I'm training a new milk cow. This little cow isn't actually "new" to us, she is about 6 years old, I think. But since we didn't need another milk cow, in past years she has been simply run with the rest of the cattle herd. Her name is Maribelle.
Maribelle's momma is our older milk cow, the one we call "Sweety". Sweety is half Jersey, and half Black Angus. Maribelle's daddy is also Angus. So Maribelle is 1/4 Jersey. This is plenty of Jersey blood to make her a gentle little cow with an abundant supply of really good-tasting milk. She never did have much of a tendency to kick. We put her into the head catch and suckle orphan calves on her quite often. But we have never actually milked her, until these last couple of weeks, since she calved.
Well, I had to have help the first few times to get her into our calving pen, then into the head catch. She just didn't believe it was such a great idea to go in there! This morning, when she ducked the wrong direction around the chute to the barn door, I told her to "go on there, Maribelle!" and she complied. She knows that pellet feed treats are waiting for her.
Maribelle has not offered to kick once while I've milked her. I'm starting to feel quite secure, precariously perched in my vulnerable position right next to her powerful hind legs. I've been milking her every other day, since that is how long it takes for her calf to fall behind momma's milk supply. This morning, Maribelle sent me back to the house with a whole gallon of fresh, creamy white milk.
Next, I need to train her to have one foot tied back, so we can move to milking in the regular milking barn instead of the calving pen.
Maribelle's momma is our older milk cow, the one we call "Sweety". Sweety is half Jersey, and half Black Angus. Maribelle's daddy is also Angus. So Maribelle is 1/4 Jersey. This is plenty of Jersey blood to make her a gentle little cow with an abundant supply of really good-tasting milk. She never did have much of a tendency to kick. We put her into the head catch and suckle orphan calves on her quite often. But we have never actually milked her, until these last couple of weeks, since she calved.
Well, I had to have help the first few times to get her into our calving pen, then into the head catch. She just didn't believe it was such a great idea to go in there! This morning, when she ducked the wrong direction around the chute to the barn door, I told her to "go on there, Maribelle!" and she complied. She knows that pellet feed treats are waiting for her.
Maribelle has not offered to kick once while I've milked her. I'm starting to feel quite secure, precariously perched in my vulnerable position right next to her powerful hind legs. I've been milking her every other day, since that is how long it takes for her calf to fall behind momma's milk supply. This morning, Maribelle sent me back to the house with a whole gallon of fresh, creamy white milk.
Next, I need to train her to have one foot tied back, so we can move to milking in the regular milking barn instead of the calving pen.