Being able to identify if a cow has been milked out is a skill that needs picked up very early in a dairy career.

This cow has just started milking and has a very tight udder.

This cow is in the middle of milking. The udder is no longer very tight.

This cow is either finished milking or very close to it.

Some sheds have automatic cup removers whereby the cups come off a cow once the milk flow drops below a certain level.

But you need to check the cow is still fully milked out. Sometimes the cow will kick them off early and they look like this.

In sheds without cup removers if the udder looks like it’s milked out check the bowl to see if milk has stopped running.

This cow is still giving milk as a comparison.

Once you decide the cow is milked to take the cups off manually by kinking off the milk line like this. This will stop the vacuum.

Wait a couple of seconds and the cups should fall off or pull off easily.

Automatic teatspraying.

Or manual teatspraying should happen as soon as possible after cups come off.

This cow hasn’t milked out on the back left quarter and further investigation is needed. She may have mastitis. Until you have enough experience refer this cow to your supervisor or if no one is available draft her out.