MACHINE MILKING USING TEAT CUP WITH FLOPPY NON-DISTENSIBLE LINER: POSITIVE

A milking system combines the use of a thin-walled non-distensible floppy liner (82) with the application of positive pressure during the off portion of the milking cycle, and overcomes prior problems of congestion, oedema, hyperkeratosis, and slow milking. In a further aspect, the thin-walled floppy liner is operated as a pressure switch limiting the amount of negative pressure applied to the lower tip of the teat (16). In a further aspect, cross-contamination from another teat through the milking claw (36) is reduced by minimizing volume change within the liner (82) below the teat (16) during milking.