Post by Laura C on Sept 3, 2011 11:23:06 GMT -5
I am drying my cow off and I am a total, anxious wreck about it. I really don't know why. I am sure the cow will be fine, although I expect her to be throwing a fit for a couple days. I feel really tied into the routine of milking and I feel like I am losing something important. What will I do with all this extra time? LOL, I feel like an idiot! I think I may be a cow milking addict. I am going to really miss milking until next spring.
Here is a little history. She calved on Feb 25 and had some trouble initially but she has been good and healthy since then. She peaked at 7+ gallons a day. I went to once a day milking in July when she was at 54 lbs a day (got a scale). She quickly dropped a gallon and day and now she is down to 38 lbs or so a day. She is bred back and checked pregnant. We raised 7 calves with her milk and I have made 42 cheeses. Everything is good, right?
I plan on using Joann's method of skipping one day then milking her out one last time. I got some Tomorrow to use on that very last day. I am questioning this skipping a day because of her personality. She is a very persistent cow and I think she is going to be pretty outraged that she is not being milked. I am wondering if skipping a day will make her even more pissed off.
She has had one of those nasty udder cleavage sores. I have tried everything and I finally got some gentian violet from the pharmacy and I think after two weeks that is working. It is not completely gone but dried up and healing. I have been really paranoid that the sore would get out of control if her udder gets huge and I wish I would not have to touch her udder at all while she is drying off.
Anyway, I think this is a people problem (me) not a cow problem. I am amazed how attached I am to milking. I wonder if other people feel the same...
Here is a little history. She calved on Feb 25 and had some trouble initially but she has been good and healthy since then. She peaked at 7+ gallons a day. I went to once a day milking in July when she was at 54 lbs a day (got a scale). She quickly dropped a gallon and day and now she is down to 38 lbs or so a day. She is bred back and checked pregnant. We raised 7 calves with her milk and I have made 42 cheeses. Everything is good, right?
I plan on using Joann's method of skipping one day then milking her out one last time. I got some Tomorrow to use on that very last day. I am questioning this skipping a day because of her personality. She is a very persistent cow and I think she is going to be pretty outraged that she is not being milked. I am wondering if skipping a day will make her even more pissed off.
She has had one of those nasty udder cleavage sores. I have tried everything and I finally got some gentian violet from the pharmacy and I think after two weeks that is working. It is not completely gone but dried up and healing. I have been really paranoid that the sore would get out of control if her udder gets huge and I wish I would not have to touch her udder at all while she is drying off.
Anyway, I think this is a people problem (me) not a cow problem. I am amazed how attached I am to milking. I wonder if other people feel the same...