Question re: handmilking

[biretta]

Hello. I just purchased the first cow--a Holstein--I've ever owned. I'm hand milking her and was told doing so only once a day as opposed to the 2 times daily she's used to at the dairy from which I bought her is okay. Being new to handmilking, it takes me about 45 minutes each session during which I'm getting about 2 gallons. I was told her production is less than your average commercial Holstein which is why she was sold and her udder appears a lot less full than I've seen on other cows. (She freshened in March or April last year.) My concern also is that besides reducing the milking frequency to once a day, is it likely I'm not milking her out enough if I'm milking out only 2 gallons? Thanks in advance for any input.

[Ronney]

Hi Biretta and welcome to the site

Before we go any further, you say that she calved in March or April last year. Do you mean 2008?

Cheers,
Ronnie

[TxMex]

It sounds like she has been lactating for quite a while. Is she bred back to calve? If she isn't bred back to calve....this is probably the reason she was sold. If she is pregnant you need to dry her off 2 months before she is due. If she is on the skinny side you might want to dry her off sooner.

You can milk her once a day but expect her production to continue to go down. The udder works on a supply and demand basis. Some commercial dairies milk 3 times a day to get the maximum production possible. The longer an udder stays full, it gives signals to the cows system that the milk isn't being used so it doesn't need to produce as much.