Post by Lesli on Aug 7, 2006 11:47:01 GMT -5
Well.... see everytime she throws a fit, she wins. I know it is discouraging but when she sees that moving and twitching and kicking won't work, she will settle down and eat her food. What food/amounts are you giving her in the chute?
I think I would work at getting comfortable in the chute before trying to lock her in and milk her. Looks like you are not getting milk out right now. If you dry her off right now you are going to have to keep workiing with her everyday. If you don't dry her off you will need to keep her food amounts up (ONLY FEED HER IN HER CHUTE) so that she is making more milk, soon she will realize it is a good thing to be milked out.
I had a PASTURE cow, that had NEVER been milked, oh and did I mention that she still has an attitude? She won't let you love on her -will stand in her stall for brushing, not around her head though. She will eat out of your hand. She has horns and throws her head around to threaten you. But the one thing she has is a ROUTINE. She does the same thing everyday and she will even put her feet in place for being tied and gives no problems.
I would get her going into the chute, everyday- every morning for feed and every evening for feed, for two or three days then when she doesn't freak out when you are close to her slip a pipe or chain (what ever you use to keep her in)behind her, let her settle down, then get nylon strap type tye with a loop tied on the end, wrap the strap end around her leg, then tuck the strap through the loop having her leg in the loop, then feed the strap through a large eye bolt screwed into the post (we do it with both back feet) and wrap it three or four times through the eye bolt then tie it with a slip knot since it is easy to release incase of emergency but will hold when she pulls and kicks.
Daisy threw a fit and just threw her self down with both the can't kick thingy and leg ties, almost got a broken leg by sticking her leg through the cattle panel on the wall of the pen. Got really hairy, but we didn't give up, we had already put too much sweat, blood and tears into this cow. Just try to keep everything else as quiet and still as possible she will settle down long enough to take inventory of the situation, if you are loud and upset she will continue her fit. If she sees that she is fighting a loosing battle and she is the only one freaking out, she will stop and try to figure a way out of it, then hopefully she will settle down to eat her sweet feed (it has to be worth it for her to go into the chute). Just get her doing this every day. If you do decide to dry her off then by all means keep working with her. Do everything short of milking. It can give you the time to get her used to the chute and used to being tied when she goes into eat, then start brushing and wiping her teats and udder. Give her treats and talk sweet to her make it a good thing going into the chute.
I think I would work at getting comfortable in the chute before trying to lock her in and milk her. Looks like you are not getting milk out right now. If you dry her off right now you are going to have to keep workiing with her everyday. If you don't dry her off you will need to keep her food amounts up (ONLY FEED HER IN HER CHUTE) so that she is making more milk, soon she will realize it is a good thing to be milked out.
I had a PASTURE cow, that had NEVER been milked, oh and did I mention that she still has an attitude? She won't let you love on her -will stand in her stall for brushing, not around her head though. She will eat out of your hand. She has horns and throws her head around to threaten you. But the one thing she has is a ROUTINE. She does the same thing everyday and she will even put her feet in place for being tied and gives no problems.
I would get her going into the chute, everyday- every morning for feed and every evening for feed, for two or three days then when she doesn't freak out when you are close to her slip a pipe or chain (what ever you use to keep her in)behind her, let her settle down, then get nylon strap type tye with a loop tied on the end, wrap the strap end around her leg, then tuck the strap through the loop having her leg in the loop, then feed the strap through a large eye bolt screwed into the post (we do it with both back feet) and wrap it three or four times through the eye bolt then tie it with a slip knot since it is easy to release incase of emergency but will hold when she pulls and kicks.
Daisy threw a fit and just threw her self down with both the can't kick thingy and leg ties, almost got a broken leg by sticking her leg through the cattle panel on the wall of the pen. Got really hairy, but we didn't give up, we had already put too much sweat, blood and tears into this cow. Just try to keep everything else as quiet and still as possible she will settle down long enough to take inventory of the situation, if you are loud and upset she will continue her fit. If she sees that she is fighting a loosing battle and she is the only one freaking out, she will stop and try to figure a way out of it, then hopefully she will settle down to eat her sweet feed (it has to be worth it for her to go into the chute). Just get her doing this every day. If you do decide to dry her off then by all means keep working with her. Do everything short of milking. It can give you the time to get her used to the chute and used to being tied when she goes into eat, then start brushing and wiping her teats and udder. Give her treats and talk sweet to her make it a good thing going into the chute.