Post by Lannie on Apr 11, 2011 13:09:31 GMT -5
I was going 90mph yesterday from 4:30 am to almost 8:00 pm, so I never got to update you guys on Bandit's first time with the milking machine. In Jan V's thread I mentioned I had worked Cricket up to it gradually, and then I ran the pump and pulsator while Bandit was in the stanchion having a treat, but I had never hung the bucket on her and put the inflations on until last night, and she was an ANGEL about it.
Her baby was up and about so we had to bring him in and put him in the calf stall in front of the stanchion, so naturally, she was anxious about him, and she did poop and pee, but that was got out of the way first, and after that it was pretty much anticlimactic. Because of the sheer size of her udder, I can only put two on at a time, so I put the back two on and she never so much as twitched! When I'd gotten all she was going to give me out of the backs, I put the front inflations on, which was difficult due to the size of her engorged teats. I might actually have to get another lid and larger inflations for her, I dunno... I managed to get them on by working them slowly but slowly into the inflations, but getting them off was a nightmare. There was still a bit of vacuum in there, and I FORGOT (kick myself in the head!) that I could just lift one of the empty inflations to release the vacuum. With Cricket, I just pinch her teat above the inflation to let a stream of air in, and they come right off, but not so with Bandit! So I gently tried to pry her fat teats out of there and they were pulling, and she lifted her foot a few times, but never tried to kick, not even at the machine. It was just an "OWIE" kind of reaction.
Of course, she didn't let me have nearly what she had in there, but she gave me about a gallon and a quart. I figured that was pretty good for her first time and the fact that she's the absolute Queen of Holding Up.
This morning, my right hand was completely wrecked, due to the fact that I tried to rapidly milk out a quart of colostrum into the calf bottle yesterday afternoon, just before Dum-dum finally figured out how to nurse by himself. This morning it was so seized up, I couldn't even lift my coffee cup with my right hand. Argh... I made Rich get up so he could come out and help me, just in case I couldn't lift the bucket off or something, but by the time we finally got out there (and we were an hour late) I still hurt but managed to do everything by myself.
However, I had that problem with Bandit's front teats again. Even though I released ALL the vacuum by lifting an empty inflation, I still couldn't get the one off her right front teat. I don't know why that one is so much fatter than the others, but I had a very hard time getting it off, and once again, she was lifting her foot and jiggling around a lot. That teat has a scratch on it, and I considered that it might be sore, but the scratch is a week old and the scab is mostly off now, so I don't know if that would cause enough pain for her to act up like that, or if her teat is just too fat. The good news is she stood perfectly still for me this morning (right up until I tried to take off the front inflation), and didn't poop or pee. Junior was out in the pen napping, so she didn't have to fuss over him. Also, once I got the inflations off, I had the bucket so it was hanging right on the end of the bucket handle, preparing to try to lift it over the surcingle bar, when she coughed. LOL! The bucket popped right off! It was VERY lucky I had my hand right there or it would have bonked onto the floor! LOLOL! She was "helping" me! I didn't get quite a gallon this morning, but her udder was no longer hard when I finished, so hopefully the squirt will do his best to empty her. He was working hard at it when we finally left the barn this morning.
I think it's gonna be a breeze with her and the machine now, but I do think I'm going to have to get larger inflations for her. These will work, but that one is causing her a lot of discomfort, and I don't want her to be having any pain or discomfort in the stanchion, so I need to order replacements right away. Off to search Hamby's for some giant sized inflations.
~Lannie
Her baby was up and about so we had to bring him in and put him in the calf stall in front of the stanchion, so naturally, she was anxious about him, and she did poop and pee, but that was got out of the way first, and after that it was pretty much anticlimactic. Because of the sheer size of her udder, I can only put two on at a time, so I put the back two on and she never so much as twitched! When I'd gotten all she was going to give me out of the backs, I put the front inflations on, which was difficult due to the size of her engorged teats. I might actually have to get another lid and larger inflations for her, I dunno... I managed to get them on by working them slowly but slowly into the inflations, but getting them off was a nightmare. There was still a bit of vacuum in there, and I FORGOT (kick myself in the head!) that I could just lift one of the empty inflations to release the vacuum. With Cricket, I just pinch her teat above the inflation to let a stream of air in, and they come right off, but not so with Bandit! So I gently tried to pry her fat teats out of there and they were pulling, and she lifted her foot a few times, but never tried to kick, not even at the machine. It was just an "OWIE" kind of reaction.
Of course, she didn't let me have nearly what she had in there, but she gave me about a gallon and a quart. I figured that was pretty good for her first time and the fact that she's the absolute Queen of Holding Up.
This morning, my right hand was completely wrecked, due to the fact that I tried to rapidly milk out a quart of colostrum into the calf bottle yesterday afternoon, just before Dum-dum finally figured out how to nurse by himself. This morning it was so seized up, I couldn't even lift my coffee cup with my right hand. Argh... I made Rich get up so he could come out and help me, just in case I couldn't lift the bucket off or something, but by the time we finally got out there (and we were an hour late) I still hurt but managed to do everything by myself.
However, I had that problem with Bandit's front teats again. Even though I released ALL the vacuum by lifting an empty inflation, I still couldn't get the one off her right front teat. I don't know why that one is so much fatter than the others, but I had a very hard time getting it off, and once again, she was lifting her foot and jiggling around a lot. That teat has a scratch on it, and I considered that it might be sore, but the scratch is a week old and the scab is mostly off now, so I don't know if that would cause enough pain for her to act up like that, or if her teat is just too fat. The good news is she stood perfectly still for me this morning (right up until I tried to take off the front inflation), and didn't poop or pee. Junior was out in the pen napping, so she didn't have to fuss over him. Also, once I got the inflations off, I had the bucket so it was hanging right on the end of the bucket handle, preparing to try to lift it over the surcingle bar, when she coughed. LOL! The bucket popped right off! It was VERY lucky I had my hand right there or it would have bonked onto the floor! LOLOL! She was "helping" me! I didn't get quite a gallon this morning, but her udder was no longer hard when I finished, so hopefully the squirt will do his best to empty her. He was working hard at it when we finally left the barn this morning.
I think it's gonna be a breeze with her and the machine now, but I do think I'm going to have to get larger inflations for her. These will work, but that one is causing her a lot of discomfort, and I don't want her to be having any pain or discomfort in the stanchion, so I need to order replacements right away. Off to search Hamby's for some giant sized inflations.
~Lannie