Post by mommyto6 on Jun 27, 2015 9:08:51 GMT -5
I just bought a Jersey cow, she is so sweet and gentle... . Seller claims she was putting out 83lbs of milk a day, of course she was machine milking and they fed her for large production. We bought her with a bull calf, which they both adopted each other and are doing great together, so the calf is on full time as of now and under a week old. Problem, my milking skills are awful and while she has a lot patience, she doesn't appreciate our long drawn out milkings and gets fidgety, doesn't help its hot and the mosquitoes are thick... an hour later, if my husband is helping we have around a gallon, less if its just me... some ends up on the ground of course but nothing hugely significant and I know she's not "empty". I obviously don't know how much the calf is drinking, but he seems to do a good job on his preferred quarter. My question, how bad are we hurting her by not being able to fully milk her out? My MIL said we can ruin a dairy cow if we don't milk her out completely (true?), and she is coming over for this evenings milking to help me, thank goodness. The seller said if we don't get her milked out at every milking, she's just going to get fuller and we will get further behind... which since I breastfed my own children, I question because of supply and demand.. (and I feel horrible that I can't give her more relief), but this is my first dairy animal in milk so I don't know... and while I don't need 83 lbs a day, I don't want her to drop too low either. I noticed too, that she isn't giving us cream.. fine if she's holding it for the calf, I don't mind since I'm in the learning process anyway and he needs it more than I do... but does that mean she's holding back from me all together and that's why I seem to have such a hard time.. or is it really just my lack of skill? We are also looking into milking machines, but that isn't going to be an overnight solution because local is nonexistent.. and I am still reading through the milk machine board. I really don't want to mess this up.
Also... any tips to make this easier are greatly appreciated, and probably much needed
This may be the hardest thing I have ever done, but while my bounty is small, it is its own reward!
Also... any tips to make this easier are greatly appreciated, and probably much needed
This may be the hardest thing I have ever done, but while my bounty is small, it is its own reward!