Training to milk

[Trisha-MN]

Any tips on training a cow to hand milk? She's fairly gentle but not halter broke. 1/2 Jersey, 1/2 Angus. I'd like to try to milk her this year.

Thanks,
Trisha

[jerzeygurl]

start handling her, ive never halter broke my milkers....

feed her where you plan to milk her

if you have stanchion or head gate feed her there with out bothering her at first.

[MullersLaneFarm]

I'll echo the Dairy Queen. get a stanchion or head gate and feed her there twice a day. Once she used to going into the stanchion freely, start handling her. Scratches here and there. Handle her udder also. Don't be too timid else she'll think you're a fly and will swish you with her tail. Let us know how it progresses.

[Trisha-MN]

Thanks... she is not a FF and those legs of hers looked kinda beefy compared to her mothers (Jersey) who came to us halter broke and milking broke too I guess. Annabelle is easy to work around and I can walk up to her and scratch her so I think the feeding her in the stanchion will work pretty well... then I just work down to playing with her udder? Before she freshens and has all those horomones that work in our (for milking) favor?

[sammyd]

It's never too soon to get her used to having you play around with her udder. No milking strokes, just petting the bag and around it.

[jerzeygurl]

yea as your petting her work a pat in on the udder or a swipe and work up to more direct handling