A milking area needs a raised platform or stanchion that holds the cow’s head still, clean water within reach, and a clean floor that can be washed down, and it must be the cleanest area in the barn because milk handling happens there. Keep it apart from manure, calving and feed.
Part of Barn & Livestock Housing Design
A milking area is the part of a dairy barn set aside for restraining the cow, cleaning the udder and collecting milk without contamination.
Milk Is The Only Barn Product You Eat Within Hours, So The Milking Corner Sets The Hygiene Standard
Everything else in a barn can be dirty and still do its job. Milk cannot. Manure, dust and water off the floor all end up in the pail if the milking corner is not kept separate and washable. The design aim is simple: hold the cow still, keep the work area clean, and get milk out of the barn promptly.
What You Need
- A raised platform or stanchion to hold the cow’s head still during milking
- A floor that can be washed — stone, brick, planks over a drain or a sealed surface, sloping to a drain
- Clean water for washing udders, hands and equipment
- Separation from the manure route and the feed alley
- Light and ventilation so you can see what you are cleaning
Method: Set Up The Milking Corner
Step 1: Choose the corner. Put it away from manure handling, away from the calving pen, and close to the door the milk leaves by.
Step 2: Build the stanchion or platform. A stanchion holds the head still; a raised platform brings the udder to a workable height. Build whichever suits your animals.
Step 3: Make the floor washable. Slope it slightly so washing water runs to a drain away from the work area.
Step 4: Provide water. A tap, tank or bucket station for washing; water must be clean, not from a trough used by animals.
Step 5: Handle the milk. Strain it and cool it promptly; see Dairy Processing. Strip the first squirts from each teat, which flushes the teat canal and shows clots or blood; Goat Raising describes the same routine, and Mastitis explains what clumps and blood mean.
Common Mistakes
- Milking where manure is handled — the pail becomes contaminated.
- A floor that cannot drain — standing water spreads dirt.
- Sharing the water source with the animals — the milking water carries manure.
Safety
Raw milk and kicks
Raw milk can carry disease organisms from the animal, including those that cause brucellosis, tuberculosis, Q fever, listeriosis and salmonellosis. Heat milk before drinking or making soft cheese unless you know the herd is healthy; see Zoonotic Diseases. A cow can kick hard from the side and rear; the stanchion and a calm approach protect the milker.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Dairy Processing — what to do with the milk
- Combine with: Water Systems for Livestock — the water for the milking corner