Milking a Cow 101
We bought our dairy cow, Clarabelle, five months ago now. In some ways it feels like an eternity, but in others it feels like yesterday. We have had many challenges so far but they have all been well worth it.
The difference in fresh milk compared to store bought milk is phenomenal. It is the most gratifying feeling to be able to make all of our own dairy products. We make cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, butter, and ice cream. I will make posts later on with recipes that we use for everything.
We done lots of research in the weeks before Clarabelle’s arrival on everything we were going to need. It can all get confusing trying to figure out everything you may need when you have never been around cows before.
Things you need before you start milking your cow (or goat!)
- Stainless steel milk bucket (I like this one)
- Stainless steel milk can https://amzn.to/2C7cnVw
- Teat Dipper https://amzn.to/2yNe7Bd
- Teat dip solution https://amzn.to/2ymW3wp
- Halter https://amzn.to/2C3q73S
- Lead Rope https://amzn.to/2pHyDxS
- Brush https://amzn.to/2C3qSde
- Udder cream ( I make ours based on a recipe from Reformation Acres)
- Stainless steel funnel https://amzn.to/2C3odQx
- Stainless steel filter or paper filters https://amzn.to/2pJBIxI
- Glass containers to store fresh milk in ( We use 1/2 gallon mason jars)
We didn’t know the first thing about milking a cow two weeks before we got our girl. We decided to take the risk and see if we were up for the challenge. From the first glass of milk we drank, we knew we couldn’t live without it!
We start our day at 4:45 am getting things ready to milk. We wash and sanitize everything the night before to make it easier in the mornings. We get some feed, (non GMO calf & dairy feed made about 30 minutes away from our house), fill a jar up with very warm water and soap to clean her prior to milking. We snap the lead rope on her halter and tie it to the post under our milking shed and give her her feed. I brush her down really well using a brush like the one I mentioned above. If she is really dirty I will use a curry comb before to knock the big stuff off of her. Brushing is a good way to calm her down and clean her to ensure the milk is as clean as it can be. I use the warm water and a wash rag to clean her entire udder, which sometimes can be quite a daunting task! After she is completely clean, I will strip out her teats by squirting 3-4 times onto the ground to clear them of any bacteria that may be sitting there. I also do this to check for any irregularities.
Now for the fun part! Milking is much different than I expected but we caught on fairly fast. When you milk, you pinch off the top of the teat with your index finger and thumb to keep the milk that is being let down from going back into the udder. Once you have pinched off you use your remaining fingers to squeeze the lower part of the teat. That’s it! Don’t feel bad if you miss about 14,000 times as you’re getting the hang of it! It is totally normal. It is also normal to feel like your hands are about to fall off! You will work muscles in your hands you never knew you had, but trust me, it gets easier with time!
You must milk her COMPLETELY out every time that you milk. You will know that she is empty when her bag is very soft and you can no longer squeeze any milk out. Failure to do so runs the risk of her getting mastitis. Mastitis is very common and is easily treatable, especially when caught early. We keep medication on hand for treatment just in case. She has had it twice since we have had her and neither were fun experiences. We have a couple of angus steers that we are raising that were about six months old when we bought them and liked the taste of milk as much as we did! We believe they were the cause of the mastitis.
Once we have milked her out we finish up by applying udder cream on each teat, stripping them out once more and dipping each teat in an iodine teat dip (listed above). Then we unhook Ms. Clarabelle and let her go on about her day.
We pour our milk through a double walled stainless steel filter and funnel sitting on top of our half gallon mason jars. We write the date on each jar and place them in a cooler full of ice for about an hour to get the temperature below 40° F. The quicker you can cool the milk, the longer it will keep. Our milk typically stays sweet for 10-14 days but we rarely have it last that long! 😉
I hope that I have helped you with what you were looking for! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through the link in the menu or comment down below. Thank you so much for taking time to read this!
-Ashley