Animal husbandry – Milkers – Methods of milking
Patent
1996-11-13
1998-06-23
Price, Thomas
Animal husbandry
Milkers
Methods of milking
A01J 500
Patent
active
057690243
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of milking an animal, in which the animal initially is stimulated during a stimulation phase of the milking to initiate the animal to let down milk in the udder, while a relatively small milk flow from the animal's teats is achieved. During a subsequent main milking phase of the milking the animal is treated such that a relatively large milk flow from the animal's teats is achieved. At least one milking variable is monitored during the stimulation phase, the latter being ended and the main milking phase being started when said milking variable reaches a predetermined value.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A cow to be milked will already at the preparation of her before the milking be stimulated by sound, sight and sensing impressions, which will cause the cow's muscles around the milk passages in the udder and the teats to relax, so that the milk passages are expanded. In consequence the quantity of milk, about 0,5-2 kg, which already exists in the cisterns of the udder can easily be mechanically milked. In cows which respond relatively strongly to stimulation the relatively light stimulation during the preparation of the cow before the milking has the consequence that the milk quantity which is enclosed in the milk forming alveoli in the udder is released and is given down into the udder cisterns. The stimulation activates the hormone oxytocine which affects the alveoli to contract so that the milk is pressed out.
However, cows which respond relatively weakly to stimulation have to be more intensively stimulated during the initial stimulation phase of the milking, in order to activate the oxytocine. It is known to achieve such an intensive stimulation by massaging the udder and teats with the aid of hands, brushes or liquid jets, or by influencing the teats with electrical impulses or pressure pulses of varying intensity and of high or low frequency.
Thus, some cows which are easy to stimulate may be fully prepared for milking already after a few seconds of stimulation, while other cows which are difficult to stimulate may need to be intensively stimulated at least one minute to get fully prepared for milking. In average, however, it takes less than a minute of intensive stimulation before the effect of oxytocine results. Thereafter the oxytocine normally is effective during a time of four to seven minutes. Therefore the milking should be finished during this time, because after that the cow does not cooperate actively.
To achieve a large milk flow from the cow's udder and thereby a rapid milking of the udder while the oxytocine is effective, a conventional milking machine exposes the cow's teat tips to a relatively strong milking vacuum, usually about 40-50 kPa. However, this strong milking vacuum gives rise to the problem that the teats are treated ungently initially during the milking, when the milk flow is small or non-existing, which may result in discomfort and even pains to the cow. This may lead to that the hormone adrenaline is secreted and makes continued milk extraction difficult. Many modern milking machines avoid this problem by exposing the teat tips to a relatively weak, for the teats careful milking vacuum during the stimulation phase of the milking and switches to the stronger milking vacuum when the main milking phase begins.
It is known to monitor some milking variable during the stimulation phase and to finish the stimulation phase in response to said milking variable, when the latter reaches a predetermined value. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,532 describes a milking machine which in response to the milk flow reaching a predetermined value switches between a careful milking vacuum acting during the stimulation phase and a strong milking vacuum acting during the main milking phase. In this case the pre-determined value of the milk flow is chosen relatively small: 0,2 kg/minute.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,221 describes a milking machine which in response to the lapse of a predetermined time period swit
REFERENCES:
patent: 4011838 (1977-03-01), Nordegren et al.
patent: 4391221 (1983-07-01), Hoefelmayr et al.
patent: 4790261 (1988-12-01), Wartenhorst
patent: 5090359 (1992-02-01), Petterson et al.
patent: 5443035 (1995-08-01), Lind et al.
WO 9212625 A1 (Alfa Laval Agriculture International AB), 6 Aug. 1992 (WIPO) .
Horberg Ann-Louise
Ornerfors Benny
Alfa Laval Agri AB
Price Thomas
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