Getting the Milk Out

Well we know how the milk is made now it time to learn how the milk gets from the udder to the milk tank. Milk let down is an involuntary reflex action that the cow has no control over. When it's time to start milking washing the teats of the cow sends a message to the pituitary gland in the cow's brain which is letting her know to let the milk down. In response to the message a hormone called oxytocin is sent through the blood to the udder. When this reaches the udder it sends a single to "squeeze" the milk out of the alveole cells. When milk leaves the cells it travels down through the udder into the teat cistern. Then the teats fill with milk, the teat opening is held shut by a sphincter muscle at the bottem of the teat. Some cows leak milk before they are milked, this is usally because they arew either high producing cows or their sphincter muscle is weak. With the milk made and the milk out now its the milk drivers job to transfer it to the farm to the milk factory.