Milking is the operation that allows the extraction of milk from the udder of cows.
In the past, milking was done by hand, according to two main techniques: finger milking and fist milking. In both cases, before proceeding with milking, it was necessary to stimulate the cow with an udder massage and clean the teats.
Finger milking involves squeezing the upper part of the cow's teat (at the base of the udder) with the index finger and thumb, wrapping it around it, and with each of the other fingers (middle, ring, and little finger), in progressive order, the teat is tightened, sliding along its entire length.
Fist milking is performed by wrapping the teat with all the fingers at the same time, with the thumb resting on the index finger, alternately applying pressure and release, opening and closing the hand.
For both milking techniques, the principle applies that the milking should be carried out by standing to the side of the cow, first milking one pair of teats (usually the front part), then the other (the back part) and that it is necessary to repeat the milking of the two pairs several times in order to completely empty the udder and avoid health problems (such as mastitis).