How to Milk a Cow

The dairy business is quite a lucrative one and if you are planning to start one, you need to start with the absolute basics. Sure, you get the machines that do it for you these days, but you can learn the basic technique only by learning to milk a cow by hand.

Things You Need

Here's what you'll need.

• A mature cow
• A pail
• Hay
• Warm water

Milking a Cow

First things first. If you're doing this for the first time (which I'm sure you are), it is better to try on a cow that is used to being milked. A young cow might just be uncooperative. So go to a farmer and ask which cow would be the most suitable one to learn on. Also remember that you have to milk the cow in one sitting. For those who are doing this for the first time, it may be a very tiring experience. But if you give the cow a break and start again, the cow might become irritable. A cow also has a fixed milking schedule. If a cow is used to being milked at a certain time in the morning, you ought to do it at that time as it will be more cooperative. Another thing to keep in mind is that the cow can have a pretty hard kick and those hooves could really hurt you. Hence, sit to the side of the cow. This position minimizes the chances of the cow's kick landing in your face. Lastly, beware of the cow's tail and any 'cow pies' landing anywhere around you or the pail of milk.

As you can see, there are quite a few precautions to be kept in mind while milking a cow. So it is better that you have a farmer who has a long experience to guide you along. Do not try this experiment by yourself!

While the precautions are many, the steps are relatively much easier. Milking a cow in itself is no big deal. Here are the steps.

• Step #1: Hand the cow some hay. Think of the hay as a bribe to the cow! Thus the cow will have something to occupy her mind while you milk her.
• Step #2: Secure the cow with a rope or a halter with a sturdy post or a stanchion. Make sure that there is no way that the cow can escape. If the cow is used to it, it won't.
• Step #3: Seat yourself to one side of the cow. Make sure that you are not too relaxed. If the cow gets angry or irritated with the way you milk her, you need to be able to make a quick getaway.
• Step #4: Find the udders. Rub some warm water on the udders and the teats. This helps the milk come out more easily.
• Step #5: The teats are the pointed projections from the udders. There are usually 4 teats. Start with two teats at a time. Hold one of the teats in the right hand and the other in the left hand.
• Step #6: Grab the teats firmly but don't pull them as that irritates the cow. Gently press the teats till the milk comes out. The milk should come out in one clean shot. If the milk comes out in two shots from one teat, then maybe the cow has mastitis and needs to be examined.
• Step #7: Milk the teats with alternate hands. Right hand then left hand in that order. When the udder looks deflated, you know that the milk is probably over. Then proceed to the next two teats and repeat.

So I hope you got the answer to the question 'how do you milk a cow?' Another frequently asked question is 'what happens when you don't milk a cow?' Nothing. The cow just stops secreting milk. But if you bought a cow and you've learned how to milk a cow, why stop?