*1 Help! I'm a little discouraged!

[haldanfarm]

Well, our new cow, Rustina, arrived today. She was a bit shell-shocked. She hasn't been outdoors for over a year and then today she is put in an outdoor pen to await the delivery trailer. The trailer is late, but then comes. She is then loaded into a trailer (possibly for the first time ever) and then proceeds to our farm. Once there she is led off of the trailer (more like chased off) and then has a hard time deciding that she wants to enter the new stall prepared for her.

I did get knocked over and stepped on (I'm fine - I'll just have a bruise on my ankle, but nothing broken).

The worst part was the shaking of my confidence.

Then, after about an hour, she had to be milked. We quickly realized that we could not "lead" such a large animal, but could (with great patience) entice her. We managed to get her into our "milking parlor" and into the stanchion which we now realize must be bolted into the concrete floor. A friend is taking care of this right away.

I tried to milk her. I've milked sheep before, but never a cow. She has never been milked by hand. It didn't go well. She did step into the bucket. She did knock over the bucket. She did not want to let down her milk. After I was *finally* making some progress she managed to loosen the part of the stanchion that was around her neck and get out (this is being immediately fixed).

Well, that was the end of that milking session. I hope that she doesn't get mastitis.

The hopeful parts...
Later, when I was showing my friend who is going to bolt down the stanchion the milking parlor she followed us in and I could see that if I had a pan of grain or silage she could have been easily enticed to enter the stanchion again.

When my husband just went out there (to her corral) to say "hi" to her she easily followed him into her stall (we had been unsuccessful in enticing her there before. He had a cup of coffee in his hand (for him, not her!) and she was curious. Perhaps coffee is the secret;-)

Anyone want to give me some words of wisdom? Encouragement? Please tell me that it gets easier.

Thanks!
Ellen

[Leimana]

Welcome Ellen! It will get better! We just got a new cow saturday night and it has been like having a newborn baby again! Except bigger and a bit more dangerous! Your lucky that she doesnt kick, ours kicks with a vengeance. Even that is getting less though. Be persistant with her, never let her boss you around, and give her so much love that she cant resist liking you! I go to my cow many times a day to just sit where she is or to scratch her or follow her around. At first she seemed to downright hate it, but now she looks at me curiously and will even come over to sniff me. I was told my cow was a real sweetie and i am only just beginning to see the possibility of that being there. Pua ( our new cow) tries to tell us when she wants us to stop milking by kicking and shifting around. We notice that with each milking, that because we refuse to be forced into stopping, that she is standing nicer each time. Be done when your done,not when she thinks she is done, even if that means tying her up because she knocked her stanchion down!
You can do it! It will get easier and more fun!

[haldanfarm]

Thanks, Leimana, I needed to hear that.

Our friend is, at this very moment, bolting the stanchion to the concrete so that she cannot move it again. Also, he brought over a bolt that we needed so that we can lock the stanchion and she won't be able to get out.

Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! and good luck with your new cow. I read of your chase and, whew!, was exhausted just reading! I'm glad you were able to catch them.

Ellen

[msrussell]

My first experience with a cow that had never been hand milked and just brought to our farm was very much the same. Foot in bucket, wont stand still, jumpy, all together very discouraging. She soon turned out to be one of the dearest cows I ever had. She will settle in in a couple days and be much more relaxed I am sure, and things will start to get easier as you develop a routine together.
Sarah

[Nonesuch Melissa]

You are a champ for hanging in there through the hardest part. That first milking is always a toughie.

Your new girl sounds sweet and smart if confused and scared. I am sure things will get better and better as you go along together and she sounds like she will be a cow that loves you and shows affection, how cool

Chances of mastitis from a couple of short milkings when she is holding up is very small so don't worry in advance!

[Nonesuch Melissa]

Oh and you need to change your siggy from:

Ellen and Reed
2 children
Shetland Sheep
Chickens galore
Pigs, seasonally
Soon...a cow

To:
Ellen and Reed
2 children
Shetland Sheep
Chickens galore
Pigs, seasonally
NOW...a cow

[haldanfarm]

Melissa, you are right. I'll change my signature right away!

Thank you, everyone, for your support. The second milking went a bit better than the first. Getting her into the milking parlor went better. Getting her into the stanchion will earn me, I'm sure, some sort of stubborn patience award!

When she finally went into the stanchion, though, things were a lot better. The stanchion was now bolted to the floor, the movable vertical part was set up in a way that she could not disengage it, and I had a better idea of her anatomy.

The first milking yielded only about a pint of milk and one quarter didn't even get milked. The second milking yielded a half-gallon (still far less than she is "supposed" to give) and I got all four quarters.

She was very dirty, though, and a lot of debris fell into the pail. She also tried to knock the pail down, but this time I was ready and it did not fall over. She had gotten very dirty from her trip in the trailer so we took the opportunity presented to us by her confinement in the stanchion to carefully wipe her down and brush her and I think that the milk will be much cleaner the next time (later tonight). We filtered the milk and gave it to the pigs (who practically dove into it with excitement).

One more milking tonight to go, and then we start again tomorrow morning. She is on a very strange milking schedule (based on living in a dairy and not with a family) so we will try to get her onto a routine better for us. Wish us luck!

Thanks!
Ellen

[haldanfarm]

Well- third milking had some parts that went better and some parts that are still discouraging.

I'm still not getting the milk that I know she has, even after a long time. Please tell me that this will get better! I'm feeling pretty discouraged.

We got her into the milking parlor okay and then struggled, again, with the stanchion thing. We had made some improvements (like making a "chute"), but she was stubborn and didn't want to put her head in. It took a while, but we finally succeeded (faster than this afternoon).

I got a bit more milk than this afternoon, but she knocked the bucket over!:-0

I did what Leimana suggested and was pretty stubborn about working until *I* was done, irregardless of what Rustina thought should happen.

Any suggestions? Any insights?

Thanks for listening!
Ellen

[BlueFeathers]

Hi Ellen,
We just went through a similar experience with a new cow. She had never been around any other humans than the farmer we bought her from, and had been machine milked also. When my husband got her home, we thought she was going to destroy the trailer before he let her out. I was sure we had made a mistake. Luckily we had 40 days till calving to get her used to us, this was a 2nd calving for her, so she was accustomed to a stanchion. So we spent a lot of time brushing her & cleaning up her poop till she got used to it. When she calved we were able to successfully milk her by hand. We shorten the milking time by my husband and I miking together, one on each side.
I think with more time we could have developed her into a nice cow, as she soon could tolerate other adults, but she really didn't like kids & when she charged our 10 year old son, we took her back to the used cow lot & traded her in on a sweetheart of a cow (Mocha). We lease pasture from people who have grandkids & we couldn't have a cow we couldn't trust. Now we know to wary of buying a cow that has a 30 foot drag rope on her halter! Shoulda been a big clue...

Rustina sounds like she has lots of great potential. She doesn't kick or sound aggressive. All other things can be worked out. Some suggestions from our experience:

First, does your stanchion have a feed box at the front? Even the skittish cow couldn't resist the grain & would always stick her head in. When she ate all her grain, we would put good alfalfa hay in(we try to wean any new cows off grain, if their condition will allow). she would contentedly munch on hay when her grain was gone, but not all cows are that easy.

Second, brush, brush, brush. Even cows that don't like human contact soften up to regular brushing. We had one cow that we had to milk for someone else who always pooped when we milked. So we started brushing her at every milking & after a few months the tables turned & she poops for her owner, not us.

Third, cows are curious, my husband made immense progress with her just by working in the field where she was. Sometimes it was a pain as she was too curious...

As far as the knocking over the bucket is concerned, my husband & I each hold our buckets between our knees. It does take a little time to develop the habit & feel like you're not going to drop it, but it is well worth it. He prefers a small 2 qt bucket & I like the 4 quart, so try a few different sizes. We hop up often to pour off into a container out of reach of tails & legs. Your knees will get wet until you get better at handmilking.

Another though that occurs to me is in regard to letdown. Our Polly does not let down until you have finished washing her with the 2nd cloth & are doing a dry rub down of the udder. Another cow we milked wouldn't let down until she heard the milk machine. Our newest doesn't milk out easily until you massage her udder from top to bottom. Most will respond to "bumping" like a calf head butts the udder to get letdown, though we've had some that just poop...

Keep your chin up, she probably is confused & scared. Show her that your place is better(treats & brushing) & she will come around. The favorite treat around here seems to be a slice of fresh bread, sometimes with molasses. Toast must be eaten BEFORE going to see the cows now...
We use bread & molasses to disguise the Vit C we give if we see signs of mastitis (yellow globs in the filter or a flat to salty taste in the milk).

In regards to timing of milkings, we have successfully shifted our newest from her 4:30 am & pm milking to 8am & pm relatively quickly with no ill effects. We took about a week to shift it some each day.

That's all I can come up with at this late hour. I hope tomorrow morning goes better for you.
It really does get easier.

May you enjoy Rustina's milk soon,
Aloria

[mrskk]

Ellen,
You are doing a great job! Just hang in there, keep up a routine that works for you and stick with it. Cows are creatures of habit and it takes them about three days to settle into something new - you are getting close to that point in time now.

Also remember that the changes she has gone through will affect her production for a bit. I can't speak from experience to this, but many members have reported that it takes a week or so for production to come back up after moving a cow to a new home. This will give you time to build up some milking muscles!

As she gets more comfortable with her new home, she will start being more predictable and will go into her stanchion better. She will also let down better for you once she understands that she is being milked, even though it is different from her previous home.

Keep up the good work - you are doing great!
Karen

[peacefulacres]

Hi Ellen, I too am a newbie!!! I've had my heifers for almost 2 months. They too came from a dairy. I've spent a lot of time with them (the first week 2 hrs min a day). I've tied them and trained them to lead. I've spent a lot of time brushing the 2 yr bred heifer and she nearly goes into a coma! She loves being brushed and it calms her down so much. I gave her a bath the second day to get all the cow poop from the dairy muck off of her. Of course I had her tied....she quickly got use to it. I give her little treats like beet tops and she loves them. When she's chewing her cud, she's the most relaxed and I hug her neck and talk sweet to her, scratching behind her ears. She's a happy cow! Get yourself a horse stick thingy, and wack her across the head when she wants to be boss cow....I just walk with it under my arm and my girl knows not to act up.

You are doing a great job...perseverance is half the battle. ;-) Hang in there. I'm sure when I start milking, I'll remember you....especially when it's not going so well for me. We'll find out in just about a month.
Diane

[whistlingwoman]

As another new cow owner, I can sympathize. When I got my cow and was having trouble milking, the vet had me go out 4x a day and milk for 20 minutes and then quit. That really helped my Molly settle down. Not only did I not keep her for so long (before he told me that, I was sometimes out there for an hour and a half!), but she was handled more frequently as well. She used to step in the bucket a lot too. It seems counter-intuitive, but I found that if I got in really close (this wouldn't work with an aggressive cow, I suppose) and stuck my forehead right on her flank, I could feel when she was going to take that step. At first I moved the bucket, but I've learned that it's actually easier to block the step. I just use my elbow to deflect the step... I don't try to actually stop her from stepping. Cows are strong. I just block it from the milk.
I've had Molly for about a month now and things are going well as far as her behavior goes. I noticed a big difference in just a week. There are a couple of other issues, but her behavior has improved dramatically.
So hang in there. It'll get better.
Rebecca

[haldanfarm]

I cannot ever thank you all enough for your thoughtful replies. It has made all the difference.

This morning went *much* better than yesterday. There were still some glitches and it still took about an hour and a half (for the whole process, from moving her out of her stall until releasing her from the stanchion) but I got twice as much milk as any milking yesterday (one gallon +). I know that I'll get more milk tonight.

Best of all, though, is that I am not so discouraged now. I feel pretty hopeful, actually.

I did pour off milk as I went and I was grateful that I did because she did manage to get a hoof in the bucket. Luckily I had saved about a quart by the "pouring off" method. I got another 3+ quarts after that, but dumped it because the pail was now contaminated from her hoof.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! It has been less than 24 hours since we got her and, emotionally, it has been quite a roller coaster. Luckily we're on the happy part of the ride now!

Ellen

[Robert]

Ellen and Reed,

Welcome to the forum. You'll get all the encouragement and helpful tidbits that you need right here. You've already been given enough to start chewing on so I'll only offer that just 3 short months ago I was where you are today. Perhaps not with quite so many challenges as you've had but GREEN, nonetheless.
I am a living testament that you too, will survive this.
Perhaps the only profoundity I can offer is that you put yourself into her shoes ( figuratively, of course ) and imagine you've had your world completely turned upside down... that will help you to be slow, gentle and understanding.

Blessings, Bob

[ilvnazoo]

I got my Jersey last December and had many days like you have described. Some were really good others were awful. Some days you wnat to throw the bucket at her and other days you have an almost full bucket just to have her step in it. My Jersey is not real friendly, but we have an understanding. I take care of her and she takes care of me.

My advice.....
1. Routine stays the same. Mine is her feed bucket goes in the stanchion, her head goes in. She gets brushed all over especially her underside. Her bag is washed and dried. I sit on my stool, squirt out test strips and milk.
2. Always stop at a third or half bucket and empty into another. It makes it less of a catastrophy if she kicks or puts her foot in.
3. Enjoy the good days and don't worry about the others. The other animals (chickens, pigs, etc) will enjoy the dirty milk.
4. Find ways to feel good about your accomplishments.

Lisa in GA

[loriandersen]

How is milking going???
My cow calved at the end of april, and that is when (my) hell on earth started!
She now stands without moving during milking.
She will remember that she is a milk cow soon!
Lori

[haldanfarm]

Thanks, everyone-
It is getting *much* better. She ate during her morning milking and then we didn't feed her again. She had some time in her corral (which still has some grass in it - she got to munch on that) and then she was back in her stall for a lot of the day. We wanted her to be a bit hungrier so that she would go right into the stanchion for her evening milking and *it worked*! She went right in and stuck her head in and we closed it up. She stood very nicely and never put her foot in the bucket. I am still an inexperienced milker (this was my fifth milking) but she *definitely* understood the routine:

Stanchion and food
Brushing
Washing
Milking
Appreciations
Release and corral time

I took a long time (at least in her eyes) to milk out one gallon and she was ready to be done but I persisted so that she thought that *I* had made the decision to be done instead of her.

Hopefully it wasn't a fluke and it is as easy tomorrow. I can see that at the end of the milking I was a better milker than even at the beginning of the milking.

I am soooo sore, though - especially on my left side. Hopefully this will resolve itself after more experience.

My children loved the milk. My three year old daughter said, "mama - this is the best milk ever." I am also happily incubating yogurt right now. It should be ready in a few hours. I am so excited to taste whole-milk yogurt made with pre-risen milk. Yum!

Thanks, everyone, for your support through those dark hours!
Ellen

[mrskk]

Just be prepared - it can take up to a month to get your milking muscles toned up. I've got strong hands and arms (I'm a housepainter in my "other" life), but milking takes a whole different set of musles. This lactation (her second) started out with a lot more milk than I'd ever dealt with before, plus some edema, and she really gave me a workout.

My arms are really buff now!

Keep up the good work. Don't let her get too hungry, though. A cow really does need to have hay or grass just about all of the time to keep their rumens working properly. She will get the idea that she only gets her grain in the milking stall, though, and will eagerly come in. That's cow candy!

[peacefulacres]

Oh Ellen, I am so happy for you !!! You give me so much encouragement as I enter this new phase of my life. I can hardly wait!
Diane

[BlueFeathers]

Hi Ellen,
I'm glad things are improving for you. Since you're in Whatcom County, you may already know about Pete at Westlyn Feed. We order in our InSeason's Organic Feed from him. My husband drives 2.5 hours each way to get feed every 5-6 weeks and delivers it to other people as well to make the trip worthwhile. It comes in 308# barrels or 44# sacks. He's got the best prices we have found. Also, no one else has the organic feed in the barrels, which are much better for keeping out rodents & the elements. He also carries non-organic feeds & hay as well. He has been good to deal with. Let me know if you need his contact info & you can't find it.

Aloria