Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2011 21:03:04 GMT -5
Hello there,
I have wanted to post for a while, but life is busy! My name is Justine and I live in British Columbia, Canada. We have seven children living at home - age 18 - 6, and a 20 year old at college. We have newly become farmers (beginning of Oct) and have a Dexter/Jersey cow (about 2 years), a Dexter baby girl (about 10 months), and a Dexter/ Jersey calf (about 7 months). We also have 2 Berkshire pigs, plus 17 heritage chickens and roosters, plus 3 heritage turkeys.
I have read (am reading) the cow book, but I needed a question answered immediately. lol We have a Dexter cow that has a first baby. That baby is about 7 months old. They came to us about a month ago. Right away she trained to the stanchion. She is great. She will let me milk her. I separate them for the day from about 8:00 am - 3:00 pm and then milk her. We have done this about five days now. We are starting there. When I have a handle on the easy time of day then we will work out a morning milking with a longer separation. Now for my frustration.
I am getting 1 - 1.5 cups of milk from a milking. I am filling up the teat and then squeezing it out correctly. Her udder is high up between her legs and small. When I come to her after 7 hours the udder is firmish and about 2 - 2.5 inches down. It doesn't take long before it feels like the udder has disappeared.
Today after I let her out of the stanchion (where she nicely stands and eats grain and hay as long as I keep her there) her baby ran up to her and began to try to nurse. He went from teat to teat and kept yanking on them and then head butting her to get milk. I watched for about five minutes and I did not see him settle. Finally he took his head away and I walked away. Does this mean there is no more milk? Could she be drying up?
Her previous owner say that she nursed her calf and another calf (her mother's calf) and they were both happy. Mind you, in the month he has been with us he has gained a fair bit of weight. Could that mean he wasnt' getting enough milk?
I am wondering if I got a dud? Is that possible? I have six children desperate for milk. They reckoned on having milk as soon as she arrived and now we are forking out $80 of hay a month for nothing. Help?
Thanks, Justine
I have wanted to post for a while, but life is busy! My name is Justine and I live in British Columbia, Canada. We have seven children living at home - age 18 - 6, and a 20 year old at college. We have newly become farmers (beginning of Oct) and have a Dexter/Jersey cow (about 2 years), a Dexter baby girl (about 10 months), and a Dexter/ Jersey calf (about 7 months). We also have 2 Berkshire pigs, plus 17 heritage chickens and roosters, plus 3 heritage turkeys.
I have read (am reading) the cow book, but I needed a question answered immediately. lol We have a Dexter cow that has a first baby. That baby is about 7 months old. They came to us about a month ago. Right away she trained to the stanchion. She is great. She will let me milk her. I separate them for the day from about 8:00 am - 3:00 pm and then milk her. We have done this about five days now. We are starting there. When I have a handle on the easy time of day then we will work out a morning milking with a longer separation. Now for my frustration.
I am getting 1 - 1.5 cups of milk from a milking. I am filling up the teat and then squeezing it out correctly. Her udder is high up between her legs and small. When I come to her after 7 hours the udder is firmish and about 2 - 2.5 inches down. It doesn't take long before it feels like the udder has disappeared.
Today after I let her out of the stanchion (where she nicely stands and eats grain and hay as long as I keep her there) her baby ran up to her and began to try to nurse. He went from teat to teat and kept yanking on them and then head butting her to get milk. I watched for about five minutes and I did not see him settle. Finally he took his head away and I walked away. Does this mean there is no more milk? Could she be drying up?
Her previous owner say that she nursed her calf and another calf (her mother's calf) and they were both happy. Mind you, in the month he has been with us he has gained a fair bit of weight. Could that mean he wasnt' getting enough milk?
I am wondering if I got a dud? Is that possible? I have six children desperate for milk. They reckoned on having milk as soon as she arrived and now we are forking out $80 of hay a month for nothing. Help?
Thanks, Justine