factors associated with milk harvesting

routine starts by putting feeds in feeding troughs at holding area. here, mario and i is taking roughage by the use of a caing and put them in the feeding troughs. approximately 1caing is equal to 2feeding troughs

when all feeding troughs are already with feeds, we then drive the cows from the paddocks to the holding area. it usually needs at least 2 workers to do this as in the holding area, there are two heifers which are being imprisoned and not allowed to get out as they are quite spirited and likes to roam the village.

when all cows are already in the holding area, we then monitor the feeding troughs and the cows themselves. if the cows need more feeding, we add additional roughage so their rumen get filled. also, we constantly clean the water troughs beside the feeding troughs to be free of roughage which could hamper cows access to drinking water

like in the holding area, we also put roughage for the bull and dry cows in the feedlot as they are not being mixed with the cows to be milked to avoid confusion and to minimize stress to dry cows.

when milking time is nearing, milking parlor preparation then is done. first by assembling the milking machines. in the photo, i am putting the gasket underside the bucket cover. also, i put there in the cover the pulsator seat gasket, pulsator seat and the pulsator

i then put it on top of the milking bucket and locked it in place. then, i attached the milk collector to the milking claw and hang it to bucket cover

then, i had the milk hose and the air hose attached

when the assembling is done, it is then placed in the milking parlor in preparation for milking

then teat dip is prepared prior to milking by mixing 2 caps full of betadine(iodine) to approximately 1 liter of water. in the photo, i had to mix another teat dip as my colleague placed the mixture near the cow that when it gave a gift to mother nature, the container had to take it all in that it had to be thrown away and had to mix another

when the milking parlor is ready, we then open the gates of the holding area to let the milking cows get into the milking parlor. here, i am standing by to lock the gates when enough number of cows have already passed and milking parlor is already filled

cows getting into the milking parlor. in this photo, sir cookie is standing by to observe the cows getting into the milking parlor as no one is there to make sure the cows get into each adjacent stanchions without leaving one that is unoccupied.

when the stanchions are all filled, we then locked it like the one in the photo. this is to prevent the cows from getting their heads out when the milking starts

pre milking routines. before doing caps on, we clean the udder first by splashing it with water and disenfect it using detergent. we rub the udder clean and gently massage also the teats to stimulate milk letdown. then we thoroughly wash off the detergent and do the stripping.teat stripping is done to expel milk from the teat canal to visually observe if mastitis is present.

after stripping, we then wipe the udder free of droplets of water. we make sure to wipe the middle part and the lower part of the udder so as to prevent dirt and droplets of water get sucked in by the milking claw when caps on is done

when pre milking procedure is done, we then do the "caps on". this is the term used when the milking claw is attached to the teats of the cow. after approximately 7minutes, we then do "caps off"; which refers to the detaching of milking claw from the teats. it is presumed that when the time had elapsed, milk letdown is complete and no more milk is visibly flowing into the milk collector of the milking claw.

after caps off, we strip the teats again to eliminate milk left in the milk canal during milking. this is to ensure maximum penetration of teat dip

after stripping the teats, we then dip the teats in iodine solution or "teat dip" so as to prevent bacteria from entering the teat canal as this is yet open for several minutes right after milking

after post milking routines, we then transfer the milk collected into the milk container making sure that it is strained to eliminate any foreign objects. then we put the filled milk containers in the water trough in the wash area so as to lower temperature of milk before it is placed temporarily in the freezer to prevent milk spoilage

then we release the cows from the milking parlor and drive them back to the paddocks where they are free to roam, graze, belch, ruminate and rest till the routine is then repeated. when all cows are already in the paddock, we switch back on the electricity supplying the electric fence so as to prevent straying

after milking, the cleaning starts. first, we scrape manure off the floor

then flush flooring with water to flush out the remains on the floor. since we are using chairs for the milking machines, we also clean those and the walkway

then the washing starts. first is with the milking machines. after disassembling, we wash all the parts of the milking machine and finally rinse all the parts with water mixed with chlorine for disenfection before letting it air dry. then the laundry is done. all towels used during milking is washed clean and also the milk strainer. this is in preparation for the next milking routine. after the laundry is done, wash area is cleaned and make sure that nothing is left unattended..

after approximately 30 minutes of submerging the milk container in water, it is then transferred/placed inside the freezer where it stays until the next delivery schedule of milk for processing

after all this, we then wait till the next schedule, for another dose of urine and manure where our dams are gratefully sharing it all to us milkers.........till then