Milking Question

[Mrs. Homesteader]

We used to have goats and milk them. Most times a first freshener would have itsy bitsy teats. Once you milked her for awhile they seemed to stretch and be fine. The heifer that just gave us the calf has really small back teats. Do you think they will grow? We have been using the milker on her because you can barely get one finger around the back ones to milk. Any ideas? We hate to get the milker out for just doing 2 cows. Also, we saved some of her milk last night. I am really wondering if somehow a holstein got to her. Hardly any cream at all. Her Momma gives bunches of thick rich cream.

[springvalley]

Marci;
Your heifers teats will get some what bigger, but don`t think it will happen over night. they are like any creature they sag and get bigger over time. I would hate to clean a milker for two cows also, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Thanks Marc

[Donna from Mo]

Today's Jerseys have had a lot of the cream (butterfat) bred out of them, due to consumer demand. My Jersey doesn't give half the cream that my first Jersey did, 40 years ago.

[francismilker]

Originally Posted by Donna from Mo

Today's Jerseys have had a lot of the cream (butterfat) bred out of them, due to consumer demand. My Jersey doesn't give half the cream that my first Jersey did, 40 years ago.

I think they've had teat size bred out of them as well to adapt to milker claws. All my jerseys have teats so small anyone that has a hand big enough to wear an X-large glove has to milk with thumb and forefinger. I've yet to have a milker of my own like the one granny used to have with good "handles" on her.

Mrs. Homesteader. I think they will get a little larger with time. But not the handles you think of when you think of milking a family milker. As far as the cream volume. She could be holding it up for the calf if you're share milking. I've got one that will not let down well for days once the sharing game begins. If she continues to hold up for me I milk out enough at calf nursing time to bottle feed baby and turn mama back out in the pasture for the day. Oh, believe me, there's a lot of bawling and mooing going on. And, when she's comes back in that evening she's usually dripping from all four teats waiting for some relief. After this regimen she usually learns to cooperate with me.
If you're heifer is not getting completely milked out, that may be the reason you're not getting that much cream. It could also be what she's eating..... Try milking her completely out and then turning the calf in on her and see if her bag don't bloom like a balloon again. If it does, she's got you snookered!

[Donna from Mo]

"She could be holding it up for the calf if you're share milking."

Indeed, my cow does that. I milk all I can before I let the calf in because he's pretty big and rowdy now; then once Bonnie lets down the milk for him, I get the rest of my milk. My daddy always told me, "The best cream is in the strippin's"; so I do my best to get every drop possible out of those two teats on my side.

[sammyd]

Originally Posted by Donna from Mo

Today's Jerseys have had a lot of the cream (butterfat) bred out of them, due to consumer demand. My Jersey doesn't give half the cream that my first Jersey did, 40 years ago.

LOL where on earth did you get that?
Dairy men get a bonus for more fat not less.

[Mrs. Homesteader]

My one jersey gives at least a pint of cream for every gallon. It is so think you can mound it up. YUM!!!!

Thanks for all the input. I will show it to my husband.

[Donna from Mo]

One pint per gallon is about what I get from Bonnie, too. My first Jerseys gave almost a quart of cream per gallon.

[myersfarm]

Not sure if I want to get into this cream fight

but I think the cows are still giving the same amount of CREAM just a lot more milk then they did years ago...not that they were bred down on cream just thats the amount


cows use to give 3 1/2 gallons milk and 1/2 gallon cream
cows now give 6 gallons milk and still 1/2 gallon cream

some of my cows when production goes down cream comes up

[francismilker]

I agree myersfarm. When I go to OAD milking at the end of a cow's lactation, the cream line rises in the jar considerably. They only give so much cream. It's the volume of milk that changes.

[ozark_jewels]

Yes, our late lactation cows give more cream. Also the herd in late lactation makes much better cheese volume.
The amount of cream differs significantly from cow to cow. A lot is hereditary. Most of our Jerseys will give 4-7 gallons of milk a day. All but one will give about 3 cups of cream per gallon. That is a lot of cream. One cow late in laction gives almost half cream.