Wish me luck...

**gone-a-milkin** · #1 08/28/09, 08:13 PM

Farmer Boss has just purchased 55 springing hiefers in a buy out (not an auction). All to calve in the next 4 weeks.

If my posts dont make much sense, it will be 'cuz I have had it knocked outta me...

Doesn't that sound FUN!? Fifty-five.

Cheryl aka JM · #2 08/28/09, 08:22 PM

WOW! Congrats~ and GOOD LUCK! Wish I were closer~ bet I could learn a lot by volunteering to help~ you need to find yourself some local newbie homesteaders who want to learn and score yourself some free labor!

arcticow · #3 08/28/09, 08:23 PM

Condolences. I sure don't want to come help!

**gone-a-milkin** · #4 08/28/09, 08:29 PM

Cheryl, I work on a dairy farm and currently we are running 50ish cows through the barn, twice a day.

This will fully double my workload, but all these new cows have never been milked before. It is one thing to get a few young cows trained up, and quite something more to put this many all in at once. They are coming from 2 different herds so at least they will have some 'friends' along.

Most of them will be fine I bet, but there are always a few whoppersofadoozies.

willow_girl · #5 08/28/09, 08:33 PM

Are you milking in a parlor or tiestalls?

50 heifers in tiestalls could be a ... .challenge. Yes, challenge ... that's the word I was looking for ...

LOL

NE Agrarian · #6 08/28/09, 08:38 PM

You have my condolences, but sorry to say, I sure don't want to come and help. Growing up, I milked in a 50 cow stanchion barn and just one or two first calf heifers increased the time spent milking substantially. Couldn't imagine 55 at once.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

**gone-a-milkin** · #7 08/28/09, 08:43 PM

Its an ancient double slant-five. I figure I can get at least 6 or more in tight...bunch em up so they cant completely turn around.

Plus, they are mostly cross bred so they are really tiny.

I am only 5'5" and wish my arms were a little longer...even for the big cows.

francismilker · #8 08/29/09, 06:14 PM

You might consider investing in a faceshield to keep all the hooves and poo that's gonna get flung out of your face! lol. My hat's off to you. It's gonna be a shaky week or two.

Dairymaid · #9 08/29/09, 06:28 PM

I hope you have a better time starting out than we did...out of of the 80 cow heard we bought, we only kept 30...that's counting cows and heifers both. Crossbred always do better than purebreds though form what I have experienced. Good luck!

DaleK · #10 08/29/09, 08:18 PM

Nice! We got behind breeding one year and ended up syncing about 20 heifers the same day... all ended up catching and somehow I ended up with 11 calving on the same day.

Could have been worse though, friend bought a herd from his cousin who had done the same thing and used a bad calving ease bull for some reason, he ended up having to pull 18 calves before milking one morning.

**gone-a-milkin** · #11 08/29/09, 08:42 PM

DaleK, they are not ALL on the place yet. Tonight I ran 6 through, yehaw!

Technically they aren't bought yet, but calves rarely wait for banks...

They are coming from a guy whose sole job was raising replacements, til his wife left him...now he works at the boat factory. Ouch.

**gone-a-milkin** · #12 09/03/09, 07:21 PM

22 more came today. That makes 31 so far.

dezeeuwgoats · #13 09/04/09, 09:50 AM

Wow. Just wow.

Good luck - really. You're gonna need it! May they all turn out to be unusually calm, gentle, and naturals in the stanchions.

I get myself into things like this and then wonder why everyone thinks I'm nuts. Oh well - at least I'm not alone in this world! lol

springvalley · #14 09/04/09, 05:21 PM

If you have them and they have not calved yet, try running them through the parlor or lock them in the stancions. Then just mess with their udders: wash, stroke and dry. They'll get used to being handled this way and they'll be used to the milkers as they watch their neighbor being milked. We did this with new heifers and it worked out well for us... other than Mina! She sure had her own ideas. Good luck!!

**gone-a-milkin** · #15 09/05/09, 08:14 AM

They came out of a drylot feeding operation. They come through the barn fine, but they do not go out. Act half starved, which they are not. These cows are going to have to learn how to go graze for themselves. They're used to standing in front of a bunk.

Farmer Boss decided to feed grain at milking...during this transition. Normally, there is no grain in the barn. The older cows think they are in Heaven.

Everyone comes blasting in the barn for the grain, look out! LOL. Then the hardest part is getting them to go OUT, after they are milked.

**gone-a-milkin** · #16 09/25/09, 07:48 PM

Tomorrow we are getting some more. 20 heifers and 17 more cows. Just when things were starting to normalize...Here we go again.

francismilker · #17 09/25/09, 08:01 PM

gone-a-milkin,
Just out of curiosity, none of my business of course, what's the farmer Boss thinking adding cow numbers to the barn in these negative profit times of the dairy industry? Am I missing something? Once again, just curious.

**gone-a-milkin** · #18 09/25/09, 08:44 PM

Oh, I think it is a great question and one I have asked too.

Cows are pretty cheap right now and we have a lot of feed for the winter. There are a LOT of nice animals out there and Farmer Boss is a bit of a gambler (shh). If it all backfires he will just sell them out later. BTDT.

At least 5 other dairies in our county are going out this month alone. Who is to understand the thinking of an Ozark's dairyman?

Beulah Gardens · #19 09/26/09, 08:19 PM

Ahhhh, who understands the thinking of any man....ya just got to love 'em. gone-a-milkin I wish you the best of luck...of anyone you have the best attitude for it.

I bet it all turns out just right.