Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2005 13:22:49 GMT -5
Hi ya'll. I'm Barb from east Texas. I have 5 Dexters. Three are pure, one is half zebu, and one is half Jersey. I am milking one of the pure Dexters for the first time. I started on April 3rd. For anyone else milking Dexters, what is the normal amount of milk to expect per milking? I get about 1 1/2 quarts twice a day. I am looking into getting a Kow Kant Kick for her SOON! She has nearly broken my arm twice so far. I am also hoping to get a milking machine next month. For now, I am hand milking. Maggie, the one I am milking, is 2 1/2 yrs old. She had her first calf in Oct. I pulled the calf off of her the day before I started milking. My hubby built me a raised stall to milk her in as it was a real pain in the back to milk her little short butt without it.
This is not the first time I have milked. My sister and I have milked her Jerseys a few times, for very short periods. Big difference between the two. One thing is the same tho.....they both have "Holier than Thou" attitudes. Maggie is so grumpy that I can't milk her by myself. Hubby comes out and pushes on her flank to slow the kicking down enough that I can get out of the way. I hope after I get the KKK I can do it by myself. I really never wanted a machine to do it for me. I enjoy milking, but hubby is affraid I will get hurt. Maybe after I put the Kant Kick on her it will go smooth enough he won't insist on the milker. Tho' eventually I hope to be milking all of the girls. At that point I'm sure the milker will be appreciated!!
I'm really gald I found this site and plan to glean LOTS of useful info from ya'll!!
~BARB~
This is not the first time I have milked. My sister and I have milked her Jerseys a few times, for very short periods. Big difference between the two. One thing is the same tho.....they both have "Holier than Thou" attitudes. Maggie is so grumpy that I can't milk her by myself. Hubby comes out and pushes on her flank to slow the kicking down enough that I can get out of the way. I hope after I get the KKK I can do it by myself. I really never wanted a machine to do it for me. I enjoy milking, but hubby is affraid I will get hurt. Maybe after I put the Kant Kick on her it will go smooth enough he won't insist on the milker. Tho' eventually I hope to be milking all of the girls. At that point I'm sure the milker will be appreciated!!
I'm really gald I found this site and plan to glean LOTS of useful info from ya'll!!
~BARB~