Milking in Winter

[Suzyq2u]

Do you use anything on your hands?
Use gloves? Special lotion afterwards, etc.
Tell me about milking through winter

[springvalley]

Your milking a warm blooded animal, she should keep your hands warm till your done . then put your gloves back on. And yes use lotion afterwards, goats and cows like soft hands and warm ones. > Thanks Marc

[Lizza]

I start with a hot/warm bucket of water with iodine udder wash, I have a small jar of raw coconut oil that is sealed tight-I toss this in the wash water, I then use disposable towels and wash the udder, then my hands and her udder are nice and warm, I do my milking, after I am done I take the now warm melted coconut oil and give her udder and nice massage with it. Coconut oil is wonderful.

[windblown]

I always used warm water to wash the udder off more comfortable for you and the goat
keep an eye out for chapping use udder balm or A and D ointment if the teats start getting chapped you could keep some lotion in your pocket to put on your hands as soon as you are done and headed back to the house

[houndlover]

What you don't want to do is touch an udder with freezing hands. Good way to get kicked! I just use a little udder cream on my hands, but I do that year round.

[julieq]

For both the comfort of the doe and also to keep your own hands from freezing, I highly suggest a baby wipe warmer. In fact, I need to buy another one before too long here as we let our last one go when we sold our milk cow.

We only take our winter gloves off to clean the doe, get her hooked up to the milking machine and then strip her. Then we put our gloves right back on!

[francismilker]

Maybe I'm not too curteous to the doe but I usually just keep my hands tucked in the pockets on my jacket to keep them warm as much as I can. Then, I rub them together a bit to warm them up before I grab ahold and start milking. They never seem to mind.

[lonelyfarmgirl]

winter milking sucks, plain and simple, but has to be done. I dont have an inside place to milk, so I milk outside in all weather. I simply take off my gloves, give the udder a quick rub over and milk away. I do not wash udder, unless its actually dirty. Its usually not. Besides, warm or not, who wants to be wet in the cold?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Move to South Texas.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by lonelyfarmgirl

winter milking sucks, plain and simple, but has to be done. I dont have an inside place to milk, so I milk outside in all weather.

I just open the door, and let them step into the dining room to be milked one by one. Hubby sits at the table to hold their halter and feed treats, while I sit on the floor and milk. I am too old to freeze my hands out there, I just won't do it. You say, "come here, Bluebell" or whoever and they run to the door. They like treats, and know when they come in they get them.

[nehimama]

As far as winter milking goes, I've always stated "I'm so glad goats' teats aren't made of brass!"

[Heritagefarm]

Milking is winter is pure torture. It is horrible, and makes me want throw the milk off a cliff. So does kidding and lambing in winter, too. Everything is frozen and dead and there is nothing to eat. The trees have no leaves, it is freezing and your hands get chapped beyond belief.
Can you tell I hate winter?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Go ahead. Let it all out!

[survivalprepare]

I also meant to say I use the utter butter or bag balm on my hands when Im milking. It also helps her with chaffing.

[survivalprepare]

I live in eastern Montana during our winters it is nothing to see 10 below or more through the winter. I milk a jersey cow in a small shed with lots of straw for her. I have a dry cloth and a wash cloth that I wet with very hot water and roll it up in the towel. I use utter butter and bag balm if needed. When you are milking your hands stay warm. Infact I get over heated from the cows body warmth. I find during the winter I also milk faster..

[springvalley]

Originally Posted by Heritagefarm

Milking is winter is pure torture. It is horrible, and makes me want throw the milk off a cliff. So does kidding and lambing in winter, too. Everything is frozen and dead and there is nothing to eat. The trees have no leaves, it is freezing and your hands get chapped beyond belief.
Can you tell I hate winter?

WOW, sure glad you don`t live further North, cause it gets worse the farther you go. I have no idea why anyone would want to live in Canada, it`s gotta be durn cold up that far. Hehe . > Thanks Marc

[KimM]

I am so with you there. If it's below 45°, I'm uncomfortably cold. I'd love to move farther south.
When I milk in winter, I keep my udder wash and teat dip warm. After the final dip I wait 30 seconds and wipe it mostly off. Why can't they make a powdered teat dip?

Originally Posted by Heritagefarm

Milking is winter is pure torture. It is horrible, and makes me want throw the milk off a cliff. So does kidding and lambing in winter, too. Everything is frozen and dead and there is nothing to eat. The trees have no leaves, it is freezing and your hands get chapped beyond belief.
Can you tell I hate winter?

[Suzyq2u]

Originally Posted by survivalprepare

I find during the winter I also milk faster..

I'll bet, lol

[gone-a-milkin]

Hee, hee. I dont appreciate winter milking either, but it has got to be done.

Keep moving and get it over as quick as possible, that is my motto.
Try to pick up all the poo before it freezes solid. Boy it can stack up in a cowbarn pretty quick.

On the plus side, everything stays pretty sanitary. Not many bacteria floating around in frozen air or growing on frozen equipment.

[lonelyfarmgirl]

Originally Posted by mekasmom

I just open the door, and let them step into the dining room to be milked one by one. Hubby sits at the table to hold their halter and feed treats, while I sit on the floor and milk. I am too old to freeze my hands out there, I just won't do it. You say, "come here, Bluebell" or whoever and they run to the door. They like treats, and know when they come in they get them.

If I did this, I couldn't imagine what would happen. DH would probably, simply turn around and walk away, then come back to see if he was imagining things. I would never dare do something like this.

Now where I lived before we got married, I had baby chicks and once a baby goat inside for a while. She was born in freezing rain in Feb. and her mom didn't get milk. But now? That would never happen. I think he might faint.