Post by parndt on Jul 31, 2011 1:57:03 GMT -5
Just wanted to share a beautiful experience with people who will understand my joy: I recently (Thursday) acquired a Dexter cow and her 4 month old heifer. The cow, Daisy, is sweet as anything and was bought by the family I bought her from as a prospective family cow. Due to circumstances, she has not ever been milked on a regular basis. Last night I put her in the stanchion with some alfalfa cubes. She wasn't all that pleased with being forced against the wall and held in with a bar but she was eyeball deep in treats so didn't fuss too much. I rubbed her and scratched her and told her how sweet she was then let her out. Tonight, after milking Bonnie, I brought Daisy in. She headed straight for the treats, held her head up a little and very still while I hooked her up and took a giant step into the wall when I put a little pressure on her hip. I settled the stool and washed her up. Her poor teats are like rubber and covered with fly bites. She looked askance at me a couple times while I was washing her because that was a completely NEW experience but she never so much as shuffled her feet. I got my cleaning squirts out, then set the bucket between her feet and began to pull vainly on her teats. Imagine trying to milk an 8 year old's finger and you'll know what her front teats are like. Now try milking a 3 year old's finger and you'll know what the back teats are like. I even wet my hand and tried strip milking but those teats are like rubber!!! I got about a cup and she tried to back out of the stanchion, stepping on my foot in the process. She's not very big so it didn't hurt much and she realized she couldn't reach her treats so went back to them. All told, I got about 2 cups during Daisy's first real milking because my hands quit but I didn't get kicked, she didn't slam her head into the stanchion bar like Bonnie does, she wasn't freaking out about her baby and her milk is soooooo SWEET!! If I ever get enough to make ice cream with it I won't have to add sugar, it's so sweet. Since all I got was foremilk it didn't have the creaminess of Bonnie's but oh. my. goodness. gracious!!!!! Did I mention that her milk is sweet? ;D ;D
Now, that said, I'm buying the lumber to make a head catch with my next paycheck. ;D
Now, that said, I'm buying the lumber to make a head catch with my next paycheck. ;D