Milking and hairy udders...

[Patt]

We milked our dexter cow for the first time this morning. It went pretty well for a cow who had never been milked and myself who had never milked a cow! My husband did a lot better, he has milked before but Bridget doesn't like him.
How do you keep all the hair out of the milk when milking the hairy breeds? We have Highlands and our Dexter so hair will be a problem. Can you clip the hair? I have dog clippers but I don't know what Bridget would think of that! She's normally pretty gentle though.
Patt

[Carol K]

Patt, I've heard of a few Dexter breeders that say the same thing. Take the clippers in the barn with you and when she is tied up feeding, just turn them on and let her get used to the noise for a few days while gradually getting closer. She will soon get used to the noise(hopefully), then you need to get close enough with them to clip, that can be the fun part!! If you have a chute you could put her in there and get it done, but the less stress she goes through is probably better, you don't want her milk production to drop. Let me know how it goes,

Carol

[FlipFlopFarmer]

We have a jersey ( not a real hairy breed ) We use clothepins to secure a thin piece of cloth over top of the milk bucket and just milk right through the cloth. This keeps the milk cleaner (flies, hairs, anything that falls from the swishing tail)

Carla