Fresh cow, family cow ...?

[cloverfarm]

Two of our heifers freshened this morning. The black baldy went right to work takign care of her little calf but the Holstein cross heifer -- well -- we'll have to wait and see what happens. We had to pull her calf -- a really big heifer that still seems a little out of it. I hope they both make it. At first we thought we had a dead calf and a downer cow on our hands. Anyway ...

Her dam was one of our top producers so she looks very milky.

How would it work to milk her if she seems to have more than enough for the calf? Is that what some of you folks do? Would I milk her once a day? And if you milk by hand for any length of time, how do you keep your hands from cramping up?

Thanks in advance ...
Ann

[OD]

It would probably be good for your cow to milk her if she gives more milk than the calf needs. If she isn't gentle, you will need a way to restrain her & prevent her from kicking you.
We have a Jersey/Angus cross cow that gives way too much milk for one calf, & I wish I had trained her to be milked, because her bag is ruined from not ever being milked out properly.
You will have to build your hands up, it just takes time.

[tyusclan]

Seperate the calf from the cow at night, milk what you want in the morning and then turn the cow and calf out together during the day.