Milking routines are all about cow throughput and milk quality. Progressive dairymen have milkers that know their job and work correctly all the time. Other dairies seem to struggle with milkers that are confused or simply do "what they want". These are the key points to helping you to do your job correctly and easily:
- The milking routine is clearly defined …
"this is how we do it here"
- Milkers have been trained …
"this is how we do it here"
- Milkers are told when and how well they work.
Determine the correct milking routine
Determining "this is how we do it here" is not always so simple. And it is not something that milkers should decide. There are a lot of things that must be considered when determining how to milk cows. Things like "how many cows do we need to milk per hour to finish on time" or "what procedures do we need to use to get the quality bonus we need". Each milker is part of a team and unless all milkers work together, each knowing his/her responsibility, the team doesn’t succeed and the owner isn’t satisfied. Milking routine is complicated and most owners want what is best for his/her cows and what is best for you. Your owner or manager will determine the best routine for your dairy. Your responsibility is to learn that routine and follow it exactly. There are times when you have to milk more or fewer cows than normal but recognize that you are being paid to work correctly while you are in the parlor regardless of how many cows are in the herd.
A good milking routine has structure: it is territorial, sequential or group milking. The milking procedures (the steps you perform at each cow) are either pre-dip or pre-spray, forestrip, wipe, attach. Your owner decides which (or which combination) of the above are appropriate for your dairy. Sometimes he/she may do an evaluation to determine how many cows per hour can be milked or which procedures are needed to maximize milk quality. Here are a few principles that need to be followed:
- You need to work to have "all units on" within a range of 4 to 5 minutes
- You can milk every set of cows within 12 to 15 minutes
- When you don’t use pre-milking teat cleaning procedures, there is an increasing risk of poor milk quality and high levels of mastitis (dirty teats cause dirty milk and more mastitis)
- When asked to predip, forestrip, wipe and attach, do it just as directed so that all cows are milked the same way, all the time by all your co-workers on every shift.
Training milkers
When asked, you can train a new milker only when you know the routine yourself and when your owner or manager is satisfied that you do a good job. Helping a new milker learn what to do is part of your responsibility. You and your owner want this new worker to succeed and your new teammate wants to keep his new job. Helping him/her is just "the right thing" to do. Sometimes your owner will have advisor-assist training when changing to a new routine. This is necessary when everyone is expected to start something new because it will be better for the cows and the dairy.
Effective training has three steps: Hear, See and Do. First, you must listen to what is said. Concentrate on learning WHAT you are supposed to do. If you have questions about WHY, ask them. You will be thought of as a smart person if you ask why rather than being seen as stupid because you don’t understand and then do something wrong. Watch how to milk correctly from your fellow milkers that have more experience than you or from the advisor that is trying to help you implement a new milking routine. Then jump in and do it! You will need to keep an open mind and agree to try a new routine for at least a month to see how it works. Good milking routine becomes a good habit……the faster you learn it and the more you do it the easier it becomes.
Doing the small details correctly is the difference between average milkers and really good ones. How well you clean teats and attach units really does affect the results you will be judged on. Learn what and ask why whenever necessary. Your responsibility is to clearly know the routine and come to work with the attitude to do it right all the time.
Monitoring your parlor
Managers of the smooth-operating parlors always have their "antennas up", monitoring their milkers and your results. When your owner or manager comes into the dairy, expect that he/she is going to be determining how good you are doing. This is because owners care about their cows and care about you. They want to be certain that you know and do what you’ve been told. So:
- When your owner walks into the parlor, he/she may be evaluating how well you are doing your job. He/she may count the number of dirty teats on 10 cows after machine removal (e.g. 3/40) and promptly comment to you on what he/she concludes. A "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" tells you if you are cleaning teats well or when you need to step it up.
- He/she may look at milk filters. Dirt means teats are not cleaned thoroughly prior to machine attachment; flakes or clots means mastitis cows are not detected. Milk filter condition is an evaluation of your performance when your manager can’t be in the parlor. Don’t be surprised if your filters are scored and you are given the "thumbs up or down" response. You could look at them yourself every day and make your own judgment!
- Milk plant bacteria counts, especially SPC and coliform counts, can be a direct reflection of your performance and are a monitor of milk quality. A basic understanding of these results when posted in the parlor will permit you to know how clean your milking procedures are. If you are not sure what they mean, ask!
- You want to follow the routine all the time to guarantee that you start and stop at the same time every day. Your manager may use this as a simple method to know if you and your fellow workers are working consistently.
The milking parlor is the heart of every dairy operation. When it works right and is on time, everyone else around the dairy can stay on schedule. So milking parlor performance and how you work affects everyone else who works on the dairy. When you know your milking routine and follow it, when you work right all the time, you’ll gain the respect and satisfaction from your owner/manager. It’s the best way to guarantee that you will continue to have your job and that you respect your fellow workers by working correctly with them. EL
