Do I need to wax my cow's bikini line?

Dusky Beauty · #1 10/04/12, 11:39 AM

Long story short--- I'm planning on trying to milk one of the new cows for the first time this evening. My equipment is all getting sterilized right now, but I was wondering if I needed to shave the hair off of her udder to keep the area clean? or do I just need to wipe the teats really well?

sammyd · #2 10/04/12, 01:08 PM

most udders are OK without a trim job, you need to see if the hair is retaining bedding that may drop off while attaching the milker or into your bucket if hand milking. If she's out on pasture and not full of bits of bedding I wouldn't worry about it much you can usually knock off any bits of grass while washing the teats.
If you do trim you can use a trimmer or some folks will use a torch, running it quickly around the udder to singe off the longer hairs.
You should wipe the teats off before milking. Some folks wash them, some dip and wipe. It should be done the same way at every milking though as a cow prefers routine.

Dusky Beauty · #3 10/04/12, 01:40 PM

She is paddocked in a clean pen all the time-- no bedding, just some soft dust. I thought a wash and a wipe would be good. I was planning on milking with a cheesecloth screen over the bucket to keep foreign objects out, AND I was planning to pasteurize to play it extra safe since I am still new to this enterprise.

suzyhomemaker09 · #4 10/04/12, 02:13 PM

When milking our cow ( I'm new to it too ) I brush her down well and use an increased version of the same solution I use on my goats...just in a small container rather than a spray bottle.
Appx. 1 quart of warm water , a tsp of dish soap and a tbs of bleach...I drop a washcloth in it and after a good brushing wash teats and udder with that.

Dusky Beauty · #5 10/04/12, 02:34 PM

This is my first time doing this cow-- I know she's been milked before (by hand) but she isn't all that great with ground manners yet. hoping she is so interested in the oat bucket she doesn't try to kill me! LOL

Dusky Beauty · #6 10/06/12, 08:18 PM

Well, didn't get back to report right away since I got really REALLY caught by a nasty bug later that night.

Ms. Cow did NOT want to be milked and danced all over. I took a good kick in in the bucket that made my hand ring till I put on a flank rope. (Jeffers sells DARN good stainless steel buckets!! not a dent!)

I have an idea to rig up 2 cow panels as a chute to keep her still, and facing the pen with her calf on the other side to calm her but will need to figure out how to make it secure-- unsure how my mom will feel about me cementing two of her panels into the ground

Suffice it to say with all the movement I couldn't keep her from tossing dirt and hair into the bucket.
I need to fashion some screens with elastic or something that stay around the bucket.

Even so--- hands that never milked before got milk out of the cow!! So I'm pleased. Hope ms. cow spent my sick days enjoying her break.

Cygnet · #7 10/10/12, 07:11 PM

I saw this a bit late -- but when I'm milking a critter that doesn't want to be milked, I don't put the bucket under the animal. If you can milk her one handed, milk into a cup. Keep the bucket out of her reach. (I always filter milk when I'm all done -- that way, I can take my time and watch for clots in the milk and other issues that I might miss if I'm also dealing with a cranky cow.)

You might invest in a small hand milker (the kind you pump with one hand) until she's used to being milked -- they're about $90 on eBay last I checked. Attach hand milker, stand back, and she can dance all she wants. It's slower than milking by hand, but it's safer for you and it's a nice interim step to getting her used to being milked.

Plus if you want to milk the doelings you got from me, you can get some small cups and it will make it MUCH easier to milk them. They tend to have really tiny teats their first year.

Judy in IN · #8 10/10/12, 07:57 PM

Nehimama uses an old glass coffee pot from the drip-through coffee makers. I thought that was a great idea! It has that nice handle built right on!

Yep, just milk into something small and dump it into the bigger bucket sitting safely away from the cow.

Good luck!

Cygnet · #9 10/10/12, 09:28 PM

I use a metal camping cup -- impossible to break -- for goats. Something larger might be needed for a cow.