Grateful to persons past
Person, that is. Would be the girl who instructed me in the correct handling of a cow’s teat when I was 20.
Same person who informed me there was no place for human females in farming after the age of 30, but never mind that… I heard that she had indeed left the industry and it’s a great loss if so.
Anyway, she taught me that to milk a cow (we fore-milked every teat, every milking, to check for mastitis in those days) you wrap your thumb and first finger round the base of the teat where it joins the udder and follow through with the other fingers, creating a downwards pressure on the milk – relax, repeat for another squirt of milk.
I’ve seen a number of farmers handling teats since. I thought there were two ways they usually did it – the right way and the wrong way. In fact, there’s three. The way I was taught. Then there’s the grasp the end of the teat between thumb and fore-finger and pull method. Then the one that really makes me wince to watch – thumb and first finger opposing each other at the base of the teat then slid all the way down to the end. That’s gotta hurt surely?
I simply can’t imagine hand-milking a cow (as opposed to taking a squirt or two to see if there’s mastitis) with either of the latter techniques.
As it happens, I’ve milked out cows by hand for various reasons over the years, sometimes twice a day. It does take a milking or two for the muscles to settle into it if I haven’t been handmilking for a while, but it’s no big deal making the decision to handmilk a cow as opposed to getting her into the shed and starting the milking machines.
So yes, which is the point of this post, I’m glad someone in my past took the time to insist on a particular technique.
Because not a single other person I’ve worked with has made any suggestions or comments regarding hand stripping/milking technique. Did I mention I’ve seen other people using other methods? Some of these people are good farmers with twenty, thirty, forty years experience dairy farming. And in all that time they’ve never figured their method isn’t best. Who knows, maybe you can milk a cow from start to finish solely by tugging on the end of her teats.
As you might have figured by the very fact this post is being written – I’ve been handmilking.
314, from the time she calved until the calves were big enough and aggressive enough to keep her milked out without my assistance – I just finished off every morning once 198 had finished feeding. She doesn’t need me no more, I just go and look at her udder once in a while to make sure the calves are keeping up with her.
I started up the shed for 21. But only got a dribble from her the first milking. Then 2 litres in 5 minutes the next morning and a swift kick when I took the cups off. Fetched a bucket and took off another half litre by hand because she didn’t feel milked out.
Started the shed again that evening. Got two litres and the kick landed a leg the wrong side of the rope. I figured the vacuum wasn’t dropping at the teat end when I cut it off to remove the cluster – but why?? Took another half litre off by hand.
This morning I didn’t start the shed up. Bucket under her udder. Got five litres.
This evening, I’d meant to put the milking machines on again and find out if they were at fault or if she’d just suddenly come into better production this morning. Got back too late to be bothered, put a bucket under her udder. Another five litres.
Milking machine guys are coming out to test them in the morning.
I’ve known this cow five years. She’s always been a fast, heavy milker. Be interesting to see what the machine test turns up.
Meantime – it’s one cow; I’d rather hand-milk her than ruin her desire to come to the shed.
