This month marks the year anniversary of something very great, my friends. Something so great that it's benefit to our homestead is truly immeasurable.
That is, the year anniversary of owning our dairy cow, Sally Belle.
Sally came to us last October from a wonderful family – and after the saga that we went through trying to get Kula pregnant, we were ready to welcome Sally with open arms.
She had only been a member of our farm for 4 hours before it was time for us to milk her – and not just milk her for the first time, but milk a cow in general for the first time.
That first milking was rough.
Secretly, as I carried that pail of liquid gold full of hair, poo, dirt, and tears up to the house that first night, I thought to myself:
Self, what on earth have you done.
To say it was a steep learning curve would be a understatement. Radical life shift would be more accurate.
Since that first milking a year ago, Stuart and I have milked Sally no less than 730 times.
SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY TIMES.
730 times, we have washed her udder and gave it a few gently love bumps to initiate milk let down.
730 times, we have pulled our three-legged stool up to her side and gently stroked her back leg as we sat down.
730 times, we have carried a bucket of raw milk up to the house for processing (that is, apart from the handful of times we've spilt the bucket before finishing). (Read more about handling raw milk)
And in that 730 times, I've learned a few valuable lessons about owning and managing a dairy cow that I'd like to share with you. Because, let's face it, experience is the very best teacher. And after 730 times milking, I'd like to think I'm at least somewhat experienced in this department – be it good or bad experience.
10 Most Important Lessons Learned About Milking A Family Cow
1. Never take your eyes off the back hooves.
Back in my novice milking days, as soon as I felt comfortable, I've lovingly glance at the hills… at the chickens grazing the ground… at Sally's face as she bobbed up and down in her grain bucket… or at the company I was keeping in the milking parlor. No sooner had I glanced away before a hoof would end up in my milking bucket. One time, that even caused her to slip in the milk, fall down on her belly, and may a grand ‘ol show of the entire incident.
Lesson learned. DON'T LOOK UP FROM THE BUCKET.
Even if your cow is docile and stands well, like Sally. Even if you think she won't. Even if she hasn't before. All it takes is one small lift of her foot to send the entire milking down to funky town. Now that we've learned to recognize signs of an impending kick, such as her shifting her weight to the opposite leg, it's easy to anticipate when one is coming – even though they're rare. Occasionally, it happens. And it ain't no fun for anyone.
Keep focused. Keep your eyes on the task at hand. Not everything is meant to be multi-tasked. This is one of those.
2. Never make sudden changes.
Dairy cows are very sensitive animals, thriving on routine and predictability. The times we've mixed up Sally's routine too quickly have been the times that we've heavily paid for it. For example, thinking we were doing her a favor, we bought a stall mat to stick in her milking parlor for added comfort and cleanliness during milkings. Girlfriend was havin' none of it. She wouldn't look at it, wouldn't smell it, and certainly wouldn't stand on it for a milking.
All in all, it ended up taking us an entire week to introduce it to her stall. Each day, little by little, we drug it further into the parlor. Eventually, she got used to it and would stand on it, although wearily for the first few days.
Whether change is coming in the form of new cows in the pen, new hay, new milkers, new milking equipment, etc. it's imperative that this change happens gradually. A surprised dairy cow is not a happy dairy cow. So be patient with the ‘ol hags.
3. Never give into their demands.
If they won't stand for you after they've finished their feed and you let them get away with it, eventually they won't stand for you at all.
If they get ornery and start kicking at you without being gently reminded that's not okay, you'll soon be in for a hoof battle every milking.
Dairy cows are sort of like teenagers. Give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile. One must stand their ground.
4. Always double-check the gate.
Not sure how I expand on this one… except to say that when one finds their dairy cow bedded down up by their front porch, romping around a nearby orchard, or munching on the neighbors weed patch, one tends to check gates and (ahem) loose fence posts more often than previously.
Always. Always. Always. ALWAYS. DOUBLE CHECK THE GATE.
5. Expect breeding to take a while.
Frankly, this one sorta makes me want to cry. Still. Our first dairy cow, Kula, was never successfully bred and ended up (how shall we say gently…) in the freezer. After three breeding sessions with a bull and a handful of failed artificial insemination attempts, we had to cut our financial losses. We're a small artisan farm. Every unproducing animal matters.
Sally has also proven slightly difficult to get bred, though I feel we're closer now than we were before. Since our first attempt with a bull in which she never settled, we've learned slightly different techniques to handling breeding sessions that can help boost the results. We've also started Sally on a mineral program in an attempt to balance any deficiencies she may have been suffering with.
All this to say, who would've thunk that getting a single cow pregnant could be so challenging! When the entire investment of a farm's dairy program is tied up in one cow, it's a hefty responsibility and weight that comes along with annual breeding the family cow. And it's not a subject to be taken lightly.
Have a breeding program in place.
Have a plan.
And expect it to take multiple attempts. And then some.
6. Prepare to groom.
Grooming, to a dairy cow, is love. You + a groomed cow = true love 4ever. A nice, soft bristled brush is as good as a dozen roses.
When Sally first came to Beatha Fonn, it took us a few weeks to get used to each other. Taking some advice from one of my favorite home dairy books, I began taking the time to calmly brush Sally down before each milking. Lo and behold, the ‘ol girl came around.
And all it took was a bit of love.
7. Be consistent and constant.
45 minutes off of schedule means a lot to a dairy cow. Like we've previously talked about, they thrive on routine. Stuart and I are very careful to be consistent in not only the time that we milk but also the way that we milk. There is a set routine to it all that allows Sally to feel comfortable in our consistency. We're the only two people that have milked her from start to finish over the past year. We are her caretakers. We are her constants. And that's the way, uh huh uh huh, she likes it, uh huh uh huh.
8. Take the beatings like a champ.
You're probably going to get your feet stepped on. And you may get kicked in the knee. And you'll definitely end up with a whip, I mean tail, in your eye a time or two thousand. There will probably be times she'll ram you with her head. Or you'll fall off your milking stool after she shifts the weight of her belly into you when she's annoyed.
Get up. Dust your shoulders off. And get back to milking.
9. Go ahead and cry over spilt milk.
Raw milk that's been hand squeezed from a family cow is legit. It's the real deal. And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't cry the first time I ended up with a spilt milk bucket. When something has such value, such importance, and has been worked so hard for, it's okay to cry when it's lost.
We milk a cow daily because we value the product. We value it so much that we're willing to (literally) pour our blood, sweat, and tears all that caring for a bovine requires. It's a lot. And raw milk is it's ultimate goal.
That milk is to be appreciated, man.
10. Be prepared for an organic relationship.
Like anything in nature, a relationship with an animal is organic. It's changing. It's not cut and dry. Milking Sally every day has taught us to be flexible, to go with the good days and with the bad days.
Every morning and afternoon, when Stuart or I comes back from milking, the other always asks “How was Sally?” Much like humans, cows have better days than others. And this organic relationships is just that – organic. It's not a math problem to be solved. It's not a calculation to plug into a calculator. It's shifting, shaking, and evolving every day.
The experience of owning Sally and milking a family cow twice per day is like nothing I've ever experienced before. It's completely counter-cultural to choose a path of greater resistance. The path of owning a family cow is littered with discouragement, difficulty, complications, and frustration. I'd be lying if I said that a few choice words hadn't been known to fly in the milking parlor. Just sayin'.
But along that path littered with challenges comes the greater reward. Whether that reward comes in getting to see the sunrise every morning, being mindful of God's creation, enjoying as many tall glasses of raw milk as we'd wish, engraining ourselves with responsibility, learning to care for something other than ourselves, providing our pigs with unlimited quantities of rich milk, or getting to experience an intimate relationship with a 1,000 pound animal.
The rewards outweigh the challenges 1,000 to 1.
It doesn't mean that it's always easy or enjoyable. It means it's totally and completely worth it.
More of my posts on Cows and Dairy:
- How to Move a Cow to Once a Day Milking
- How to Tell When a Cow Will Calve
- Our new cow Cecelia
- My beloved Sally
Johnny Stansell
Getting cows bred should not take several times. I think you are correct looking at balancing diet. I’m surprised at a Jersey not being very fertile. Holsteins have been bred for high production and generally lost fertility (long story), but not so much in Jerseys. I think the solution has to be diet in your cows case.
Katie and Mark
This whole post made me smile, nod my head and laugh out loud. We don’t have a cow, but we have 3 goats that I’m just learning to milk and, man, there are a lot of similarities. I love it.
Katie
Aubrey
This post is fantastic. We recently brought home a family milk cow, Ms. B and her calf Taffy. There is a HUGE learning curve, as you said, and I also felt that first night that I had made a terrible mistake. The most important thing I learned is to not set the bar too high, they are cows after all! However, you are so right that the relationship builds and things do get so much better. At the end of the day, knowing my family gets to enjoy amazing raw milk straight from our place, raised on our Oklahoma grass, it is all worth it.
Liz
My daughter and I are attending a home dairying class at a nearby farm this weekend. Is there a milk cow in our future? Could be! Until then we are trying to learn all we can about the ups and downs of it. We enjoyed your post and are enjoying your website, Farm On!!
Joli
We are bringing our first dairy cow home TOMORROW! I still cannot believe it is really finally happening! Would you mind sharing the name of the favorite dairy cow book you were referring to?
Shaye Elliott
The Family Cow!
Ashley Hedrick Browning
A tail whipped in the corner of your eye. I’ve been known to say a few choice words as well….
Jacque
#4 makes me think of Anne Shirley and her cow from Matthew. Never give your word on a cow either. You’ll end up giving plum puffs as a peace offering to someone. 😉
Hannah
Thank you for this! I was are hoping/planning to have a dairy cow in the next few years, so I’m working on learning all I can now – though I’m sure I’ll have plenty to learn when the time comes. I’m also interested in the title of the book you mentioned.
CassC
We bought our our cow and her calf last June , but didn’t start milking her until August. I was so nervous those first few weeks and there were definitely a few tears shed on days when I only got a few tablespoons of milk. (She’s a dexter, so I its not like we’re getting a gallon or two on a good day anyway!). We’re trying to breed her right now and have had our friend’s bull out there with her the past two months, so hopefully everything works out there! Getting a milk cow is definitely an adventure I’m glad we decided to do.
Amy
Hey Shaye! We have really enjoyed following your homesteading journey. We are looking into getting our very own dairy cow…YAY 🙂 Now that I have started researching, I have even MORE questions. So I thought of you and thought maybe you could offer some insight 🙂 Are there any vaccines you feel are necessary for a family dairy cow? The gentlemen we are talking to, has said he gives the 7 way shot before he sells. She is a 6 year old Jersey, in milk with 2 calves on her and we are waiting to hear if she is bred. We do have laying chickens and 2 dogs but no other large animals. So any thoughts on vaccines for cows?? Or alternatives?? Thank you!!!!
Shaye Elliott
We don’t worry about vaccinating our cow because she’s here alone. If we had another cows, I *may* consider it, but for now, we’re comfortable leaving her un-vaccinated.
Michelle
I have to agree with the earlier comment left that states “Getting cows bred should not take several times.” Of course, there are many factors (minerals definitely may be one of them), but in general a healthy cow should breed her first or second time. To a bull, most cows should breed the first time. AI has more factors for error with timing and such, so giving two tries may be more normal. My husband is an AI tech and he rarely has to re-breed a cow. I think it’s a combination of communication between the cow owner and the tech about the heat cycle, overall health status of the animal, and efficiency of the tech. But when you breed to a bull your variables should be highly reduced.
If you plan to re-breed your cow to this bull, I suggest two things to consider:
1. Afford a vet or a highly trained AI tech to palpate your cow could help in diagnosing if your cow has a cyst. “Cystic” cows may or may not show signs of heat, but they will not breed as long as they have a cyst, and it needs to be removed (broken or given hormones preferably). (Some parts of the country you won’t be able to find a qualified person to help you, but try the best you can, you never know who is out there.)
2. If you’re using the Dexter bull, he may simply be too “short” to breed her! Try having your cow on a hill, so the bull can be on higher ground. Or, if you can build a sort of chute that he can step up on or she can step down into, that could really help as well. Finally, ask around and make sure the bull’s been getting other cows bred so you know it’s not his lacking that is causing your cow not to breed.
I have enjoyed reading your posts about butter and minerals and such. Keep up the good work and good luck with breeding your cow.
p.s. A cow can milk a LONG time without being bred (not ideal, but up to 3 years or more I’ve seen!). It’s a good goal to get your cow bred as soon as possible, but if you keep feeding her well, she’ll keep taking care of your family for a long while. 🙂
Nat
Wonderful post – thank you. We are 6 months into owning our first house cow and expecting the arrival of junior any day! We are also finding it an ongoing learning experience and I’d love to refine my handling of our cow, Rosie. With this in mind, could you elaborate on No. 3? Could you give examples of how you best respond in each of those 3 situations so that you’re not giving in? Thanks and happy milking. Nat
Modern Dairy Machines
Improvising tips to do not step back from the milking and completely mesmerized with the interest the writer had, as he has experimented and milked more than 730 times. I completely take it as an inspirational one!
Lexi
So nice to read this today. We brought home a dexter and her calf last week. And we are starting a milking routine. I read this and laughed and cried! Was feeling so defeated today and overwhelmed and it was nice to read this! Gave me some good insight!! Thanks for sharing!
Ally
THIS!! I was laughing, smiling and almost crying right along with you.
Our Jersey freshened this weekend and I swear to you I’ve already experienced almost all of these issues!
Thank you for such a relatable article and a fun story to soften the blow of the last few days.
Best wishes always and happy milking!