Post by jaye on Feb 17, 2009 7:56:47 GMT -5
I have been hand milking Elsie-Dee for 3 weeks now. She has her bull calf with her most of the time. I separate for about 4 hours before milking 2x a day. I get almost 1 gallon from the morning milking and usually over a 1/2 gallon from the evening.
I'm getting kind of stressed about several things - wondering if I'm doing something wrong that's keeping her milk production low, some behavior problems that are making me spooky and trouble "milking out". I really wish I had someone nearby I could watch and learn from but I don't think that's an option. Maybe I can get some advice from you folks.
The milkings usually go well at first. When the flow starts to slow down, she starts to get fussy and I am imagining that she knows I'll put the calf on her for a minute to get another let-down and that's the reason for the fussiness. But then I wonder if there is some discomfort in her udder that's making her swish her tail. She rarely lifts a foot, but she will start to moo and swish her tail and eventually swing her hindquarters, usually away from me but a few times *towards* me and almost on top of me. I think I need to get my husband to build me a stanchion to control this side-to-side movement! She is currently tied to the wall.
I feed her grain while I tidy up, brush her and wash her udder. She eats faster than I milk, so the grain won't hold us through a milking. Sometimes I give her hay and sometimes not. She moves around a lot when she eats hay but it does help her ignore the calf more, who is usually tied by her head, but has lately been tied to another wall because he tries to climb on her to play while I'm milking, which she definitely does NOT like.
So I'm out there alone, trying to stay safe and do a good job of milking all the while trying to imagine what my cow is thinking and feeling!
Then, the last couple of milkings, I'm concerned about one quarter staying firm, up high against her body. The milk looks fine and there isn't any heat or other outward signs of mastitis. It's just that this quarter seems to be holding up more than the others. Of course, in my inexperience, I wonder if the firmness is really milk! I milk out all I can and put the calf back on once or twice to get another let-down but last night it still seemed firm when I finished up and I don't think the calf was even getting much from it. So now I've got something else to worry about.
If anyone has advice, I'd appreciate hearing it. Thanks!
I'm getting kind of stressed about several things - wondering if I'm doing something wrong that's keeping her milk production low, some behavior problems that are making me spooky and trouble "milking out". I really wish I had someone nearby I could watch and learn from but I don't think that's an option. Maybe I can get some advice from you folks.
The milkings usually go well at first. When the flow starts to slow down, she starts to get fussy and I am imagining that she knows I'll put the calf on her for a minute to get another let-down and that's the reason for the fussiness. But then I wonder if there is some discomfort in her udder that's making her swish her tail. She rarely lifts a foot, but she will start to moo and swish her tail and eventually swing her hindquarters, usually away from me but a few times *towards* me and almost on top of me. I think I need to get my husband to build me a stanchion to control this side-to-side movement! She is currently tied to the wall.
I feed her grain while I tidy up, brush her and wash her udder. She eats faster than I milk, so the grain won't hold us through a milking. Sometimes I give her hay and sometimes not. She moves around a lot when she eats hay but it does help her ignore the calf more, who is usually tied by her head, but has lately been tied to another wall because he tries to climb on her to play while I'm milking, which she definitely does NOT like.
So I'm out there alone, trying to stay safe and do a good job of milking all the while trying to imagine what my cow is thinking and feeling!
Then, the last couple of milkings, I'm concerned about one quarter staying firm, up high against her body. The milk looks fine and there isn't any heat or other outward signs of mastitis. It's just that this quarter seems to be holding up more than the others. Of course, in my inexperience, I wonder if the firmness is really milk! I milk out all I can and put the calf back on once or twice to get another let-down but last night it still seemed firm when I finished up and I don't think the calf was even getting much from it. So now I've got something else to worry about.
If anyone has advice, I'd appreciate hearing it. Thanks!