Milk sharing and calf taming?

[6e]

Our Jersey cow calved a week ago with a beautiful Jersey heifer calf. We're keeping the calf. I decided to go with milk sharing for several reasons. First, I figured the calf would grow stronger, faster, better on mama than on bottle. Second, I don't have to milk if I don't feel like it. Third, this first freshener cow had super short teats and that calf is a lot better at getting the milk out of those teats than I am.

BUT,

How do I tame the calf? We've handled this calf from day one, rubbing her all over, petting her, etc. When she's laying down or sleeping, she'll let you pet her, but if she's up running around, it's all, "Can't touch this". If you "chase" the calf to grab her and pet her, not only does it upset mama cow, but teaches the calf to run from us, so I refuse to do that. I'm worried the older the she gets the wilder she'll get.

So, for those that do the milk share thing and plan on using the calf as a milk cow too, how in the world do you make sure the calf will be tame enough to milk? We hope to halter break her here pretty soon or I should say at least start working on it. But I really need her a lot tamer and wonder if next year if we ought to just bottle feed instead? I really like this way better, but do worry about wild calves.

[linn]

Congratulations on your heifer calf. My calf is running with the cow right now also. He is a little bull so I am not really worried about taming him as he will be sold. I usually keep the calf up and turn the cow in night and morning for milking and letting the calf nurse. This gives me a chance to rub and pet the calf while it is nursing. When a calf learns to eat feed, they will begin to associate you with the nice treat they are getting. When the calf is old enough to halter you can put a short drag rope on the halter. The calf will step on the rope and learn to give with the pull of the rope. I would keep the calf up close and watch her while she was dragging the rope to make sure she didn't tangle herself up or get caught on something.

[Timberline]

I've been share milking this way for more than 20 years. I tie the calf at the front of my milk stanchion so the cow and see and smell it. It keeps everyone calm and happy.

Every calf over those years has done exactly as you describe. I have a corner in my corral that is walled off on one side by a shed and the other by my squeeze chute. The calves will run into that corner to hide, and I can catch them easily enough. Once they are old enough to get a bite of grain from the cow's manger in the stanchion, the catching gets much easier. They love that grain. Sometimes for the first few weeks, I catch the cow first and tie her near that corner, it just depends on the situation. That also gets her to "unload" and keeps my stanchion clean.

I've never had one grow up to be hard to catch. In my experience, if the calf gets a reward for being caught, they will come looking for you. This is ongoing training that I never stop. The only time they get a bit of grain is when they are caught. By the time my calves are a week old they are pretty well trained to the halter. They are completely familiar with the barn, stanchion, and all the sights and sounds of milking. It makes them very easy to train to milk.

Another thought. Sometimes the cow decides not to let down her milk. I separate them overnight and milk in the morning. The calf is tied at the front of the stanchion. The calf has enough rope to reach just behind the cow's front leg, but can't get in my way or dirty up my milk. The hungry calf will butt the cow's belly and she lets down. I have some pics of my stanchion if that will help.

This method has worked so well for me. It's so nice to be able to go somewhere and not have to worry about getting someone to milk for me.

[6e]

Would you mind posting pictures? As of right now I don't have a stanchion. Honestly, I just take some grain out to the pasture, pour it in front of Miss Cow and flop down on a bucket and milk. LOL She was pretty wild when I first started milking, but now I can milk the cow anywhere without tying her and she's fine. She just stands there. She's very laid back and so far, the calf only sucks off the front teat the most, so she sucks and that drops cow's milk and all's good. But I wondered how I was going to do this as the calf got bigger, stronger and ornerier. LOL I figured she'd begin to become a pain. How did you teach a calf to tie so early?

[Timberline]

It doesn't sound like you need a stanchion, with a cow like that. Maybe a head catch or just tie her to a safe post, or fix a place to tie her in a barn. You could tie the calf to a nearby post to keep it out of the way. To teach the calf I just tie them up. I don't use rope or chain halters, just a soft nylon one. I stay close by to make sure there are no mishaps. The calf will struggle and fight, but the little ones give it up pretty quickly.

My dh built my stanchion, it's pretty heavy duty. I occasionally train an older cow or beef heifers that haven't been handled much, so it's made to keep me and them safe. It's also raised a few inches off the floor, as it makes milking much easier on my back.


I tie the calf to the front post. I put an old carpet remnant down so the calf can't slip on the concrete if it fights the rope and that gives it a place to lay down. It's easily hosed off if the calf messes it.


Here's my little heifer calf the was born Friday the 13th. I didn't tie her up that day, she just slept through the whole thing. Now when I tie her, she fusses for a few minutes then lays down. She's not even a week old yet and it's already becoming routine to her. She's really little, so I am using a sheep halter on her until she grows into a calf sized one.

[Cheribelle]

Chalk Creek, that is an awesome setup!

[topside1]

Always enjoy your posts Chalk Creek...

[Timberline]

Thanks, guys. It works, seems like every year I change or add something to make things go more smoothly. This spring we put that black roll on bedliner on the stanchion. It's so nice to be able to hose it off and scrub it clean. I'm starting to give serious consideration to a small portable milking machine for the first time. I have no experience with them, but my carpal tunnel is becoming a problem for hand milking. That's all new territory for me, and it's intimidating.

[6e]

Thank you for the pictures and that is some kind of milk stand! Very nice! I haven't even tried to get a halter on this calf yet as it has been solid rain and and storms for the past 4 days, but I do need to get that done soon as she's getting harder and harder to catch. Need the weather to clear up just a bit.
Thank you!

[Lannie]

Yes, the sooner you get a halter on that little heifer, the better. She'll pitch a fit and fall over on her side with her eyes rolled back in her head, but don't panic - you didn't kill her. For some reason, it seems every calf I've ever had does that when you first put a halter on them. Teach her to stand tied while you're milking mom, and don't worry, the first time she'll buck and jump around and probably throw herself to the ground. Just ignore her drama. Momma might get upset, so wait to start milking until baby settles down and momma is relaxed.

I raised one of my milk cows this way (I had a stall for her to stay in next to the stanchion, rather than being tied). She wore a halter from the time she was a week old, and I led her in and out of her stall during milking, so she learned following was a GOOD thing. Also, as soon as she showed an interest in cleaning up mom's treats, I started letting her come in the stanchion after I had finished milking her mom. She learned that standing there with her head in the feed box was completely normal, right from the beginning. I had almost NO break-in time when she calved and it was time to milk her. She had been doing this all her life, and watching her mom be milked, so it was normal. She was a wild child, don't get me wrong, but I made following me, and coming when I called, mean something GOOD to her, and it helped immensely. To this day, she's a bit pushy when she wants her goodies, and thinks she's a princess or something. My fault. But NOW, she gets an elbow in her neck when she gets too impatient, and that puts her right in her place.

Chalk Creek, GET the milker. I was having the same problems, and when my second girl calved, I knew I'd never be able to hand milk both of them. I was apprehensive at first, too, but now that I've used it for a couple of months, I don't ever want to go back to hand milking. This is just TOO easy! LOL!

~Lannie

[Timberline]

Originally Posted by Lannie

Chalk Creek, GET the milker. I was having the same problems, and when my second girl calved, I knew I'd never be able to hand milk both of them. I was apprehensive at first, too, but now that I've used it for a couple of months, I don't ever want to go back to hand milking. This is just TOO easy! LOL!

~Lannie

Thanks, Lannie. What kind of milker do you have?

[Lannie]

I have a Surge belly milker. I love it. My girls will sometimes step around a bit while searching for the best tidbit in the feedbox, and the milker goes with them! I don't have an ideal stanchion set-up, but it works, and now that I have the machine to do the milking, I can enjoy milking again. I always enjoyed MILKING, just not the pain and cramping in my hands. I still sit next to them with my head in their flank, coo and tell them what good girls they are, etc. I was afraid the machine would remove the closeness I felt while milking, but it hasn't. It just made it not hurt!

~Lannie

[Timberline]

Thanks, Lannie. I don't have much pain, but my hands and forearms get numb up to the elbow and I getting a "buzzing" feeling that lasts a while. It's not pleasant at all. Off to look at milkers!

[Lannie]

I had the numbness, too, but Vitamin B-6 does a great deal to reduce it (100 mg. twice a day is what I took). It was the pain that drove me to the milker, but I've never regretted it. Now I have no pain OR numbness.

(Sorry for the thread drift!)

~Lannie

[Timberline]

Thanks, I'm going to try both the vit b and milker!

[BlackWillowFarm]

If you can, get the DeLaval style milker that sits on the floor next to the cow. I have carpal tunnel too and realized about a month into milking I wouldn't be able to keep doing it. That was 3 1/2 years ago. I've been very happy with my milker and can't imagine going back to hand milking.

I can recommend Perry's Milkers in Louisiana. He's on E-Bay but I think you can google him and get his website. He's a good guy and will take care of you even after the sale.