Getting a milk cow, need advice

tripletmom · #1 12/20/13, 09:27 PM

Actually, she's not a cow quite yet. Holstein, fixin to freshen. She's not wild, but not tame enough to milk yet either. My mission for next week is to work with her and get to where I can handle her, all over. I can touch her, and she'll snoofle my hand. Any ideas/suggestions for getting her ready to milk? I don't have a small enclosure and DH doesn't think leaving her in the stock trailer for a few days is a good idea, he thinks I'll get knocked down and trampled messing with her in there. Thank you!

DutchAcres · #2 12/21/13, 02:42 PM

There is an excellent article in Small Farmer's Journal that goes through step-by-step how to train up a young cow to be easy to handle and milk. I'm not near my copies of that magazine now, but I'll look when I get home and give you the exact issue information. I think it was printed during the 1980's or 90's. I already checked the index tool on their website but I can't find it. It only goes back a few years now.

haypoint · #3 12/21/13, 03:04 PM

IMHO you are vastly unprepared for the task at hand. I don't say that to be mean. But milk cow ownership isn't something you figure out in a weekend or two.
"I plan to,next week" doesn't sound like someone that is devoted to twice daily, for 300 days, milking.
Your heifer needs to be fed morning and night in a stanchion. Use the time she is restrained to touch her all over. If you don't have a place to restrain her, DH needs to get one built. A Holstein is a large animal that likely will produce a lot of milk. Plus, with any luck, you'll have a calf to keep alive. Scours tablets and a few bottles of electrolytes should be there before the calf is born. Read the thread about sale barn calves, a lot pertains to your calf. I don't think there is an easy way to train adult cattle to lead.

arnie · #4 12/21/13, 04:13 PM

haypoint is correct get hubby to build a milking stall with a manger for you to feed her in so she will get used to being restrained it needs to be tight fitting on her sides and have boards to protect you from getting kicked while milking . even with a well broke kind old cow like my bessy you need a clean place out of the weather where she is comfortable to milkin peace this is a twice a day job rain or shine. I milk in an open stall while bessy eats her grain ration I let the calf nurse one side as I milk the other I have to watch out at first letting the calf only have one quarter or what it needs but never let it get to much this gets easyer as it grows . but I have a gentle 11 year old brown swiss cow that knows the routine better than I I still have to be carefull not to get a toe steped on . or bumped by a big head as she fights flys or hurrys into the barn. i'v seen many contrapsions used to break a cow to milk from tieing her head to the manger and tieing her hind leg; there are also ready made kickers that you put on the cow that prevents her from kicking but you still need a stall . best to start at least get a halter on her that you can snap a rope to from the manger or close the stantion while she is eating brushing her will get her used to being handled while in the barn and in the stall patence will pay off as she should come around in a couple weeks and you will have a good cow for years and a tight stall may not be needed any more . . a cow can kick with perfict acuricy and lightning speed her udder is senceitive and when she first calves nature has told her that only her calf should be there and your safety is #1 . get her to love coming into her milking stall to get her grain ration now before she has a calf and being brushed and handled while in there and you will have a big head start

Goat Doula · #5 12/21/13, 08:53 PM

It looks like you have a very big job ahead of you. I'm not sure I would tackle it and we have had 2 milk cows. The Jersey we have now is older, very kind and use to hand or machine milking. We bought her that way on purpose so we didn't have to train her. It can get discouraging and frustrating if you have to fight with your cow to milk her. You have gotten excellent advice here from the other posters. I think the only other thing I could add is if this is your first milk animal you may want to consider a couple of well trained dairy goats that are in milk. They are easier to milk, smaller and easier to handle, give wonderful milk to drink and make cheese with. Just my thoughts. Good luck what ever you decide.

tripletmom · #6 12/21/13, 11:07 PM

Thank you for the information, its all very encouraging and I appreciate that :-) I've got 20 years of countryside magazines I'm going to go through also. This isn't as spur of the moment as I may have made it sound, we've been wanting to do it for a while now, but didn't and this opportunity just presented itself and we're not ready. We're scrambling to get a shed with a stantion built. DH is very handy. I do understand the commitment, we had dairy goats on our last homestead and both our families had a family cow when we were young. We also have had a small herd of beef cattle for years. I'm looking forward to the challenge and again, I really appreciate the positive information.

sammyd · #7 12/22/13, 07:16 AM

Don't try to do anything in the trailer. Get her out and tied to a stall.
You need to be able to escape.

DutchAcres · #8 12/22/13, 09:42 AM

I found the article in Small Farmer's Journal that I was thinking of. Spring 2013 Volume 37 Issue 2. Titled "The Milk & Human Kindness by Suzanne Lupien". Page 12. The part I thought would be helpful is titled "Making Friends with Your Wild Heifer" and begins on Page 14.

Small Farmer's Journal has a website where you can order back issues. If you absolutely can't find a copy anywhere, send me a private message and I can make a photo copy and mail it to you.

I can sympathize with finding yourself in a situation you want to take advantage of and not being ready for it. You'll figure it out.

tab · #9 12/22/13, 03:27 PM

Do you have a stall for her? I bought a halter that tightens across the nose with pressure and used a horse tie from our trailor to get some control over my cow when I started last spring. Sometimes things aren't what you really want but make it safe and improvise. Brushing is a great treat for most cows. A good way to help her acclimate to you.
A holstein can give a lot of milk, do you have strong hands? My hands held up but am looking at other options for next lactation. I did not and do not have all the answers but was committed to milking. It was and is a learning process. I still research lots. A commitment to having a healthy, safe animal is a huge incentive. It can get overwhelming so do your research.

Miss Kay · #10 12/22/13, 03:42 PM

You need to head over to the family cow site. They'll fix you right up.

http://familycow.proboards.com/board/19/family-cow

tripletmom · #11 12/22/13, 08:21 PM

What an amazing Site Miss Kay, thank you so much. I am not only encouraged, but I'm fired up! There are several threads with wonderful advice for situations just like mine. We picked up the materials today and DH will be building a pen with headgate so I can start working with her then he's building a 16x16 shed around the pen. We're picking Lily up tomorrow!

Miss Kay · #12 12/22/13, 08:54 PM

Yes, it is an awesome site. We are some abscessed milkmaids on there but lots of experience!

Rose1317 · #13 12/23/13, 05:27 PM

LOL, Miss Kay, don't you mean obsessed?
As a member of that wonderful site, I hope we're not all abscessed, altho there have been a few incidents here and there.

Miss Kay · #14 12/23/13, 06:54 PM

Oh my, that's a hoot. I should pay more attention to spell check.

mrs whodunit · #15 12/23/13, 09:03 PM

If you haven't milked before I would really get an experienced cow OR milk for somebody who has a nice cow.

Milking a cow that doesn't want to be milked even for an experienced person whos hands are in shape is quite the chore.

tripletmom · #16 12/24/13, 10:39 AM

We got Lily home and she is way more tame than expected! I'm thrilled. She comes for feed and I can pet and stroke her all over. Started building the shed yesterday.

DutchAcres · #17 12/24/13, 02:14 PM

If you can, I'm sure we'd all like to see pictures of Lily and her shed.

tab · #18 12/24/13, 09:41 PM

Get your hands on that udder! Maybe when she is eating and see how much it distracts her, the less the better. Remember a calf can change the dynamics. Make sure she is really, really liking you.

Cheribelle · #19 12/25/13, 02:18 AM

Maybe a tip for you here... The guy I bought my cow from took the calf at birth. Then he milked and bottle fed the calf. My cow was totally fine with this. I eventually "share milked" but kept the calf penned separately. My cow works really well this way. She's not overly protective of the calf, but will let it nurse. Best of both worlds in my situation.

Miss Kay · #20 12/25/13, 09:07 AM

Oh Cheribelle, I so agree. We pull the calf at birth and bottle twice a day. I actually enjoy it since it takes so little time to feed it. I'm not going to be chasing a calf to put it up or work with a cow that's more interested in the calf than the milking. Just makes life so much easier IMO.