Method of milking animals automatically while determining their physiological condition

A method for milking animals, such as cows, which comprises continuously evaluating, comparing and recording physiological and chronological parameters of an animal with a computer during a milking operation to determine the physiological condition of the animal which is being milked;

• said parameters comprising milk flow rate, milk yield, frequency that the animal being evaluated has entered a milking compartment over a predetermined period of time that includes the ongoing milking operation and at least several of the animal's most recent milkings, and the quantity of food consumed by the animal while in said milking compartment.

A method for automatically milking animals and detecting which animals are in estrus or ill, comprising providing a milking compartment to receive said animals to be automatically milked, and obtaining, processing and presenting via a computer at least two of the following parameters selected from a group of parameters consisting of:

• (a) the rate of milk flow from each animal milked in said compartment, (b) the yield of milk for each animal milked in said compartment, (c) the number of times during a selected period of time each animal enters said milking compartment, (d) the quantity of food consumed by each animal in said compartment, (e) the temperature of the milk flowing from each teat for each animal being milked in said compartment, and (f) the electrical conductivity of the milk flow from each animal in said compartment, said parameters being given a value by said computer which is at least in part a function of relevant values obtained for each animal for said parameters in an immediately preceding selected period of time.

A method for miliking animals, such as cows, which comprises continuously evaluating, comparing and recording physiological and chronological parameters of an animal with a computer during a milking operation to determine the physiological condition of the animal which is being milked;

• said parameters comprising at least two of the following parameters selected from a group of parameters consisting of:
• milk flow rate, yield, frequency that the animal being evaluated has entered a milking compartment over a predetermined period of time that includes the ongoing milking operation and at least several of the animal's most recent milkings, and the quantity of food consumed by the animal while in said milking compartment.

A method for milking animals, such as cows, which comprises continuously evaluating comparing and recording physiological and chronological parameters of an animal with a computer during said milking to determine the physiological condition of the animal which is being milked;

• said parameters comprising at least three of the following parameters selected from a group of parameters consisting of:
• milk flow rate, milk yield, frequency that animal being evaluated enters a milking compartment and the quantity of food consumed by the animal while in said milking compartment.