can this cow be milked?

[greenhorn]

I have an interesting situation here that I certainly need advice about before I spend an more money! I've been weighing the pros and cons of a feeder calf v.s. cow/calf operation (small scale for both) and have been feeling more inclined toward the cow/calf for a number of reasons, including the benefit to the calves, but also because I hope to milk whichever cow has a calf for only a gallon or 2 a day once the calf is doing well. We had 3 calves that are 4 months old we raised from 1 week. We bought 6.......

Anyway, I suddenly find myself the caretaker of 4 full grown Black Angus: 2 heifers, 1 cow with a 2 week old calf, and a yearling bull. Basically the owner of the cattle needed a place to keep them while he moved and I had pasture that needed cut for hay. He also shored up my fence and threw in a couple big gates.

These are his daughter's 4H cattle. She's leaving for college and I think he'd be just as happy to sell them and get the hassle out of his hands. I think I'll be offered a good deal, but my question at the end of this lengthy story is: can I get the cow to let me milk her and how would I do that? They will come to the fence and be pet on the nose, but then they just wander off. Would I need to confine/secure her until she was used to me and gradually work up to trying to milk. I'm trying to find a local milker for advice and instruction, but I'm curious how a heifer becomes a milker.

Any advice? Thanks!!

[francismilker]

If you're a newcomer to cattle, I'd leave her in the pasture. Not that I'm trying to be discouraging because milk from any breed is good to drink. Dairy breeds just give more milk. Some beef breeds just give enough for their calves while others have extra.

It's just that there's a lot of difference between her letting you pet her on the nose and being locked in a stanchion and handled up close. My bet is that you're going to have a major rodeo on your hands and possibly get hurt. (Unless you've got experience with milking already and have the means of containing a pasture raised beef cow like a good stout squeeze chute.)

Once again, not trying to be dogmatic, just practical.
Good luck in your decision making.

[Ronney]

Just recently I posted to a similar question and the answer was that a friend of mine is milking an Angus cow that lost her calf. This cow was just a beef cow in the herd, hadn't been hand reared and although was quiet, had never been trained to milk. As of two weeks ago, I too am now milking a beef cow I had never intended to but she lost her calf in the river and something had to be done with her milk. Getting her into the bale wasn't too much of a problem although it took two of us the first few times, but washing her and getting the cups on is another matter altogether and I'm having to hobble her. I don't make a drama out of it and she'll come right in the due course of time.

All cows have to be trained to milk to some extent. Some are easier than others as they have been hand reared, are used to buildings and sheds so milking becomes an extension of what they already know. Others are a bit harder - it's all new to them and upsetting - but if you have somebody to help you push her around and can hobble or leg rope if needs be, have some patience and perserverence, it can be done. They are 4H calves so should be well used to be handled all over as well as unusual situation so they should be a bit easier to break in than a raw cow.

While your making up your mind as to what you want to do, get her used to you by giving her treats. Mine will follow me to the ends of the earth for multifeed nuts, another will kill for bread, they all love peaches and apples and will follow me around if they think they might score something.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[gone-a-milkin]

To be clear, Ronnie is milking his beef cow with a machine and not by hand. It would take some serioius doing to train up a beef cow to handmilking, esp if you are training your own hands to it at the same time.

I am sure it could be done, but what a workout for everyone involved. For safety reasons you will need a good stanchion and hobbles to get started. I would probably give it a try, but then I am kind of funny like that.

Be sure you have some good help on hand for the first week or so, if you do try this.

Good luck.

[Ronney]

To be doubly clear, yes, I'm milking mine by machine. My friend is milking her Angus by hand.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[francismilker]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

To be clear, Ronnie is milking his beef cow with a machine and not by hand. It would take some serioius doing to train up a beef cow to handmilking, esp if you are training your own hands to it at the same time.

I am sure it could be done, but what a workout for everyone involved. For safety reasons you will need a good stanchion and hobbles to get started. I would probably give it a try, but then I am kind of funny like that.

Be sure you have some good help on hand for the first week or so, if you do try this.
Good luck.

And a football helmet and pads. Seriously!

[greenhorn]

This is the advice I was expecting....encouraging and realistic! I just want to check the concensus before I added "milk" to the pro side of the list!

My only milking experience was with a nanny goat after her first kid early this summer. We worked it out so I was able to milk her with very little fighting from her, but I let her dry up (she's still nursing the kid a little) because I wasn't able to have uninterupted time to milk her 2x a day. My plan is to revisit any milking in a year when my little dude is a year older and easier for the older kids/dh to watch while I milk. This may be a goat or a cow, but that's a year from now.

I think I'll put milking one of them as a possible pro, but not really one to consider in the decision. Thanks again! Now, what's a good deal for 3 cows a bull and a steer calf........

[francismilker]

greenhorn,
I'd hate to give you an estimate of cattle I haven't seen . However, if I were you I'd google the nearest salebarn to you geographic area and base the estimate off of current market price in your area. If I understand you original post correctly, these are 4-H projects so their probably going to be in good condition and would possibly be in the top % of sale prices at the barn. (especially if they're black!)

[DJ in WA]

Every cow is different. My current cow I milk by hand, a lowline angus/jersey cross, has never even tried to kick, though it has been justified (cracked teats, etc). Her very gentle daughter out of a hereford bull kicked like crazy until I returned the favor. You never know until you try.

Hobbles are inconvenient. You need to gain experience getting kicked by a cow! After a while you can get to where you can avoid the kicks, or you don't notice the pain as much.

Cows can be quite creative kickers, reaching where you don't think they can, so be careful. Obviously you don't just reach out and grab the udder. Start up high and slowly slide your hand down the side and see how she reacts. If she can't handle being touched anywhere, you might have a problem.

As others have said, get someone with experience.

[francismilker]

If I'm going to approach a "never milked cow before", I usually approach their head with my back turned to them. Keeping my rear close to there body I slide myself to the rear of the cow ever so slowly working my way back towards their udder. While keeping my back turned to them I gently squat down a bit and use one hand to run down their side and towards their udder. If I can get to the point that they don't start dancing I go ahead and feel the teats.

After and only after I see their initial reponse to this treatment to I ever bend down facing a cow's bag and try to milk. I realize it's tough to have a rearward hood launched at you when you're standing behind a cow, but the sideways sharp hoof to the face or chest is pretty painful as well. If I do have a cow that lilkes to fling hooves I have her step in a loop and I let a choker knot cinch up on her ankle and tie it BACK. Don't kid yourself, she's not going to stand there all nice like and let you get this done. Make sure your rope is long enough that you can hold on to the end of it and get it wrapped around a barn post or something without her jerking it out of your hand. keep steady pressure on it and allow her to cinch herself a little more every time she kicks. From the milking position, I just want to make sure she can't kick forward or sideways.

Once you go through this regimen a couple of times she'll kick enough to get the ol' hoof and ankle sore and usually cooperate. There is the occasional strong willed cow that will never give up. (That's where hamburger comes from!)
Not that I'm advocating the mistreatment of animals for all those PETA folks out there. It's just that a milk cow was created to give milk and if I own them, I'm going to milk them.


That being said, I've owned about 30 different dairy breeds in my lifetime and worked on a 125 head holstein dairy for five years and have only seen two critters that didn't go down without a fight. They were handraised just like all their sisters just a little high strung.

[indianheadranch]

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