Cows
are creatures of habit and begin to assemble for milking on their own.
The
herd queues up and waits patiently. A few stragglers may need to be
encouraged but otherwise milking is an orderly affair.
The
milking parlour is set into the ground so that the dairyman has comfortable
access to the working area around the cows' udders.
Dairy
cows are usually given a concentrate ration in the milking parlour in
the small hoppers alongside the wall. The concentrate is a bit like
our breakfast cereal.
The
cluster is placed on the teats to begin milking.
Further reading for Dairy Cows - Production cycle
Statistics for Dairy cows
|
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
|
| Dairy cows (000s) |
2336 | 2251 | 2227 | 2192 | 2129 | 2063 | 2066 | 1954 | Dairy cows - holdings (000s) |
29.7 | 26.6 | - | 24.6 | - | - | Dairy exports (£ million current prices) |
654.5 | 612.2 | 619.3 | 760.5 | 782.2 | 720.4 | 726.5 | Dairy imports (£ million current prices) |
1189.6 | 1279.1 | 1324.6 | 1538.4 | 1652.7 | 1746.8 | 1862.2 | Balance of trade dairy (£ million current prices) |
-535.1 | -666.9 | -705.3 | -777.9 | -870.5 | -1026.4 | -1135.7 |
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