Influence of the milker on milkability of cows of the Bulgarian Rhodope Cattle breed

The milker's influence on the cows' milkability was studied in the local mountain breed, Bulgarian Rhodope cattle. The study included 18 cows, and on the 30th day after calving, the speed of the milk flow was measured at each milking at an interval of 30 seconds for 5 consecutive days. The average daily milk yield of the cows was 16.5±0.12 kg, and the milkability was 1.197±0.016 kg/min. The milker has a reliable influence on the milkability of the cows (P<0.001) through the duration of milking (P<0.001). The latter is determined both by the individual reaction of the cows to the milker and by his subjective decision to remove the milking apparatus and terminate milking. The difference in milking time for the same cows by different milkers is from 1.56 to 61.56 %, with the difference in milk yield being from 0.546 to 33.41 %.