THE TRYING & BUYING OF YOUR FIRST COW

(Page 5 of 9)

February/March 1992
By Lisa Faulkner 
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Your New Cow

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We were pretty excited when the truck arrived with our cow, but it brought some problems as well. For one, we were now the proud owners of a cow who was not only unaccustomed to the halters we tried to coax her into, but the pasture into which we tried to lead her as well. Matter of fact, she wasn't used to extended movement at all as she'd only been handled for milking.

Milking 101

This problem was reduced to trivial status when we noticed that it was almost time to milk...and we didn't know how. Well, if we ever wanted proof of her disposition, we got it that first night when our new cow stood patiently for over an hour without fidgeting or kicking while we milked her in a very rumbling manner. The good news is that—even with hand-milking—this is only a 15-minute job...once you've got the hang of it.

Before laying a finger on a teat, go to your dealer who handles dairy supplies and get a gallon of udder sanitizer (essentially an iodine solution). Put a teaspoon or two of this in a wash bucket and add some warm water. Take the mixture with you on your way to milk and carefully wash the cow's udder and teats with the disinfectant, then dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Dry your hands similarly and then squirt the few first few ounces of milk on the ground to get rid of any bacteria that may have lodged in the ends.

Here was our first surprise: You don't simply pull down on the teat, as so many think, you squeeze gradually from the top down with the main pressure saved for the little finger, which forces the milk out. Be sure to open your hand completely before the next squeeze to allow the teat to fill again. After you have most of the milk out you should begin "stripping" the cow by squeezing the teats from the top down between thumb and forefinger.

Be certain to get all of the milk out during this time or the cow could develop an infection called mastitis which, among other things, causes her to produce less and less milk.

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