Farm Life — Milking cows

I’ve been milking at about 9 every morning. I almost feel lazy doing so but it has been working so well for us. I can get the kids ready and to school and then have time to enjoy the cows and my coffee rather than rush through everything. This morning I had to milk early which was fine. It was still dark out so I brought her in the barn fully expecting not to tie her but just hoping that she’d at least stand and eat in the light while I milked. Really it went quite well. I was almost...

Another beautiful morning to be in the barn. I moved the corn bin to a different room in the barn and put the extra hay behind a gate so that we could make it to the parlor without distraction. I thought I was getting the hang of her and figured today would be the day for an uneventful morning. I even shut the front door of the barn in anticipation of Bernadette coming with. Charlotte had other plans. As soon as I tied her in her spot she would not stand nicely. She kept backing up, pulling on her tie,...

Yesterday was good. I though for sure today would be a bit better. Ya’ know, each day gets a little better with practice. Instead of walking Charlotte through the yard I walked her through the cow pen in the barn and to our parlor. She, of course, stopped short for a bit and tried to eat hay from the bales instead of her feeder but we eventually made it. I tied her up as the day before and started millking. As soon as I started Bernadette came bolting through the barn and out the front door. After that Charlotte was...

It was a bit of a pull because I had to walk her outside her yard and around into the barn. This is through some nice green grass which she proceeded to sample as much as she could on the way but we eventually made it into the barn and got her tied in the new parlor.  I got her positioned all perfect, well almost, I know I’m supposed to be able to move her back hooves for easier milking but we’re not there yet.  Milking began and it went better than the day before but still a fair amount...

So… We don’t have the inside of the barn ready for the cows yet. It’s been a busy fall getting the outside ready and we made it just in time for Charlotte to be brought into the cow yard to calve. But now it’s time to start milking and I don’t have my “milk parlor” (it’s in quotes because its really just a space in the barn with a post I can tie her to and a feeder for some hay) ready. She’s a great cow and so I decided to just tie her to the post in the loafing...