Post by littlemother on Sept 6, 2015 21:52:16 GMT -5
Dolly is 5 1/2 months old now and so we've begun weaning her. It's not going very well with regards to milking.
We've been milking OAD in the mornings (saving one quarter for Dolly) and letting them spend the day together and then at evening time we would put them both in the stanchions for a bit of grain and then let Dolly make sure Buttercup is empty before we separate them during the night. We usually would get between 2 - 2 1/2, but usually 2 gallons every morning. Buttercup usually would have a second let-down that we would bring on by putting Dolly on her until she lets down. The second let-down would average about a quart of milk from the 3 quarters. We are pretty sure Dolly would nurse twice during the day so we expected that once we put the weaning ring on and began milking in the evenings, that we would have more milk coming our way.
However, we've been doing this for several days now and are only getting 1 1/4 gal. in the morning and about that in the evening. The first couple of days we got just over a gallon in the morning and not much at all in the evening.
Is she holding up on us? Or is this part of the process of settling her into 2 milkings? Today we separated them all day to make sure that Dolly was not snitching milk around the ring. We don't *think* she is, but we wanted to be sure. Same thing. Buttercup had a good first let-down and actually had a second let-down but we only got 1 1/4 gal.
We've tried outlasting her and milking and milking keeping her in the stanchion holding out for a second let-down but either there isn't one or she's super stubborn because she wouldn't even make any more milk for Dolly. We also tried ambushing them and watched and waited until Dolly tried to nurse after we had let them out to graze. (Within 15 min. of finishing milking) But it seemed she wouldn't get anything and she'd go from teat to teat frustrated but not getting anything.
Just to say she has been known to hold up on us. The first time we ambushed them we did it because all our milk was skim quality and she felt like she had more milk. We ended up getting 3/4 gallon of very creamy milk for our 3 quarters. She was not happy about it. We kept doing this for a few days until she started giving the second let-down in the stanchion. Lately she hasn't always had a second let-down so we aren't sure if she is FOR SURE holding out on us. It just seems odd that we are getting less milk or about the same now that we went to TAD milking.
We lack experience to know what's going on. Is this normal? Is this how much milk we can expect then...about 1 1/2 gal morning and evening, or do you think we should be getting more and need to do something to get it out of her? And if so, what?? Thanks!
We've been milking OAD in the mornings (saving one quarter for Dolly) and letting them spend the day together and then at evening time we would put them both in the stanchions for a bit of grain and then let Dolly make sure Buttercup is empty before we separate them during the night. We usually would get between 2 - 2 1/2, but usually 2 gallons every morning. Buttercup usually would have a second let-down that we would bring on by putting Dolly on her until she lets down. The second let-down would average about a quart of milk from the 3 quarters. We are pretty sure Dolly would nurse twice during the day so we expected that once we put the weaning ring on and began milking in the evenings, that we would have more milk coming our way.
However, we've been doing this for several days now and are only getting 1 1/4 gal. in the morning and about that in the evening. The first couple of days we got just over a gallon in the morning and not much at all in the evening.
Is she holding up on us? Or is this part of the process of settling her into 2 milkings? Today we separated them all day to make sure that Dolly was not snitching milk around the ring. We don't *think* she is, but we wanted to be sure. Same thing. Buttercup had a good first let-down and actually had a second let-down but we only got 1 1/4 gal.
We've tried outlasting her and milking and milking keeping her in the stanchion holding out for a second let-down but either there isn't one or she's super stubborn because she wouldn't even make any more milk for Dolly. We also tried ambushing them and watched and waited until Dolly tried to nurse after we had let them out to graze. (Within 15 min. of finishing milking) But it seemed she wouldn't get anything and she'd go from teat to teat frustrated but not getting anything.
Just to say she has been known to hold up on us. The first time we ambushed them we did it because all our milk was skim quality and she felt like she had more milk. We ended up getting 3/4 gallon of very creamy milk for our 3 quarters. She was not happy about it. We kept doing this for a few days until she started giving the second let-down in the stanchion. Lately she hasn't always had a second let-down so we aren't sure if she is FOR SURE holding out on us. It just seems odd that we are getting less milk or about the same now that we went to TAD milking.
We lack experience to know what's going on. Is this normal? Is this how much milk we can expect then...about 1 1/2 gal morning and evening, or do you think we should be getting more and need to do something to get it out of her? And if so, what?? Thanks!