Milk Cows

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I was taking note of Abby's underside at feeding, thinking she may be a good milker along with my Clara Belle. I started halter and lead breaking at 6 wks with Clara. At almost 6 months, this was Abby's first experience with a halter and she did very good! I had Clara follow me out in the pasture and Abby followed her with Hunny without problems. When I take Clara out for her walk tomorrow, I will let Hunny follow the with Abby. We will need to progress doing the walk thru for the staunch, but she already doesn't mind her tests being pulled on. I am just super excited! Clara will give more cream with around 5-6 gallons of milk a day, yet if I get to start milking Abby, may give 6+ gallons of milk a day, if she takes on her daddy's genes which it looks like she will. I could actually be milking everyday for the year now with overlapping.

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Hunny has been training Abby for a few weeks now and she is doing very good. He does stop when she wants to munch and that actually has been a bad influence on Clara. Clara Belle has just progressed but will admit she is now just trying to drop down on her knees to munch. When I feel her trying to, I just pull on the halter and say no. I have to now put my hand closer to her "cheek" side of the halter.. If I am not on top of, I have to pull her along and tell her "come on". I do let her stop and munch once every lap around the garden we do, but she needs to know it is on my terms, not hers. Hunny and I took both calves out on the pipeline west of our property for a walk. I am not willing to go too far off the property yet.
 
Hunny and I took our girls down the pipeline for the second night in a row now. Our neighbor had a tree that had fallen down and hunny took the skid steer down to push it off which exposed the grass underneath that the neighbors lawn service just mowed around. His lawn service is the ex sheriff/car dealer neighbor who got fired from both jobs for sexual harassment. I so hate that man. . . We let them munch there for a while and then took them down until we reached the 3rd neighbor downs house. He and his wife were sitting out back so we lead them around to the side of their yard. His wife made a comment on how well Clara Belle was doing compared to Abby, but in all honesty she is making tremendous progress.
 
Hunny and I took our "girls" out this evening for a walk this evening. I pull on Clara's backside a few times throughout our walks just so she knows what to expect in the future. Tonight she squirted milk so I am guessing she is now pregnant. A few months back, one of our bulls jumped fences and got into the front pasture. I did not want to breed her until she was at least a year old. . . Hope she is ready cause I am sure the hell not. At least it was the smaller of the two bulls.
 
Hunny and I took our "girls" out this evening for a walk this evening. I pull on Clara's backside a few times throughout our walks just so she knows what to expect in the future. Tonight she squirted milk so I am guessing she is now pregnant. A few months back, one of our bulls jumped fences and got into the front pasture. I did not want to breed her until she was at least a year old. . . Hope she is ready cause I am sure the hell not. At least it was the smaller of the two bulls.

Its a good thing your post is in a milk cow thread, otherwise people will be thinking you have one strange family..
 
We have rain most every day. I really wish we could share it with you up there. Hunny still has to wear his muck boots out feeding the cows, but we are finally drying out some. He used to sink down to his calf's in some places and makes it very difficult to walk thru.
Green grass......
 
We have rain most every day. I really wish we could share it with you up there. Hunny still has to wear his muck boots out feeding the cows, but we are finally drying out some. He used to sink down to his calf's in some places and makes it very difficult to walk thru.
I wish we could take some of your excess rain. Normally in summer I just wear shorts, light button up shirt, sandles and a cowboy hat. Even when feeding or moving cattle. I do take the hat off when going to town, or put my big boy pants on.
Theres a slight chance of rain and thunderstorms this weekend.
 
I noticed tonight how much Claire has out grown her halter, with the loopty loo halter she had. Tonight she got an upgrade on our walk which was my last milk girls halter. It was still loose, but did what it needed to do. The plus for both of us was that the lead latched on underneath and not one side or the other. I am left handed so it was "off" for her since I put it on backwards for her. She has adjusted well tonight.
 
The wife and I have been giving a lot thought to getting a milk cow. But I have to admit that I kind of like not having any cattle on the place, except for the steers in the feed lot. With the beef shortages, and the prices, in the stores I've had several people ask me to raise a beef for them. So next spring I'll start looking for some feeder calves, and maybe a milk cow too. I just won't be raising cow/calf pairs again.
 
Maybe someone can help me out here. Claire is the first dairy cow that I have raised from birth. Normally it is beef cows and we don't play with their undersides. So when she was squrting nilk, I assumed she was pregnant since a bull did get in her pasture within the year. Now I do not think she is pregnant at all and think maybe the milk squirting happens during her cycle? The calf Jake is now in with her along with Big Momma, but she no longer has milk.
 
@Arcticdude I will say that there is a night and day difference between a milk cow and dealing with beef cows, especially when you start training halter and lead early on. The last few days I had put on a halter on Claire to lead the bulls back into the big pasture or coax out of a certain area. Tonight I gave her a treat of going down the pipeline to eat to her hearts content along with hunny bringing Jake along. She is the absolute sweetest thing! And I know your wife would love to have. Claire and I have a special bond since she grew up with me bottle feeding so I would honestly suggest getting a young dairy heifer. Mine was only 6 weeks old. I have had an older and we just did ok. When Bestsey Lou got too old she was able to just live out her days here. It was more of a I know what I need to do relationship. Which was fine with me for the first time, but now, I will never get another that I have not been able to raise or at least be around (thinking about when Claire does give birth) to influence. I like to work them so they we tend to have a trust bond. I have no problem laying down by the hay pile while she eats
 
Claire has been out with two bulls for months now and still not pregnant. We had her checked out today, so apparently she out runs the 2 bulls. Next week we will start the AI process with another Jersey bull. I would like a female, but hunny didn't specify. I was at work when the vet came by, I asked hunny how she did? She didn't want him to put her halter on but once he roped her and made a make shift halter, she was no problem, even going thru the Squeeze Chute which was a first for her. I asked hunny what he thought about Claire with no comment but Vet was impressed with my goats.
 
Claire has been out with two bulls for months now and still not pregnant. We had her checked out today, so apparently she out runs the 2 bulls. Next week we will start the AI process with another Jersey bull. I would like a female, but hunny didn't specify. I was at work when the vet came by, I asked hunny how she did? She didn't want him to put her halter on but once he roped her and made a make shift halter, she was no problem, even going thru the Squeeze Chute which was a first for her. I asked hunny what he thought about Claire with no comment but Vet was impressed with my goats.
Sorry, she's gay or Trans and will start the hormones soon.
 

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