Post by catherine on Nov 10, 2008 3:24:05 GMT -5
Hey Folks! I've got a dear friend who's having troubles with her cows...as you'll see in her letter that I've pasted below. I've mentioned that she buy "Keeping a Family Cow" by Joann, and I've talked to her about the KFC forum, in the past. However, she hasn't made it over here quite yet. She's in something of a predicament, and I crave your wise advice for her. I think this will get her here over here now! My thoughts run to grafting calves, adding in treats for luring, and installing swinging gates for her stanchion. Any help will be MOST appreciated. M. is a wonderful friend, has had an incredibly crazy schedule of late, is trying to help save our endangered Red Wattle hogs, and I hate to hear her sounding a tad despirate. Thanks every so much for any help. Blessings, C.
Dear Catherine:
I am going to call you and see if I can get you to help me on this cow-milking scenario. I really want to do it but feel like I'm running out of options! I'll send this too in case you get it sooner. I kinda need to know what I should do by the morning.
The players are:
1) Dixie, cow w/bookoo milk supply --had bull calf on Oct. 30
2) Nichole, heifer, after church, came home and found her standing beside her newborn but dead calf on Nov. 2
3) Brenna, cow with heifer born yesterday, Nov. 8
Dixie is loaded, but I could never get her in the stanchion, not even the barn. Nichole lost her calf and I couldn't get more than one teat to work. I guess the milk never let down. And then Brenna has one teat that is undersized--only like 2" long. dexters are of course much smaller to start with, but this one rear teat is half the length of the others.
Okay, tonight, I go out to try to milk Brenna and never could get her in the barn, not to mention the stanchion (she was most cooperative before the calf came!). I have not been able before to get Dixie in the barn, but both she and Nichole were in there tonight when it was Brenna I wanted. Go figure!
So...
I'm assuming that: 1) I'm WAYYY too late on Dixie. A shame, since she's got a terrific udder and 2) Nichole is a lost cause. So what about Brenna? Calf had cleaned out the two right quarters and I milked out that one bigger teat in about 5 mins tonight. I just did her in the pasture cuz I could't lift the calf very far and I couldn't get her to the barn/stanchion. Tomorrow I can lock her in the corral and she will be right there by the barn. I could pen the calf in the barn if that's a good idea. Before the calf came she was emitting plenty of test-shots out of each teat. She was going right in the stanchion for me. Maybe after cleaning out the right quarters the calf milked on the left small one tonight and decided to forgo the large one...? If there are only 3 gung-ho teats and I milk one, am I leaving the calf short?
Dang it. Cathy, I really wanted to do this! Now it seems that the dynamics of getting the right cow in the right place at the right time is the issue here--the milking part itself I think I can do! These cows are non-kickers so I feel confident and not intimidated anymore about the milking itself.
We did have a cow before (I sold her) who seemed low on the milk production end of things but I haven't been concerned about Brenna, although she certainly isn't the buxom broad Dixie is. Our other two big-uddered cows (a "stray" we inherited from the neighbor who died, and Beige, the poor dexter who was de-horned as an adult (it turned her from a milk cow to one that's not touchable) are not possibilities. The only other ones to choose from are the Watusi and our dexter Heather, but those we have to wait until spring. I think Heather will be fine but the Watusi? I don't think so!
I mentioned to my DH the other day that I want to get a Jersey because of the cream percentage--Dexters' milk has small fat globules and it's like homogenized. He said, no, that's why we have Dexters. Then he realized he wants to make cheese and so NOW he's talking about getting a Jersey like he had years ago! X@+)#(&%@mx.!!! LOL. Oh well, whatever works!
So outa 3 cows I thought I'd have to choose from, I'm quickly running out of options, aren't I?!
I wish he had done the stanchion with the gate I could swing, like I suggested, but he couldn't figure out how to "cap" the back end so the cow wouldn't back out. I might have been able to get Dixie in that if I had gotten the calf in the barn and she was more inclined to go in there. The other thing is, if I had halter-trained someone I might have a better chance! I thought to put a halter on Dixie or Brenna, as they MAY be halter-trained from before we got them. I forgot to try it! The seller gave us a bunch of halters so they may be trained but I can't get ahold of her to find out!
I saw a book "owning a family milk cow" or something like that. Is there a book you can recommend that would answer some of this stuff once and for all? Doing a search on the forum is exhausting! Thanks for whatever help you can render gal. XOX!!! M.
Dear Catherine:
I am going to call you and see if I can get you to help me on this cow-milking scenario. I really want to do it but feel like I'm running out of options! I'll send this too in case you get it sooner. I kinda need to know what I should do by the morning.
The players are:
1) Dixie, cow w/bookoo milk supply --had bull calf on Oct. 30
2) Nichole, heifer, after church, came home and found her standing beside her newborn but dead calf on Nov. 2
3) Brenna, cow with heifer born yesterday, Nov. 8
Dixie is loaded, but I could never get her in the stanchion, not even the barn. Nichole lost her calf and I couldn't get more than one teat to work. I guess the milk never let down. And then Brenna has one teat that is undersized--only like 2" long. dexters are of course much smaller to start with, but this one rear teat is half the length of the others.
Okay, tonight, I go out to try to milk Brenna and never could get her in the barn, not to mention the stanchion (she was most cooperative before the calf came!). I have not been able before to get Dixie in the barn, but both she and Nichole were in there tonight when it was Brenna I wanted. Go figure!
So...
I'm assuming that: 1) I'm WAYYY too late on Dixie. A shame, since she's got a terrific udder and 2) Nichole is a lost cause. So what about Brenna? Calf had cleaned out the two right quarters and I milked out that one bigger teat in about 5 mins tonight. I just did her in the pasture cuz I could't lift the calf very far and I couldn't get her to the barn/stanchion. Tomorrow I can lock her in the corral and she will be right there by the barn. I could pen the calf in the barn if that's a good idea. Before the calf came she was emitting plenty of test-shots out of each teat. She was going right in the stanchion for me. Maybe after cleaning out the right quarters the calf milked on the left small one tonight and decided to forgo the large one...? If there are only 3 gung-ho teats and I milk one, am I leaving the calf short?
Dang it. Cathy, I really wanted to do this! Now it seems that the dynamics of getting the right cow in the right place at the right time is the issue here--the milking part itself I think I can do! These cows are non-kickers so I feel confident and not intimidated anymore about the milking itself.
We did have a cow before (I sold her) who seemed low on the milk production end of things but I haven't been concerned about Brenna, although she certainly isn't the buxom broad Dixie is. Our other two big-uddered cows (a "stray" we inherited from the neighbor who died, and Beige, the poor dexter who was de-horned as an adult (it turned her from a milk cow to one that's not touchable) are not possibilities. The only other ones to choose from are the Watusi and our dexter Heather, but those we have to wait until spring. I think Heather will be fine but the Watusi? I don't think so!
I mentioned to my DH the other day that I want to get a Jersey because of the cream percentage--Dexters' milk has small fat globules and it's like homogenized. He said, no, that's why we have Dexters. Then he realized he wants to make cheese and so NOW he's talking about getting a Jersey like he had years ago! X@+)#(&%@mx.!!! LOL. Oh well, whatever works!
So outa 3 cows I thought I'd have to choose from, I'm quickly running out of options, aren't I?!
I wish he had done the stanchion with the gate I could swing, like I suggested, but he couldn't figure out how to "cap" the back end so the cow wouldn't back out. I might have been able to get Dixie in that if I had gotten the calf in the barn and she was more inclined to go in there. The other thing is, if I had halter-trained someone I might have a better chance! I thought to put a halter on Dixie or Brenna, as they MAY be halter-trained from before we got them. I forgot to try it! The seller gave us a bunch of halters so they may be trained but I can't get ahold of her to find out!
I saw a book "owning a family milk cow" or something like that. Is there a book you can recommend that would answer some of this stuff once and for all? Doing a search on the forum is exhausting! Thanks for whatever help you can render gal. XOX!!! M.