Post by mrowley9 on Dec 26, 2004 19:20:16 GMT -5
Hi all,
While we still have some of the behavioral problems with Cranberry (she's responding to the techniques we've been trying) we also have some milking time behavior problems. Cranberry was in a home dairy business before so she was milked by machine and they just hooked up the cows and went into the milk prep area and then I imagine just came back out, unhooked them and out they went.
We are hand milking and so we are there with her the whole time. I suppose it's our fault but she now gets really fidgety when all her grain is eaten and dances around, whaps the milker(s) with her tail and tries to step in the bucket if my boys won't give her more grain. (we lost all the milk this morning because she was upset about her grain being gone and stepped in the bucket) My boys are the main milkers here but I found when I sit down to milk I can hold the end of her tail (just barely) with one hand and milk with the other and she calms down. When my boys try to hold her tail to stop the tail whapping she gets more upset.
We are at our wits end with her and trying to decide what to do. My dh is thinking of going down there and holding her tail up the whole time. Another thought is to get her out of the habit of having grain until she is done being milked. We are thinking of getting a milking machine to help with this problem, (possibly she's more used to that and would behave better) (and also because if we ever need someone to take over milking for us the machine would be much easier for someone else.)
I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks!
Michele in NW WA
While we still have some of the behavioral problems with Cranberry (she's responding to the techniques we've been trying) we also have some milking time behavior problems. Cranberry was in a home dairy business before so she was milked by machine and they just hooked up the cows and went into the milk prep area and then I imagine just came back out, unhooked them and out they went.
We are hand milking and so we are there with her the whole time. I suppose it's our fault but she now gets really fidgety when all her grain is eaten and dances around, whaps the milker(s) with her tail and tries to step in the bucket if my boys won't give her more grain. (we lost all the milk this morning because she was upset about her grain being gone and stepped in the bucket) My boys are the main milkers here but I found when I sit down to milk I can hold the end of her tail (just barely) with one hand and milk with the other and she calms down. When my boys try to hold her tail to stop the tail whapping she gets more upset.
We are at our wits end with her and trying to decide what to do. My dh is thinking of going down there and holding her tail up the whole time. Another thought is to get her out of the habit of having grain until she is done being milked. We are thinking of getting a milking machine to help with this problem, (possibly she's more used to that and would behave better) (and also because if we ever need someone to take over milking for us the machine would be much easier for someone else.)
I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks!
Michele in NW WA