Patent ID: 8720371

Claim:
A method for milking dairy animals using an automatic milking system, the automatic milking system comprising a plurality of teat cups, a robot arm for automatically attaching the teat cups to teats of the animal and a control system arranged to control the milking system, wherein the method comprises: milking one or more animals in a normal milking mode according to a proper milking process until it is determined that the milking system exhibits a malfunction which, for at least one teat cup but fewer than all the teat cups, would impede the proper milking process, switching to milking one or more animals in a special milking mode until it is determined that the milking system no longer exhibits the malfunction, and then switching back to milking in the normal milking mode, wherein the normal milking mode according to the proper milking process comprises: attaching the teat cups to all respective teats of the milking animal with the robot arm, milking milk from all the teats per individual teat cup until a first detachment criterion is fulfilled, wherein the special milking mode comprises: milking milk from the teats, except for at least one unfinished or unmilked teat intended to be milked with the at least one malfunctioning teat cup, with the remaining, unaffected teat cups, using at least one remaining, unaffected teat cup for milking the at least one unfinished or unmilked teat.