A milking machine is used to extract milk from the udder of a cow. It has a vacuum that usually sucks the milk from the bleeder and then stores it in an in-built container. It has various parts such as the vacuum pump, pulsator, milk receptacle, vacuum tank, and liners.
A milking machine is as essential as any other piece of equipment on the dairy farm. It helps the farmer to improve the methods of production while taking care of the costs of production. This factor ensures that the products remain at relatively low prices that are affordable to the consumers. The following are the benefits accrued when you use a milking machine;
Labor Costs
A milking machine helps the farmer to save on labor costs. The farmer may require more than a hundred people, so milk a hundred cows within the shortest time possible. This equipment can be costly to the farmer to hire all these people to milk just a small number of cows. What happens if the farmer has a thousand cows? He can use a milking machine which will cost him a small amount to milk a thousand cows within the shortest time possible, depending on the device’s power. The milking machine price in Kenya is determined by the power and type of the milking machines.
It Saves Time
A milking machine can extract milk from a thousand cows quickly. This factor allows the farmer to perform other activities even when the milking process continues. It also allows the farmer to take the milk to a dairy at the right time so that the milk does not become sour, maybe due to improper storage. It is also faster than hand-milking and maintains the quality of the milk.
Maintains the Quality of Milk
Hand-milking can interfere with the quality of the milk in the process because of contamination. Contamination can occur during the milking process if the person doing the task is sick. It can also result from an unwillingness to maintain high standards of cleanliness during the milking process. The cow can be stubborn when milking is done, thus dipping its legs in the milking container, thus interfering with the quality of the milk. Contaminated milk is not suitable for consumption because it can lead to diseases and compromise consumers’ health. On the other hand, low-quality milk that does not meet the standards can be banned from dairy shops, hence a significant loss to the farmer. Due to the above information, the farmer can be advised to use a milking machine.
Reduces Stress in Cows
A milking machine creates a routine for milking. When the cow feels the udder is complete, it can walk to the device and be milked. This factor relieves the cow and allows it to produce more milk by providing it with adequate storage. So, as long as the udder is empty, the cow can continue to produce milk in a regular pattern without much strain.
Conclusion
The milking machine is very effective and does not require skilled labor. Once the device is installed, all you need is just maintenance.
