not so family milk cow (rant)

Hannah90 · #21 12/22/12, 07:33 AM

Well, I am going to carry the flag into battle today... Ok a little over the top. But I am going to go out with a different attitude.

willow_girl · #22 12/22/12, 09:32 PM

How'd it go?

Hannah90 · #23 12/22/12, 10:31 PM

Well, things went as normal. As soon as she started her wiggling game, I gave her a soft slap on the ribs. She turned around and looked at me with bewildered eyes. A few minutes later she tried it again and I gave her a harder slap. I think she took me seriously that time. No more problems the rest of the milking. I guess we'll see how it goes from here! I just needed to buck up.

Judy in IN · #24 12/23/12, 06:13 AM

Good for YOU!

francismilker · #25 12/23/12, 07:02 AM

To all you serious milkers I have a challenge:

I've got a 2nd lactation jersey at the house that's as docile as any creature I've ever owned right up until the time she decides she's finished being milked.

Then, it's an all out rodeo. She craps, pees, and wiggles until the milk bucket gets stepped in. EVERYTIME (doesn't matter if it's 3' away and you're aiming a stream of milk horizontal to reach it). She's three weeks in to her lactation and I've yet to get a milk bucket filled without getting it stepped in. 40+ milkings and she's getting more testy by the milking.

I've been milking a cow my whole life. I've been kicked, crapped on, peed on, head-butted, and just about every other thing I can think of but I've never had a cow go this long with her bad habits and me trying to milk her. She's got a healthy udder and teats, good health, and a healthy calf. She just don't have the patience to stand there once the feed is finished and be stripped out.

Now, the funny thing, if you don't need the milk in the house and want to milk it into the floor drain, she'll stand there and never once make an attempt to step into the bucket. I'd sware she has 360 vision and can actually extend her leg out 6' to reach a bucket that's sitting no where near her!

She's going to be a fun challenge for me.

My challenge to you all is: Can you get her milked out without getting a bucket stepped in or knocked over?

Miss Kay · #26 12/23/12, 07:19 AM

WE milk a Guernsey andtake the calf away each time and raise it on bottle. The cow falls in love with my husband and never gives him any trouble. She could be very different if she was sharing but the way it is now she follows voice commands, has learned not to pee or poop while milking ( unless it is right after freshening and she can't help it). If you want to keep her one more year, I think I would take the calf at birth and then don't let her get away with stuff and see if it goes better.

southerngurl · #27 12/23/12, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francismilker

To all you serious milkers I have a challenge:

I've got a 2nd lactation jersey at the house that's as docile as any creature I've ever owned right up until the time she decides she's finished being milked.

Then, it's an all out rodeo. She craps, pees, and wiggles until the milk bucket gets stepped in. EVERYTIME (doesn't matter if it's 3' away and you're aiming a stream of milk horizontal to reach it). She's three weeks in to her lactation and I've yet to get a milk bucket filled without getting it stepped in. 40+ milkings and she's getting more testy by the milking.

I've been milking a cow my whole life. I've been kicked, crapped on, peed on, head-butted, and just about every other thing I can think of but I've never had a cow go this long with her bad habits and me trying to milk her. She's got a healthy udder and teats, good health, and a healthy calf. She just don't have the patience to stand there once the feed is finished and be stripped out.

Now, the funny thing, if you don't need the milk in the house and want to milk it into the floor drain, she'll stand there and never once make an attempt to step into the bucket. I'd sware she has 360 vision and can actually extend her leg out 6' to reach a bucket that's sitting no where near her!

She's going to be a fun challenge for me.

My challenge to you all is: Can you get her milked out without getting a bucket stepped in or knocked over?

I think you are more patient than I. While bribery is sooo not my style.. if she stands while she has food, perhaps give her something to keep her eating after her ration is gone, say a flake of some tasty alfalfa hay? At least break the habit and get some milk out of this cow. Otherwise, I'd just whack the tar out of her when she did it.

Make it a life changing moment. Go rigth back to milking (even if there's nothing left to milk) until she stands still for even a short time, pet her and let her go. Next time repeat and require her to stand still longer as you go.
Also, have another container to pour into so you at least don't lose all your milk.

linn · #28 12/23/12, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francismilker

To all you serious milkers I have a challenge:

I've got a 2nd lactation jersey at the house that's as docile as any creature I've ever owned right up until the time she decides she's finished being milked.

Then, it's an all out rodeo. She craps, pees, and wiggles until the milk bucket gets stepped in. EVERYTIME (doesn't matter if it's 3' away and you're aiming a stream of milk horizontal to reach it). She's three weeks in to her lactation and I've yet to get a milk bucket filled without getting it stepped in. 40+ milkings and she's getting more testy by the milking.

I've been milking a cow my whole life. I've been kicked, crapped on, peed on, head-butted, and just about every other thing I can think of but I've never had a cow go this long with her bad habits and me trying to milk her. She's got a healthy udder and teats, good health, and a healthy calf. She just don't have the patience to stand there once the feed is finished and be stripped out.

Now, the funny thing, if you don't need the milk in the house and want to milk it into the floor drain, she'll stand there and never once make an attempt to step into the bucket. I'd sware she has 360 vision and can actually extend her leg out 6' to reach a bucket that's sitting no where near her!

She's going to be a fun challenge for me.

My challenge to you all is: Can you get her milked out without getting a bucket stepped in or knocked over?

I have put a flake of good hay or alfalfa pellets in with the feed to slow down my speed eaters. They have something to occupy them while I am finishing milking. I also sometimes use my Surge milker for cows that have just calved until their udders are not engorged.
It has been my experience that hitting or kicking a cow just escalates into a war. It doesn't teach them anything except to dread being milked.

Sparkie · #29 12/23/12, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francismilker

To all you serious milkers I have a challenge:

I've got a 2nd lactation jersey at the house that's as docile as any creature I've ever owned right up until the time she decides she's finished being milked.

Then, it's an all out rodeo. She craps, pees, and wiggles until the milk bucket gets stepped in. EVERYTIME (doesn't matter if it's 3' away and you're aiming a stream of milk horizontal to reach it). She's three weeks in to her lactation and I've yet to get a milk bucket filled without getting it stepped in. 40+ milkings and she's getting more testy by the milking.

I've been milking a cow my whole life. I've been kicked, crapped on, peed on, head-butted, and just about every other thing I can think of but I've never had a cow go this long with her bad habits and me trying to milk her. She's got a healthy udder and teats, good health, and a healthy calf. She just don't have the patience to stand there once the feed is finished and be stripped out.

Now, the funny thing, if you don't need the milk in the house and want to milk it into the floor drain, she'll stand there and never once make an attempt to step into the bucket. I'd sware she has 360 vision and can actually extend her leg out 6' to reach a bucket that's sitting no where near her!

She's going to be a fun challenge for me.

My challenge to you all is: Can you get her milked out without getting a bucket stepped in or knocked over?

These things are what I'd try first, you may have already done them. First slow down her eating with some big rocks or something in the trough so she has to work harder to get all the feed. Try a belly rope, hobbles or tying a back leg to a post. Or one of those "can't kick" devices. If you need the milk to stay clean for house use, milk out all you can in the bucket till she feels like she's getting squirly, then put the bucket far away from her and strip her out in a quart jar which you take over and dump in the bucket as it gets filled

Good luck with her, she sounds fun

Otter · #30 12/23/12, 09:06 AM

Francismilker, a very old goat keeper's trick I heard for when they aim a foot at the milk pail is to dump it over their head and walk off. A friend and I tried it when working with a goat so evil we named her Lilith. She knew every trick in the book so finally in desperation we dumped the bucket over her head and walked off and left her standing there for a couple of minutes with 2 cups of milk dripping past her ears and wearing the bucket.
Then we went back in, stroked her and my friend sweet talked while I milked and she stood like an angel. Milking her became a one person job (lol, yeah, she was that bad)
She still had lots of tricks up her sleeve but she never knocked over a milk bucket again.

Hannah90 · #31 12/23/12, 09:50 AM

OOFTUH! What was I complaining about? This cow sounds more ornery than my Annabelle. Do you guys ever worry about the cow being naughty and drying up if you take her calf away? Or would there just be too much milk for her to do that?

matt_man · #32 12/23/12, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francismilker

To all you serious milkers I have a challenge:

I've got a 2nd lactation jersey at the house that's as docile as any creature I've ever owned right up until the time she decides she's finished being milked.

Then, it's an all out rodeo. She craps, pees, and wiggles until the milk bucket gets stepped in. EVERYTIME (doesn't matter if it's 3' away and you're aiming a stream of milk horizontal to reach it). She's three weeks in to her lactation and I've yet to get a milk bucket filled without getting it stepped in. 40+ milkings and she's getting more testy by the milking.

I've been milking a cow my whole life. I've been kicked, crapped on, peed on, head-butted, and just about every other thing I can think of but I've never had a cow go this long with her bad habits and me trying to milk her. She's got a healthy udder and teats, good health, and a healthy calf. She just don't have the patience to stand there once the feed is finished and be stripped out.

Now, the funny thing, if you don't need the milk in the house and want to milk it into the floor drain, she'll stand there and never once make an attempt to step into the bucket. I'd sware she has 360 vision and can actually extend her leg out 6' to reach a bucket that's sitting no where near her!

She's going to be a fun challenge for me.

My challenge to you all is: Can you get her milked out without getting a bucket stepped in or knocked over?

Wow. I've never had one, besides our Dexter, go on that long with the attitude.

I would do as others suggest and try to slow down her eating. Put the grain on top off some hay, so it gets down into it and it takes longer for her to eat, or add some rocks to her feed pan so she has to work around them. I would also use a kick stop. then you can at least keep the bucket closer to you and be able to save it. I had a first freshener that I had to use the kick stop on for over a month but while using it, I never lost the milk. She wasn't kicking and crazy like she wanted to kill me or anything she was just really fidgety when the grain was gone. All mine know now that they aren't getting out until I'm done so they are more patient to wait when the feed is gone.

francismilker · #33 12/23/12, 01:00 PM

Here's the thing folks. I'm not claiming to be an all-knowing expert on the matter. I'm saying I've milked cows all my life and have never had a cow that is as smart as this one. The irony of her cleverness is the ONLY thing keeping her on my place. Other than that, she's got horribly small teats for handmilking and she's too short for my comfort.

I'm starting to get a kick out of what she'll try next. I've done the milking dumping on her head, the belly rope, the cow-kicker, the head pressed in her side, tied one leg bag so she "couldn't" do it, and have pretty well worked that foot over on more than one occasion.

She's doing this purely and simply because she CAN. It doesn't matter what method I use to teach her a new trick she responds well to it and very docile. As soon as you untie her or loosen up for just a second then the crap and pee starts flowing like she's got irritable bowel syndrome!!

I don't usually like to clean a bucket milker for just one or two cows but that's what I'm having to do right now. The bucket can drain her in a few minutes while it takes me 15-20 by hand because of her small teats.

The original point I was trying to make was this: She isn't cut out to be a family cow period!!!!

Some cows have had all the teat length and good jersey temperment bred out of them.

Very often I read posts about people having a horrible time in the barn and despite all that they are doing it's a rodeo everytime. This cow sold to a newbie cow owner would become one of those threads. Sold to someone with little patience she would become hamburger.

It takes a special cow with good teats and temperment to be a family cow. Not all are created equal.

I'd rather have a simmental or angus with good teats than this jersey with small ones.

And, FINAL THOUGHTS, If I was her, I'd knock over the milk bucket too if it was taking 15-20 minutes to get milked!!!!

Dusky Beauty · #34 12/23/12, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francismilker

Here's the thing folks. I'm not claiming to be an all-knowing expert on the matter. I'm saying I've milked cows all my life and have never had a cow that is as smart as this one. The irony of her cleverness is the ONLY thing keeping her on my place. Other than that, she's got horribly small teats for handmilking and she's too short for my comfort.

I'm starting to get a kick out of what she'll try next. I've done the milking dumping on her head, the belly rope, the cow-kicker, the head pressed in her side, tied one leg bag so she "couldn't" do it, and have pretty well worked that foot over on more than one occasion.

She's doing this purely and simply because she CAN. It doesn't matter what method I use to teach her a new trick she responds well to it and very docile. As soon as you untie her or loosen up for just a second then the crap and pee starts flowing like she's got irritable bowel syndrome!!

I don't usually like to clean a bucket milker for just one or two cows but that's what I'm having to do right now. The bucket can drain her in a few minutes while it takes me 15-20 by hand because of her small teats.

The original point I was trying to make was this: She isn't cut out to be a family cow period!!!!

Some cows have had all the teat length and good jersey temperment bred out of them.

Very often I read posts about people having a horrible time in the barn and despite all that they are doing it's a rodeo everytime. This cow sold to a newbie cow owner would become one of those threads. Sold to someone with little patience she would become hamburger.

It takes a special cow with good teats and temperment to be a family cow. Not all are created equal.

I'd rather have a simmental or angus with good teats than this jersey with small ones.

And, FINAL THOUGHTS, If I was her, I'd knock over the milk bucket too if it was taking 15-20 minutes to get milked!!!!

Great post.

It's so important for house milkers to remember that there's more to a family cow than lactation ability and breed.

Sparkie · #35 12/24/12, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hannah90

OOFTUH! What was I complaining about? This cow sounds more ornery than my Annabelle. Do you guys ever worry about the cow being naughty and drying up if you take her calf away? Or would there just be too much milk for her to do that?

A cow can't just "decide" to dry up - milk production is supply and demand. As long as you keep milking it out it will continue to be produced. You may have to fight to milk it out for a few days when you take the calf away which may decrease production temporarily because you can't get it all milked out, but it would never be a purposeful decision by the cow

You can trick a cow who you want to milk while keeping the calf on by putting a halter on the calf and letting him suck for a few minutes while you milk, or letting him have one quarter or one half of the udder while you milk. Calms the cow down and makes her let down. When he gets too pushy tie him till you finish.

bigbluegrass · #36 12/24/12, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francismilker

To all you serious milkers I have a challenge:

I've got a 2nd lactation jersey at the house that's as docile as any creature I've ever owned right up until the time she decides she's finished being milked.

Then, it's an all out rodeo. She craps, pees, and wiggles until the milk bucket gets stepped in. EVERYTIME (doesn't matter if it's 3' away and you're aiming a stream of milk horizontal to reach it). She's three weeks in to her lactation and I've yet to get a milk bucket filled without getting it stepped in. 40+ milkings and she's getting more testy by the milking.

I've been milking a cow my whole life. I've been kicked, crapped on, peed on, head-butted, and just about every other thing I can think of but I've never had a cow go this long with her bad habits and me trying to milk her. She's got a healthy udder and teats, good health, and a healthy calf. She just don't have the patience to stand there once the feed is finished and be stripped out.

Now, the funny thing, if you don't need the milk in the house and want to milk it into the floor drain, she'll stand there and never once make an attempt to step into the bucket. I'd sware she has 360 vision and can actually extend her leg out 6' to reach a bucket that's sitting no where near her!

She's going to be a fun challenge for me.

My challenge to you all is: Can you get her milked out without getting a bucket stepped in or knocked over?

I know you didn't ask this for actual advise but more to make a point - however I had a cow that acted somewhat like what you describe. That prompted me to feed her AFTER I had milked. That is how I do it all the time now. At first it takes some getting used to. But with some work, I finally got my cows trained to come in and not to expect any feed until I am all done milking. They just stand there and chew their cud. When I finish milking, I give them their feed and let them eat while I clean up. Works for my small operation. It has made my milkings much more peaceful, even for the good cows. Even with a good cow, sometimes they forget you are back there when they try to get that last bit of feed. I am sure you will come up with a good solution.