Our new adventure has arrived

[Sweetened]

We will be milking her for the first time tomorrow morning! She is trained to jand and machine milk, but hasnt been a home milker for sever years. She milks like an old pro thougb we are told. They were milking her to prep her coming here and pulling a gallon off her in the morning with the calf on her overnight (she apperently goes a little crazy of shes seperated from her calf), and thats pff two quarters. She has an udder on her that would make a jersey jealous!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Her udder is huge! You'll certainly get a generous amount of milk from her!

 

[Sweetened]

We pulled a gallon off her this morning, lost 3/4 to a foot in the pail (i wasnt fast enough). We could easily get 4-5gallons off her a day, never pulling her calf. We will be investing in a surge milker for the old gal, and for this old gal!

Her milk is very dark in colour, and i havent seen this before. It tastes fine. And it is hugely creamy, but i have a feeling its because we are barely scratching the surface of her production. We will try again tonight and pull as much as she will stand still for, as we want to start with good experiences before we push her too much. I am amazed she has gone 4 years with only an occasional milking if a calf needed a supplement!

 

[Baymule]

I am so excited for you!

 

[Godsgrl]

What an udder! Congrats, I wish you many years of milking and enjoyable cattle ownership

 

[WildRoseBeef]

Bloody colostrum, sounds like, I've seen it before and know what you're referring to. Dark as in a reddish milky colour right? Or is (was) it a deep yellow? You will need to give her time (if you already haven't, since I've been away for a few days) for the milk to lighten up a bit, or turn back to normal. The blood in the colostrum isn't to panic about, as it'll clear up, if it already hasn't since you posted.

 

[Sweetened]

One side is clear and we are keeping the milk, we are getting about a gallon off the one side and we are not pulling the calf. once ive milked that side down (rich yellowish milk), i work on the other side with the, yes, light reddish brown milk. It has gotten better but is still dark and very salty so we give it to thecats or pigs. It is HUGELY creamy off that side, but we have sure noticed a difference in feel on that side now. Our milking sessions are getting longer, slowly, as she falls into our routine (as does her calf).

Thanks!!

 

[Moody]

Congrats!!

Sounds like wonderful milk.

How long are the milking sessions and how one did you start with?

I'm curious as I have a dexter heifer who I could have bred this year.

 

[Sweetened]

We have started to let her calf keep her milked out. Im having difficulty getting up and down at this point in my pregnancy. She will stand as long as there is oats. When the oats run out she gets stompy, does all she can to force every last bit of urine and fecal matter out, bawls and so on. Typically we can hand milk her out in about 45 minutes, but i also have carple tunnel from pregnancy so it takes longer than it should. I usually only leave her in the stand for 20 minutes and end on a good note.

 

[Moody]

You are an adventurous one to take on a new cow to milk during pregnancy

I think hand milking for 45 min would give most folks carpal tunnel. You had plans for a vacuum milker, right?