not so family milk cow (rant)

Hannah90 · #1 12/21/12, 09:02 AM

Guys,

I am so frustrated! Some of you may know I bought annabelle back in september. She is a long leg dexter, 12 years old and milking until february. The first month or so was going pretty good, but the more time goes on, the more I think this isnt a good fit. It has been a steady up swing of wiggling around, kicking the milk buck ( I swear she aims) and absolutely refusing to let down her milk so jr. Gets it all. This morning for the first time she kicked me. Seemingly for no other reason than she didnt want me there. Every morning, I start milking and she munches hay. I get about a quart and it all starts. Am I being a baby? I dont have any other cows to compare her to, but I am at my wits ends. I dont want to be without milk for too long but I am considering letting her dry up after I wean her calf after christmas.

If I kept her, could I breed her just for table meat every year and not milk her? Shes been milked her whole life. She has a bad attitude, and I notice shes passed it to her son, who I was going to keep a bull until a few recent incidents, so he will be in the freezer this time next year.

francismilker · #2 12/21/12, 09:31 AM

If you own a family cow long enough, you're going to run into this problem. Are you sure there's not a scratch or cut on her udder anywhere? I've seen some cows that will eat passively while you milk them partly out and then when they start to get drained you end up reaching further up on the udder and getting "a bigger handful" and it makes them stomp and kick.

Some cows, however, do it because they can. Plain and simple, some are a pain in the backside. Once they learn that all they have to do is provide a temporary rodeo and get left alone they've formed a hard habit to break. Unless you have some kind of sentimental ties to her, I'd give her a few days to work through it and then get another cow IMHO.

Have you tried tying her kicking leg so she can't make contact with you. I've even hobbled a cow's two back legs together for a milking or two making it so when they kick at you they jerk their other leg out from under them. This can cause a whole nother' rodeo of it's own.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Rosepath · #3 12/21/12, 09:33 AM

Take the calf away. She's not going to bond with you while he's around, she's resenting giving any of "his" milk to you. How old is he? If he's eating hay/grain
on his own, he'll be fine. If you don't have the facilities to put him where she can't see him, maybe a neighbor would have room for him? We just sent one to freezer camp due to a bad attitude, at his weight (420 lbs) it won't be a lot of beef. But
I can feel safe going in there now. He was getting to be all bull, all the time.
Good luck, no fun milking when it's a rodeo.

Hannah90 · #4 12/21/12, 09:46 AM

Calf is almost 7 months old. I know! Dont chastise me! I didnt have a place to keep them separated, but I have that all worked out now. So after christmas he'll be getting weaned. Maybe that will help.... Or she could decide to be a brat and dry up on me. I have examined her udders to see if there are any sore spots, but there isnt. she has never even threatened to kick until today. Here is how it went.

I got about a quart out of her and she stopped eating and turned to glare at me. Then she started wiggling around and trying her best to get me to stop. Then her calf called for her and she moved again, and I moved my stool and put my hands on her teats and wham.

This cow came from a very nice man. I do not believe he knew she would be this way. She was the first calf from his very first cow. Meaning he trained her to milk and had no idea what he was doing. This is probably where the bad not letting he r milk down habit came from. From what I understand he only milked her to 4 four months into her cyle every year then weaned the calf and stopped. I was already considering moving her on in hopes of getting a jersey. I dont want to get mad and make a hasty decision, but this cow makes morning chores a dreaded event.

Judy in IN · #5 12/21/12, 11:26 AM

I have never had a Dexter. I have had a Jersey. I like Jersey's.

Before you give up, have you tried a Kant Kick device on her?

Dusky Beauty · #6 12/21/12, 01:49 PM

Honestly, I would sell her in good conscience with full disclosure to someone as a backyard beef breeder/nurse cow.

Sounds like you have known this cow long enough to know she has a bad attitude and you already know her behavior is not attributed to an injury, hormonal fluctuations etc. In my (albeit limited) opinion even if you can prevent her kicking she will find ways to "stick it to you" somehow.

I'd get a sweeter cow, or a couple goats
.

bigbluegrass · #7 12/21/12, 01:56 PM

I hand milk and here are a few things I would try:

When she gets the look in her eye, push your head into her side. It will put her slightly off balance and she will have to "redo" her legs to back in balance. Don't knock her over, just give her a solid push. Try to keep on milking through all this. It kinds of lets them know you are in control. A gently cow, that is all you need. I can push my Jersey's around and I am not a very big guy.

If she gets really honery, take a string and tie it to her tail and bring it between the back legs. Pull it snug. When she goes to kick, grab as high on the tail as you can. Hold on like you mean it! When she brings her foot back down to kick, she is going to yank her tail really good. Sometimes a little rodeo follows. Sometimes you loose a bucket of milk. But hold onto the tail until she stops making a fuss. I don't know about Dexters, but once a Jersey figures out what you are up to, she will try to swing her tail and kick at you are the same time. That is what the string is for - so she can't get the tail out of your reach. That is when I start leave the string on for every milking. Make sure the tail is clean (haha). You might need to dump some milk if your hands get really dirty from grabbing the tail. The bucket might get knocked over, but it sends a message.

That's all I have.

linn · #8 12/21/12, 02:38 PM

Take the calf off of the cow and feed it on the bottle. She will probably have a fit at first, but should settle down in a few days. There are various devices and tricks to keep a cow from kicking. We tie the near leg back. My Dexter never kicked. She had never been handled when we got her as an in-calf heifer, but I worked with her and gained her trust. Now she is just a big pet. I own both Dexters and Jerseys. I have to say that Jerseys are probably bred more for dairy temperment than Dexters, but a lot depends on the individual cow.

matt_man · #9 12/21/12, 02:38 PM

This was my experience with the Dexter we milked. Some days she decided she didn't want to be milked and wouldn't come to us. She took out my husband one day when he caught her. Sometimes she would stand still, other times she would try to kill me. There was nothing ever wrong with her and we didn't have a calf to contend with either. He stayed with the old owners.

I own several jerseys now.

tinknal · #10 12/21/12, 02:48 PM

OK, I'm going to say this as gently as I can while still being blunt.

You got the cow, she milked well at first, and now she doesn't. Absent some kind of health problem, the problem is you. My guess is that you tolerated little things (foot stomping, tail swishing, fidgeting, etc. She learned that she could get away with stuff and now she is testing you. Remember, any time you come in contact with an animal you are training it. Weather you train good habits or bad habits is up to you. The best trained animal in the world will backslide with out constant reinforcement.

dkhern · #11 12/21/12, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinknal

OK, I'm going to say this as gently as I can while still being blunt.

You got the cow, she milked well at first, and now she doesn't. Absent some kind of health problem, the problem is you. My guess is that you tolerated little things (foot stomping, tail swishing, fidgeting, etc. She learned that she could get away with stuff and now she is testing you. Remember, any time you come in contact with an animal you are training it. Weather you train good habits or bad habits is up to you. The best trained animal in the world will backslide with out constant reinforcement.

x 2 i hobble her and imeaditaly correct bad behavior

oregon woodsmok · #12 12/21/12, 03:20 PM

I agree that you have been un-training her.

I'd take the calf away. She hasn't earned the right to keep her calf. Thre is a c-shaped do-dad that hooks right in front of the back leg and over the hip bone. That will stop her from kicking. You need to be a bit more forceful about your status in the herd.

Hannah90 · #13 12/21/12, 03:37 PM

Yup. Ya'll are probably right. I am not scared of her. Gues I just figured i wouldnt be dealing with this kind of thing from an old cow. DOY! I will try putting my head into her side. If she kicks again I will hobble her. Or maybe put them on premptively. I can be a real wishy washy when it comes to my animals. So, yeah, youre right. Time to buck up and be the boss. So... When she starts her wiggling business, what do I put? Push her into the wall? Twist her tail?

Judy in IN · #14 12/21/12, 04:54 PM

you could always try a belly rope. It goes right in front of the udder around the cow's midriff. You need a loop at one end, then feed the other end of the rope through it and cinch it tight! Makes it hard to kick.

I've had 3 Jerseys, but was only kicked once by a heifer. She turned out great.
You can do this. If she starts wiggling, I'd smack her on the upper leg and tell her to stop it in my meanest voice. She needs a warning that tells her you are not happy. If she keeps it up, yeah, push her over. Remember, YOU need to be the Boss cow. Make her worry about what YOU will do to HER.

I've not had trouble with cows---Naturally bossy, I guess.

DJ in WA · #15 12/21/12, 07:51 PM

As others have said, they need to know who's boss and what their limits are.

I had an otherwise gentle heifer that for no good reason decided to start kicking. I did all the nice stuff for a few days, then decided a boot to the belly was in order.

After about 3 treatments, surprise, surprise, no more kicking.

For the cow to associate their kicking with the owner's response, it needs to be immediate.

Some discomfort cannot be an excuse for kicking, or we'd all be beat up eventually.

MARYDVM · #16 12/21/12, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hannah90

Calf is almost 7 months old. I know! Dont chastise me! I didnt have a place to keep them separated, but I have that all worked out now. So after christmas he'll be getting weaned. Maybe that will help.... Or she could decide to be a brat and dry up on me. I have examined her udders to see if there are any sore spots, but there isnt. she has never even threatened to kick until today. Here is how it went.

I got about a quart out of her and she stopped eating and turned to glare at me. Then she started wiggling around and trying her best to get me to stop. Then her calf called for her and she moved again, and I moved my stool and put my hands on her teats and wham.

This cow came from a very nice man. I do not believe he knew she would be this way. She was the first calf from his very first cow. Meaning he trained her to milk and had no idea what he was doing. This is probably where the bad not letting he r milk down habit came from. From what I understand he only milked her to 4 four months into her cyle every year then weaned the calf and stopped. I was already considering moving her on in hopes of getting a jersey. I dont want to get mad and make a hasty decision, but this cow makes morning chores a dreaded event.

I think this is your answer. No good producing dairy cow could be dried off at 4 months without a lot of discomfort and difficulty. Some Dexters milk like dairy cows, and a lot milk like beef - they are done at 6 months. When a cow is at the end of their lactation they will start to kick the calf away. She may be sending you the same message - "nothing here so stop bothering me".

Definitely get that 7 month old "calf" away from her, then see if her udder fills up at all. My guess is she's drying up.

Dusky Beauty · #17 12/21/12, 08:36 PM

While all this advice is 100% excellent, my concern is that the OP is noting a bad attitude in the cow AND the bull and believes that poor temperament may be linked genetically.
OP should definitely rule out human behavior being the trigger, BUT it's my personal preference not to breed animals with bad attitudes of any species to put more "stinkers" into my barn (and be in the position of having to sell a new crop of "problem children" every summer) and that's why I would sell the cow.

It could be "wishful thinking" that an imaginary jersey would be so much nicer, but if a jersey could meet the household's milk needs better than this dexter is that might also be a good reason to shuffle her out.

springvalley · #18 12/21/12, 09:03 PM

I will have to agree with Tinknal and DJ, I think your cow has learned what she can get away with. I don`t abuse my cows, but cows are kinda like kids, they try you every once and awhile just to see if your still in charge. I had to retrain a young cow last year that a couple bought from me for a milk cow, the lady called me and said she had stated kicking and didn`t know why. Well they brought her down to get bred and sure enough the first time I milked her she kicked me also. So the good natured guy I am I said "Cow" you don`t do that and kicked ner back in the belly as hard as I could, she never kicked again while she was at my place. As I said I don`t abuse my cows, but I won`t let them get away with stuff either, and I don`t like cow anti-kickers either. I will use the rope trick like Judy said when their first calf cows for a few days if I have to but thats about it. I never twist tails, hold on to them yes, I also never beat them, thats just not right. Jersey cows are kinda like elephants, they never forget, if you abuse them or beat them they will get back at you some day, when your not looking probly. I would wean the calf and give her a stern taking to, if you know what I mean. > Thanks Marc

Hannah90 · #19 12/21/12, 09:58 PM

Thank you everyone. Calfer is gone right after christmas. I can't tell if she is drying up. She has some for me, stops then the calfs comes and nurses for 15-20 minutes. I think she's just being a real snot. But, as I said I dont have anything to base it on.

tinknal · #20 12/22/12, 05:25 AM

When a cow is "right in the head" It is pretty easy to keep her this way. It is also easy to lose control. A simple sharp slap to the ribs for any minor indiscretion will remind her to behave and will probably hurt your hand more than her ribs. Think if you owned a store and you learned that an employee stitched a candy bar every day. Otherwise a very good employee that you do not want to lose. Nip it in the bud and the problem will disappear, ignore it and pretty soon it will be a box of candy bars, then a case of candy bars, and so on.