeping cows.

In case of mastitis, in no case should milking be used using a special automated machine.

You can determine mastitis by the clots that appear in the milk, pus, sometimes even bloody traces. True, this disease also has a latent form, when its presence in an animal is determined only on the basis of special checks.

For example, you can add Mastidin to a few drops of milk. If there is a disease, the milk will become like jelly and the treatment of the cow should be started immediately.

It is most effective to use antibiotics, although there are many folk remedies.

Since mastitis can be caused different types bacteria, but the drug should also be prescribed individually. To determine which antibiotic will be effective, it is necessary take your cow's milk for analysis to a specialized veterinary laboratory.

Experts will definitely advise you on what can really cure the animal. You can treat a cow without a veterinarian, only after receiving detailed instructions from him.

Ways and secrets to increase milk yield

The amount of milk obtained during milking directly depends on how and what the cow eats. It is especially important to pay attention to this factor during dry periods and in the first three months after calving.
It is very important that the diet compiled for the animal gives him a lot of energy, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, fats and proteins that can be easily absorbed by the body.

Thus, in addition to high-quality feed during these periods, it is important to give cows various mineral and vitamin supplements.
We have already mentioned how important it is to prepare before milking. Massages and attention to the cow also affect the amount of milk received.
It is very important that the cow is healthy. Also, in no case should you expose the animal to stress, since milk yield can drop significantly from such a thing.

Milk quality: discussing positive and negative factors of influence?

The composition and properties of milk can change quite often, and this will not always indicate something bad.

For example, the factors of such differences and changes can be attributed to:

The breed of the cow, as well as her age. There are many dairy breeds that produce large amounts of full fat milk. With age, milk yield and quality indicators decrease.
The lactation period in which the animal is located.
Features of the diet of the cow, as well as the conditions of its maintenance.
Productivity level.
Features and regularity of milking.

So, during the lactation period, that is, for 300 days, the milk of the same cow can change its properties three times. In particular, immediately after calving, we do not receive milk, but colostrum, which leaves the udder for the first 5-7 days.

For the longest period, we get ordinary milk, which, 10-15 days before calving, is replaced by old-fashioned, bitter taste.

Another very important characteristic cow's milk is considered to be its fat content. Today, experts call the most important criterion for the appearance of high fat content in milk the amount of protein that a cow receives from food.

Also, fat content increases with the age of the cow, although after 6 years it gradually begins to decrease.

Also, at chemical analysis composition of milk is often determined by the content of milk sugar. The taste of milk directly depends on this component. However, it is impossible to influence its change, since milk sugar constantly remains at the same level regardless of the number of years of lactation.

As for the cow's diet, the more you give her feed containing proteins, the fatter the milk will be. Proteins, that is, proteins, will also fall into the composition of milk. Such feeding can also increase milk yield, raising them by 10%.

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The mammary gland secretes milk continuously. In the intervals between milkings, it fills the capacitive system of the udder: the cavity of the alveoli, the excretory ducts, the milk channels, the milk passages and the cistern. As the system fills up, the pressure rises and, reaching a certain value (40-50 mm Hg), becomes a factor that inhibits milk formation.

The milk in the udder can be conditionally divided into cisternal, alveolar and residual. Cisternal milk can be obtained by inserting a catheter (metal tube) into a pine cistern before milking; alveolar (located in the ducts and alveoli) is released during milking of this pine or other udder teats; residual milk can be extracted by administering large doses of the hormone oxytocin to the animal. During normal milking of an animal, only cisternal and alveolar milk is milked.

The removal of milk from the udder during milking of a cow is a rather complex process, including neuro-hormonal mechanisms. It involves the nervous system, endocrine glands and udder muscles. In order for their interaction to occur, the cow must be prepared for milking: wash and massage the udder. In this case, the nerve endings of the peripapillary region of the udder and nipples are irritated. Excitation along the nerve pathways reaches the spinal cord. From here, one part of the signals is sent to the brain, and the other to the mammary gland. In response to these signals, the posterior pituitary gland secretes the hormone oxytocin, which appears in the blood after 20-30 seconds and reaches the mammary gland with the blood flow, causing contraction of the muscle cells surrounding the alveoli and small tubules. The alveoli seem to be compressed, the tubules shorten, and their lumen increases. Favorable conditions arise for the release of milk into the ducts of the gland. At the same time, the nipple sphincter relaxes.

When the entire mass of the alveoli is reduced, large milk ducts and cisterns are filled with milk, the pressure inside the udder increases sharply (up to 50-70 mm Hg) and the milk ejection reflex occurs.

The hormone oxytocin is released not only when the udder is irritated. The same effect is caused by the sound of the switched on milking machine, the appearance of a milkmaid and mechanical irritation of the teats during milking. A sharp noise, fright, pain or the appearance of a new milkmaid can slow down the milk ejection reflex, apparently, this is due to increased production of the hormone adrenaline in the body.

The hormone acts for a short time, as it is destroyed by its antihormone. The concentration of the hormone in the blood, necessary for milk transfer, is maintained for 6-8 minutes. During this time, the cow needs to be milked quickly.

When preparing a cow for milking, the milk allowance does not occur immediately. It takes a certain time until the moment when the response of the body to irritation occurs. This is the latent period of milk production. Usually this period in cows is 40-50s, although in individual animals, due to individual characteristics, there may be significant deviations. The duration of the latent period of milk production largely depends on the filling of the udder before milking. With strong filling, especially at the beginning of lactation or with long intervals between milkings, it can be 30 seconds, with low milk yield and frequent milkings - more than 1 minute. During lactation, the latent period of milk ejection is significantly lengthened and at the 6-7th month of lactation, as a rule, lasts more than 1 minute.

The process of extracting milk from the udder itself has 3 distinct phases. This is due to the nature of the change in pressure inside the udder under the action of the hormone oxytocin and the milk in the gland. In accordance with the change in pressure inside the udder, the rate of milking also changes, or, as it is also called, the rate of milk ejection.

At machine milking all these phases of milk flow are clearly visible through the sight glass and the milk hose in the milking machine, and the milkmaid has the opportunity to correctly navigate the process of milking a cow: take additional measures to influence the mammary gland and turn off the milking machine in time.

It is impossible to call the milk ejection reflex for the second time in the same milking. This is due to the temporary non-excitability of the tissues, which occurs after a strong excitation during the period of the previous milking (rest phase). In practical terms, this phenomenon can be observed during the milking of highly productive cows 2-2.5 hours after the main milking. In this case, the rate of milk flow is sharply reduced, and for a more complete extraction of milk from the udder, a long stimulating massage is required during the milking period. However, in this case, up to 40% of milk and 60% of milk fat, which was present in the gland before milking, remains unmilked.

In the first 4 months of lactation, the rate of milk transfer in cows is almost at the same level. With good preparation of animals for milking, it can be more than 2.5-3.0 l/min., with an average value of 1.5-1.8 l/min. However, already at the 6th month, the rate of milk transfer decreases significantly (by an average of 27-38% at intervals between milkings of no more than 12 hours). At the end of lactation, it is almost impossible to induce a full-fledged milk ejection reflex.

Young animals, as a rule, give milk faster and more completely. They also have a much shorter latent period of milk ejection, i.e. the allowance of milk under the action of udder massage occurs earlier than in adult cows. This must be taken into account when organizing the milking process on the farm.

The delay in the start of milking at the onset of the allowance leads to incomplete use of the milk ejection reflex. As a result, a lot of unextracted milk remains in the udder. With frequent repetition, this leads to premature self-starting of cows, as the process of milk formation is disrupted. Violation of the usual milking regimen also contributes to an increase in the amount of residual milk in the udder. All this must be taken into account in practical work.

Igor Nikolaev

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The vitamin composition and taste qualities put cow's milk on a pedestal. It is the most popular among the milk of other animals. It is easy to obtain it in large quantities both in the personal economy and on an industrial scale. But often in a herd one cow gives much less milk than another.

Secrets are not only in hereditary factors and physiological abilities of the udder and the body. Also important is the interest of the owner of cattle to carry out a set of measures for milking.

The appearance of milk in a cow is considered a complex physiological process. Nutrients enter the udder, which form the basis of your favorite delicacy. And from digestive system nutrients enter the blood.

For example, in order for a cow to give a liter of milk, up to five hundred liters of blood must pass through her udder.

Thus, much depends on the circulatory system, which should work like a clock. Not the last role is played by the hormonal and nervous systems.

The udder is a mammary gland, divided in the middle by a septum. The latter plays the role of a support for the right and left halves. They, in turn, are divided into quarters - front and back. Accordingly, there are four nipples on the udder (rarely up to six). Milk is produced in many small sacs called alveoli. This is just an explanation for the question of where the cow has milk.

From the inside, they are covered with a secretory epithelium that produces milk. The alveoli communicate through tubules with ducts that empty into the milk cistern. It is connected to the nipples.

During lactation, the alveolar system changes. This complex process depends on external factors, including diseases with mastitis, in the difference in productivity and composition of milk.

The epithelium connects the leading parts of milk from the nutritional components that come with the blood:

proteins;
fats;
lactose.

During the connection process, all these components change. But vitamins, enzymes, hormones, mineral salts reach the animal's plasma from the blood in kind, as they are. Their content may vary. For example, the composition of calcium in milk is fourteen times higher than in blood plasma. The same can be said about phosphorus, only the number is ten. As for sodium, there is a smaller composition - the difference in favor of plasma is seven times.

During lactation, milk is produced in the udder without interruption:

first it flows into the cavity of the alveoli;
excreted through small ducts into large ones;
tanks are filled.

The whole process takes up to half a day, and then the mammary gland ceases to be so active.

If the cow is not milked for more than sixteen hours, then the pressure in the udder increases and the secretion of milk stops completely.

Not milking a cow even for the specified period means starting the process of absorption of milk components. Allowing skipping leads to a decrease in milk production, the animal simply gives it less. The udder must be large enough not to overflow, the cow must be cooked for this.

Milking

The milking of cattle representatives is a very responsible and complex process, as well as the appearance of milk. The udder filled up. If catheters are placed in the nipples, large streams can be seen. But despite the intensity, less than half of the contents will be milked. A smaller part of a cow's milk before it is milked is in tanks.

There are cases when, at the very beginning of milking, a significant part of the milk was in the tanks. To get the rest, you need to compress the alveoli. It turns out that the first milk portions flow out of the tank quite easily. The cow makes no effort to drain it and cannot even restrain it.

For full return, you need to make an effort to squeeze the alveoli located in the nipples. In this case, join the manual method or with the help of milking equipment. They contain the bulk of the milk produced.

It is never possible to empty the udder completely. There remains a little more than a liter of residual milk. It does not disappear, new arrivals join it, and in a few days the milk is milked out.

If residual milk is considered a natural physiological phenomenon, then sometimes it does not completely empty the udder due to poor milking.

How is milking done?

Milking is considered a reflex. To a certain extent, the rush of blood plays a role in the flow of milk. This is understandable by the increase in the temperature of the udder, it becomes hot, the teats are slightly enlarged.

So the following components of the body are involved in milking:

nervous system;
endocrine glands (thyroid, posterior pituitary, stellate cells);
breast muscles.

If in the laboratory you try to turn off the sensitive receptors of the mammary gland, then the natural process of milking is disturbed. Just touching the nipples is pointless, they need to be carefully squeezed, since it is possible to get to the right receptors by volitional compression.

The greatest impact should be on the base of the nipples. Experienced breeders adapt to the process.

According to the experiments, the specialists managed to prove that uniform squeezing of the nipples a hundred times per minute gives an excellent result.

Of course it is laborious process but the resulting product is worth it.

push hormone

From talking about the number of nipple squeezes during milking, it is worth moving on to the recoil hormone. This is oxytocin. Most of all, it is cultivated in the blood by the third minute from the beginning of the process. After four or five minutes of milking, the hormone becomes inactive.

Therefore, the ability to produce milk is directly related to the ability to use these reflexes.

An experienced mistress or owner of dairy cows should perform all procedures promptly so as not to miss the period of oxytocin action. It is desirable that the milking pattern be the same. Thus, it is possible to achieve continuity and fruitfulness of the milking process.

razdoy

Measures taken for quality feeding, maintenance and milking of calving cows are called milking. If the whole complex is performed correctly, then large milk yields are obtained and the productive health of the animal is maintained.

When the calves appear, you can start the distribution. About two weeks after calving, the cow is milked up to five times a day. Then three times. This is especially true for young females when it is necessary to achieve high performance Udoev and . Although, for financial reasons, many farms are switching to double milking - in the morning and in the evening, since cost reduction will be required for these purposes.

Previously, it was believed that milk resides during milking. Then this misconception was debunked. It turned out that it is formed constantly. A smaller part of a cow's milk is stored in the glandular cells themselves, a little more - in the alveoli. Only now the last "vessels" accumulate milk, inferior in fat content to another.

It is the last drops of milk that are called cellular and the fattest. In general, the more filled the alveoli, the lower this indicator.

A smaller part of the milk is obtained from cows in the final stage of lactation. The smaller the gap between milkings, the lower the pressure in the udder. But the white nutrient fluid arrives sooner and overall productivity also increases. The short period of storage of milk in the udder contributes to the increase in fat content.

Specialists have developed certain milking rules that should be memorized by all livestock breeders:

udder washing with warm clean water;
udder massage stimulates milk flow. Before milking, first rub the right half, then the left. Then they make several compressions, as if pushing the udder up, as a calf does. Before the process is completed, the udder is massaged again, as if driving milk from the ducts;
milking should take place at the same time, in a constant place;
after the appearance of the first calf, milking should take place up to four times a day at intervals of seven hours. This avoids pressure in the alveoli in a young cow;
observance of the order of cows. In general, developed habits should be observed. The cow is very sensitive to any change;
kind attitude towards the animal, so as not to create stressful situations. During milking, you can not scare her, shout at her or beat her.

Every diligent herd owner or newcomer to the agricultural industry is faced with the problem of choosing an animal. The latter need to remember a few rules that will help you get a good cow that brings good milk yield.

3. Methods of keeping cattle. Sets of stall equipment. Determination of the optimal parameters of the stall.

4. Ways of keeping animals. Sets of technological equipment.

5. Methods and means for removing manure. Calculation of the volume of the manure channel.

6. Classification of means for cleaning manure. Rationale for the choice of means for cleaning manure.

7. Methodology for substantiating the type and size of the manure storage.

8. Ways of utilization of manure and its introduction into the soil.

9. Physiological bases of the process of machine milking of cows. Methods for extracting milk from a cow's udder.

10. Types of milking machines and their brief description. Calculation of the need for milking machines.

11. Types of milking machines. Criterias of choice. Calculation of the annual milk yield.

12. Automated milking machines, their scope and a brief description.

13. Methods for the primary processing of milk and a set of machines. Calculation of the volume of milk to be processed.

14. Methods and rationale for choosing machines for preparing feed for feeding.

15. The system of machines for the distribution of feed (name and brand). Calculation of the feeding line.

1.3. The device of mobile feeders

1.4 Installation of stationary feeders

16. Criteria for selection and determination of the performance of feeders.

17. Classification of feeders. Calculation of the need for feeders.

18. System of machines and technology for the preparation of herbal flour and granules.

19. Justification of the type and size of silos.

20. Technology for the preparation of crushed feed and a set of machines. Calculation of energy costs for grinding feed.

21. Classification and schematic diagrams of machines for grinding feed by cutting.

22. Feed dispensers, their classification and characteristics.

23. Feed mixing. Types of feed mixers used in animal husbandry.

24. The system of machines to ensure a normal microclimate in livestock buildings.

25. Ventilation systems for livestock buildings and their characteristics. Calculation of the required air exchange rate.

26. The concept and basic parameters of the microclimate in livestock buildings.

27. The system of machines for shearing sheep (brands, characteristics).

28. System and equipment for the complex of machines on livestock farms.

29. Mechanization of processes in the industrial production of eggs and poultry meat.

9. Physiological bases of the process of machine milking of cows. Methods for extracting milk from a cow's udder.

The udder of a cow (Fig. 2.2) consists of four independent lobes, often unevenly developed. Most cows produce more milk in the hind lobes than in the anterior lobes. Each lobe has 1 mammary gland, 7 connective tissue, 2 milk ducts, and a nipple. In the mammary gland, milk is produced from the blood of the animal, which enters the milk cistern 3 and into the nipple cistern 4 through the milk ducts.

The elementary structural unit of the mammary gland is the alveolus - a vesicle with a diameter of 0.1 to 0.4 microns, the walls of which consist of a single layer of secretory cells. The alveoli are located around the common excretory duct, forming a lobule, including 150–200 alveoli (lobule length 1.5 mm, width 1 mm, height 0.5 mm). The lobules are combined into larger lobes with large ducts flowing into the cavity above the nipple - the udder cistern. The cow's udder nipple has a cistern 4, separated from the udder cistern 3 by a round fold, and from below passing into a narrow teat canal, surrounded by a dense muscular ring - sphincter 5. Between milkings, the sphincter is tightly compressed, preventing milk from flowing out of the udder. Milk does not flow out of the udder between milkings also due to the special arrangement of the milk ducts, which have expansions and narrowings, as well as special sphincter-like thickenings. Breast tissue is like a sponge and milk can only be extracted by squeezing it. Compression is carried out by contraction of the myoepithelium under the action of the hormone oxytocin. By the beginning of the next milking, the udder tanks contain from 4 to 20% of milk. The main part of milk - 80-96% - is located in the alveoli and small ducts of the mammary gland. It is relatively easy to extract milk from the cistern, it flows out by itself if the resistance of the nipple sphincter is overcome by inserting catheters into the nipples. To get milk from the alveolar part of the udder, it is necessary to induce the milk ejection reflex in the cow.

The whole process, the beginning of which is the irritation of the udder receptors, and the end - the transfer of milk from the alveolar region to the udder cistern, is called the milk ejection reflex. This is a neurohormonal reflex, since irritation from the receptors of the mammary gland to the central nervous system goes along the nerve path, and from there the excitation is transmitted to the mammary gland both along the nerves and through hormones.

The operator, washing and massaging the udder, irritates the nerve endings (receptors) 6, from which the excitation, passing through the nerves, through the spinal cord enters the brain. Signals from the central nervous system return to the mammary gland in two ways. One path is purely nervous (first phase), when excitation returns to the mammary gland from the spinal cord, causing vasodilation and increasing blood circulation, expansion of the milk ducts and cisterns, which facilitates the passage of milk into them from the alveolar region. As a result of the implementation of the first phase of the milk ejection reflex and relaxation of the nipple sphincter, the calf can receive a cisternal portion of milk already 2-6 seconds after the start of suckling.

The second phase of the milk ejection reflex includes, in addition to the nervous, hormonal link. This phase begins 30-60 seconds after stimulation of the nipple receptors and lasts 4-6 minutes. In response to irritation of the receptors of the mammary gland and signals to the brain from the posterior pituitary gland, the hormone oxytocin is released into the blood, which reaches the mammary gland with the blood and causes contraction of the stellate cells of the alveoli, while increasing the permeability of the walls of the secretory cells. The ducts under the action of oxytocin shorten and expand, facilitating the passage of milk into tanks, from where it can be easily removed by the milking machine.

As a result of repeated milking under constant conditions on the farm and the coincidence of the act of milking in time with certain environmental factors (time, place, sequence of operations on the udder, etc.), cows form conditioned milk ejection reflexes and develop a stable stereotype of behavior during machine milking.

Milk output that occurs as a result of direct irritation of the receptor zones of the nipples and udder is called unconditional reflex. Milk output resulting from the action of external stimuli on the nervous system through other analyzers of the animal (visual, auditory, olfactory, etc.) is called conditioned reflex. The milk ejection reflex (conditioned and unconditioned) is carried out simultaneously in all udder lobes, despite the different amount of milk formed in them.

The technology of machine milking of cows provides for the following operations:

Creating a vacuum in the air system of the milking machine (installation);

Preparing a cow's udder for milking;

Putting teat cups on teats;

Milking and transporting milk to a storage tank;

Removing cups from nipples.

All the most time-consuming machine milking operations are performed mechanized. The exception is the preparation of the cow's udder for milking, putting on and taking off teat cups, which take 15 ... 20% of the total milking time. Recently, robotic milking machines have been developed (mainly abroad - Holland, USA), in which the search for cow teats, putting on glasses, and removing them after milking is done automatically. Washing and massage of the udder are also automated.

Mainly in the organization of milking cows are the frequency and intervals between milkings. The frequency of milking is established taking into account the capacity of the udder and other biological characteristics of the cows, as well as the specific economic conditions of keeping the animals.

The intensity of milk flow depends on the filling of the udder with milk. When filling it less than half, milking cows is not recommended.

Milk from the udder can be extracted naturally (calf sucking) by manual and machine milking.

Machine milking can be carried out in two ways: suction of milk using a vacuum and squeezing milk from the nipples. The latter method, which mimics manual milking, has not gained popularity due to the complexity of the design of milking machines.

To implement the technology of machine milking, technological lines are created, which are a system of interconnected machines and units that perform all the necessary milking operations.

Zootechnical requirements for the technology of machine milking are determined by the physiology of the animal, and are as follows.

1. Preparatory operations on the udder must be completed within one minute.

2. The teat cups should be put on after the cow has given milk.

3. Milking of the most highly productive cows should be completed in 4 ... 6 minutes. (milking speed up to 2l/min.).

4. Complete removal of milk from the teat cups in the teat cups during the period of maximum milk yield should be provided.

5. It is necessary to ensure that the cow is completely milked by the machine without manual milking.

6. For two-stroke machines, the teat cups must not be left on the teats after the milk has stopped flowing from the udder.

In accordance with the requirements for technology, there are also requirements for milking machines. They should easily and quickly open the sphincter of the nipple, not subject the nipples to excessive compression, not cause irritation; create a vacuum and the duration of the sucking stroke in accordance with the intra-udder pressure and the rate of milk flow. Teat cups should fit teats of various sizes, not crawl over the udder and not pinch the upper mouth of the teat canal. They must be held on the udder without the use of a special device.

The milking machine should be easy to manufacture and maintain, reliable in operation, should not require manual adjustment during the milking process, should provide convenient visual control over the outflow of milk from the udder.

Milk, being an excellent nutritious product for humans, at the same time serves as a good breeding ground for the reproduction of various microorganisms, including pathogens. Therefore, during the process of obtaining milk, dairy farmers must constantly monitor to limit the entry of microbes into the milk. To do this, it is necessary to improve the ways of driving cattle to pasture, maintain the necessary order on the territory of the farm, plant trees and shrubs, keep approaches and entrances to farms in good condition, and regularly update disinfection mats and disinfection barriers.

In the barn, manure should be removed in a timely manner, bedding should be changed, disinfection and whitewashing of the walls should be carried out. Cows must be cleaned, and the most contaminated parts of their bodies should be washed with water with the addition of disinfectants. If cows are milked in stalls, then rough and dusty feed should be distributed no later than one hour before milking, followed by airing the room before milking.

In the process of obtaining milk, milkmaids and operators of machine milking cows must strictly observe the rules of sanitation and hygiene. Before putting on the milking machines, the udder of the cows should be thoroughly washed and dried with a thoroughly wrung out hygroscopic cloth, which is constantly contained in a disinfectant solution.

The first portions of milk must be put into a separate bowl. Microorganisms located on the surface of the teat, bedding and soil, through the teat canal enter the udder. True, as a result of the bactericidal action of the tissues of the udder, a significant part of them die. However, the most resistant forms of bacteria persist. Especially a lot of them in the lower part of the nipple canal. This portion of milk (bacterial plug) must be put into a special mug with a black mesh. The mesh allows you to timely identify diseases of the mammary gland, since in this case protein flakes and mucus, sometimes blood, secreted by the inflamed udder, will linger on the mesh. Thus, it is possible to prevent the mixing of milk obtained from a sick cow with the total milk yield of the herd, since the impurities of mastitis milk spoil the entire milk yield. Toxins released into milk when cows are sick are not neutralized during pasteurization and can cause human illness with tonsillitis, scarlet fever, as well as toxicosis, allergic conditions and poisoning. Of particular danger is milk from cows affected by staphylococcal mastitis. Milk contaminated with such microflora is culled.

Dairy utensils and equipment for milking, processing and storage of milk can be a significant source of bacterial contamination. Therefore, careful maintenance of the equipment, the use of effective means for washing and disinfecting it allows you to get high quality milk with a slight bacterial contamination.

Farm staff must strictly observe the rules of personal hygiene. Before milking cows, a milkmaid must put on a clean dressing gown that is not used for any other work, put her hair under a scarf, wash her elbows thoroughly with warm water and soap, and then rinse with a disinfectant solution. Fingernails should be cut short, and if there are wounds and abrasions on the fingers, a moisture-proof bandage should be applied. Persons working with milk at least once a quarter must undergo a medical examination, and once a year be examined for the carriage of pathogens of intestinal infections, helminths and tuberculosis. Newly entering the farm workers should be accepted only upon presentation of a certificate of medical examination and the conclusion about the absence of bacteriocarrier of pathogenic and toxigenic microbes.

Persons with an open form of tuberculosis, purulent open ulcers, various infectious inflammations of the eyes, etc., cannot be allowed to work with milk.

To prevent pathogenic microflora from entering the milk, if a dangerous animal disease (foot-and-mouth disease, brucellosis, leptospirosis, etc.) is detected in the herd, it should be immediately isolated from the rest of the herd and urgently reported to the veterinarian. A sick animal is milked last and in a separate bowl. The milk received from him with the total milk yield from the herd is not mixed, but used in accordance with the instructions veterinarian or destroy. The dishes after draining the milk obtained from a sick animal must be thoroughly washed and disinfected. In case of mass diseases of cows with diseases in which milk can be used as human food, it should be subjected to special heat treatment directly on the farm before being sent to the dairy plant.

Dangerous sources of bacterial contamination of milk are flies and rodents. On the body and paws of one fly there can be up to 1.5 million microbes, among which there are also pathogens. Therefore, systematic control of flies and rodents by chemical, mechanical and biological means should be carried out on farms.

Water used for washing cows' udders, washing hands, dishes and equipment can also serve as a source of bacterial contamination of milk. To prevent this, only water should be used. drinking quality. In no case should water from contaminated wells and pits located near manure storages, latrines, sewage dumps, or rain water be used on the farm.

To obtain high-quality milk, it is important to follow the rules of milking. When milking by hand, it is necessary to use fist milking, not pinching. During machine milking, overexposure of teat cups on the udder should be avoided, as this can lead to inflammation in the mammary gland. Incomplete milking entails a decrease in the fat content of milk, since part of the milk fat remains in the udder.

The instability of the vacuum regime is also one of the main causes of mastitis. In addition, violation of the regimen leads to rupture of the shells of fat globules, resulting in a decrease in the quality of milk.

The legislation prohibits any additives to milk for any purpose. Milk with the presence of preservative (formalin, hydrogen peroxide, potassium dichromate, chlorine preparations, etc.) and neutralizing (soda, alkali, etc.) substances should not be taken to milk processing enterprises. The content of antibiotics in milk is also unacceptable, since almost all of them are allergens. Heat treatment usually does not destroy them, and, therefore, does not reduce their negative effect. The indiscriminate intake of antibiotics in the human and animal body contributes to the rapid formation and spread of antibiotic-resistant races of bacteria. Therefore, in the treatment of sick animals, especially mastitis, as well as the addition of premixes containing antibiotics to feed, appropriate instructions should be followed.

Zootechnical and veterinary specialists must strictly observe the established rules, terms and methods of processing animals. In this case, you should be guided in each case by special instructions and recommendations. It is also necessary to comply with the quarantine terms for grazing and feeding grasses from meadows and pastures after their treatment with chemicals.

Dairy enterprises should not accept milk with a rancid, musty aftertaste, a pronounced smell and taste of onion, garlic and wormwood. Such milk is not suitable for the production of high quality dairy products. In this regard, from the diet of lactating cows, it is necessary to exclude feeds that adversely affect the quality and technological properties of milk. They must not be accidentally eaten by animals. It is important to carry out work to improve the botanical composition of grasses on pastures.

It is also known that when animals eat herbs of the ranunculus family, milk develops a red tint and an unpleasant taste, horsetail - a bluish color (and it quickly turns sour), sorrel sour - a sour taste, rapid clotting. The cream obtained from such milk does not churn well into butter.

When cows are kept on cultivated pastures, the quality of milk depends on soil and climatic conditions, the botanical composition of grass mixtures, the vegetation phase of plants, and the dose of application. mineral fertilizers, irrigation and other agrotechnical measures. Legume-grass mixtures are more balanced and biologically complete for dairy cattle than cereals, due to the increased content of sugar, essential amino acids, calcium, phosphorus, trace elements and other nutrients. When an increased dose of nitrogen fertilizers is applied to cereal pastures, the content of dry matter in the grass decreases. Grazing of cows on cereal pastures with an excessive dose of nitrogen fertilizer negatively affects the course of microbiological processes in the rumen, the coefficient of use of feed nitrogen for milk formation decreases, and its chemical composition and technological value. When cows are fed bean-grass, the biological value of milk increases. Therefore, the correct use of green fodder in combination with others, in particular with concentrates, contributes to the production of high-quality milk with good technological properties.

In winter, hay is a good source of nutrients for dairy cows. It helps to normalize digestion and produce high quality milk. Briquettes and granules serve as valuable feed for cows in winter. However, it should be borne in mind that the increased content in the diet of granules from herbal flour or other finely ground roughage and concentrates will change the processes of ruminal digestion, lead to excessive formation of propionic in the rumen and a decrease acetic acid, and this leads to a decrease in fat content and an increase in the amount of non-protein nitrogenous substances in milk.

Dairy feeds are root and tuber crops rich in easily digestible carbohydrates (sugar and starch). However, their excess in the diet leads to a decrease in the fat content of milk, a deterioration in its taste and technological properties. Therefore, they should be fed in the recommended amounts in combination with hay, haylage and silage.

It is impossible to feed excessive amounts of tops or silage from it, fodder cabbage, rutabaga, turnip, otherwise the milk will acquire a specific taste, its fat and protein content will decrease.

It should be remembered that an excess of concentrated feed in the diet of cows (more than 400 g per 1 kg of milk) has a negative impact on animal health and milk quality. Especially adversely affects the excess of cakes and meals.

The lack of energy in the diet not only reduces milk yield, but also negatively affects the content of fat and protein in milk and the quality of dairy products. An excess of non-protein substances, including synthetic nitrogenous substances (urea, etc.), is also unacceptable.

To ensure the desired mineral composition of milk, and, consequently, its good taste and technological properties in the production of cheese, condensed milk and other canned milk, the diets of cows must be balanced in terms of macro- and microelements and vitamins. Vitamin deficiency is eliminated by feeding appropriate feeds and supplements.

An important condition for obtaining high-quality milk is strict observance of the daily routine. It is also necessary to correctly use various odorous substances, lubricating oils, etc. For example, the treatment of udder teats with an antiseptic emulsion or vaseline oil can be carried out only after cows have been milked.

Milk adsorbs foreign odors and keeps them firmly. At the same time, its hygienic and technological properties are reduced. This must also be taken into account when organizing feeding and maintenance, as well as when milking and transporting milk.

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