Automatic milking

A method of milking an animal wherein milk extracted from a teat of an animal is directed along a milk path to a container, an initial portion of the milk extracted from the teat being diverted from the milk path, characterised in that an optical property of the milk extracted from the teat is sensed and the diversion of the initial milk flow from the milk path leading to the container is controlled in dependence upon the optical property sensed.

An apparatus for the automatic milking of animals comprising a teat cup (1) connected to a main milk line (2) through which milk extracted from a teat is conveyed, a device (7) for directing milk to flow through the main milk line or to a branch line (8), control means (12) for controlling the device so that an initial amount of milk extracted from a teat is directed into the branch line (8), and an optical sensing means (4) for sensing an optical property of the milk upstream of the flow directing device (7), characterised in that the control means (12) is responsive to a signal from the sensing means (4) and operates the flow directing device (7) to terminate flow of milk into the branch line (8) and to direct the milk to flow through the main milk line when a predetermined change in the sensed optical property occurs.

An automatic milking method in which premilking is performed to remove foremilk prior to a main milking stage, characterised in that the transparency of the milk is sensed at least during an initial period of the main milking stage and therefrom it is determined whether premilking was carried out correctly.

An automatic milking apparatus comprising means for premilking a teat from an udder, a teat cup (1) for attachment to the teat after premilking for carrying out a main milking stage in which milk extracted by the teat cup is conducted through a milk line (2) to a container (3), and a transparency sensing means (4) for sensing the transparency of the milk extracted from the teat by the teat cup, characterised in that means (7) are provided for interrupting delivery of milk to the container in response to the milk transparency sensed by the sensing means (4) rising after an initial fall in transparency at the beginning of milk extraction during the main milking stage.

A method of determining presence of foremilk in a milk flow from a teat of an animal, characterised in that an inverted peak in the transparency of the milk during an initial part of the milk flow is sensed.