Milking parlour

With a traditional milking parlour, the cows spend time in a waiting area before entering the milking parlour. They often enter in the same order each time because this reassures them and it often follows a form of hierarchy that they establish within the herd.

The milking parlour is cleaned several times each day to ensure that it is perfectly clean. Breeders start by cleaning the cows’ teats, then they milk the first few squirts by hand to check that the milk looks normal and that there are no wounds on the teats.

Next, they place the teat cups on the cow. The cup liners exert regular suction that mimics the sucking action of a calf, and when the cow runs out of milk the cup is removed automatically.

In France, cows are usually treated twice a day, in the classical milking parlors, at regular times, in the morning and evening.

In the case of a milking robot, the process is automated and the cow decides to enter the robot's box when she wishes. They usually do so between two and three times a day. The breeder then regularly follows the evolution of the milking of his herd during the day, and ensure that all the cows go well.