[hayzor]

I have a 5 yr old Dexter due to freshen w/ her 3rd calf in September. She has never been milked and I want to milk her. What are the things that I need to know and prepare for. I'm sure she'll need some training to get used to the whole process. Any recommendations to get her ready. I will be milking her by hand.

Thanks

 

[uncle Will in In.]

Get a stanchion ready where ever you plan to do the milking. Start feeding her a little bit of grain or ground feed in the feed trough in front of the stanchion. When she sticks her head in the stanchion to eat, close it. You may need a rope or pole of some kind to get it closed if she is not tame. Get her used to this routein by locking her in every day for at least a half hour. While you have her capsured pet her and brush her.
When you start milking her, she will not resist as much if the calf is on the other side nursing. At the very first, stand up to milk her with your shoulder against her flank. That way you are out of harms way if she trys to kick you. Don't let her fake you out. A rope or strap around the belly right in front of the udder that is drawn up as tight as you possibly can get it will make it difficult for her to kick. Meanwhile you need to do squeezing exercises to toughen up your milking muscles. Milking can really put a strain on the muscles in your forearms if you are not used to it.

 

[Guest]

DH doesn't use a brush, but will often scratch our calves/cows/bulls to get them accustomed to being handled.

Even if they don't normally want to hang around to be petted or handled, they will usually stand still while he scratches the manure off their backsides (he wears gloves!). He says they *love* it!

Sometimes while he's feeding, certain cows will BACK UP to him, ready to have their backsides scratched.

 

[Guest]

I have a 5 yr old Dexter due to freshen w/ her 3rd calf in September. She has never been milked and I want to milk her. What are the things that I need to know and prepare for. I'm sure she'll need some training to get used to the whole process. Any recommendations to get her ready. I will be milking her by hand.

Thanks

Hi I am only a bit ahead of you, I have two dexter cows that I got for meat milking, they are guiet but I have had times when I thought I would never get them tame enough to milk, you dont really have much time but I had mine for a fewmonths before they went to the bull. Every cow is different I always had horses and was used to noing how a horse thought ,cows, so I've learnt are different, just dont give up ! Mine seemed to just tame up when they were ready not when I wanted it, I just keep feeding them small amounts of yummy feed I did buy some hobbles but my one heifer who is due in a couple of months and has already bagged up letts me touch her udder and do anything and she dosnt mind. One thing I have noticed with cows because they see us as dominent if they are eating and we walk up and touch them they will move away more out of respect so like the other guy said if you can restrain them and get them used to you touching them while they stand and eat, they seem to then relax and stop moving away, I have heard of some cows that have to be hobbled while they are milked, that is why I bought some. Luckily I dont need them, well not for this one,hope you persist.

DOES ANY ONE KNOW THE RIGHT WAY TO CLEAN THE UDDER BEFORE YOU MILK?? Thanks