Dairy Cows: Part 2- Milking Training & Dealing with Mastitis

Perhaps this should have been part one in this series, because this should happen before the calf is born if possible. 

     This primarily applies to a first-timer, that is, a cow about to calve and/ or be milked for her first time.  The goal of training her is to get her used to the idea of being milked, and teach her to stand quietly for you in the stanchion (or wherever you milk her), and to let down her milk.  Before I go any further, here are a couple definitions of terms I'll probably use quite a bit.

Stanchion:  A structure which restrains the cow by holding its head between two boards or pieces of metal tubing, and possibly also includes a sort of chute to keep it from moving its back end around too much.  (I will explain our model of stanchion later on.)

Blossom in the stanchion.  The board in front is her feed tray- this isn't a necessary part for all stanchions, but she is short, and had a hard time reaching her food when it was at ground level.

Let down:  The act of letting down the milk, into the bottom part of the udder and teats, so that it can be extracted.  At ordinary times, a cow holds the milk higher up in the udder, but when she nurses her calf, or is milked, she releases it so that it fills the teats, and can be sucked or massaged out.

     To the best of my knowledge, you can begin training a heifer at any age.  In fact, probably the younger, the better.  Get her used to having her udder handled early (I'm talking about around 1 week, though you don't have to do this step.)  For real training, a bit later on, start by feeding her in the stanchion.  Don't lock her into it at first, though I do suggest having a rope on her neck, to prevent her from straying away.  Gradually get her accustomed to having her head locked in, and standing for longer periods of time.  If you're planning to tie her leg (I'll explain that later), start getting her used to that at this point.  Now start handling her udder while she's in the stanchion, and eventually washing it with warm water, or getting her accustomed to the dip cup if you'll be using that to clean her teats when you milk.

     It shouldn't take her long to accept all the above.  Your goal is to teach her to view the stanchion as a nice place, where she gets food, and train her to accept restraint, and to let you handle her.  You should be able to handle any part of her without her making a big fuss over it.

      When she calves, hormones will probably be pretty high for a few days.  She may or may not allow you near the calf.  She needs to accept you handling it though in her presence, as this will help her accept you later on when you begin milking her.  She will be producing colostrum for a few days, and you probably will not want to drink this, so you don't have to milk her unless she is uncomfortably swollen (we've had to do this for Blossom when she's calved).  When you do begin milking you will find that her udder is hard and swollen, not only from the amount of milk it's holding, but also because of edema.  The swelling may take a while to go down.  Chamomile tea and leaves in her feed helps with this.

     At first, she will probably kick and protest a good bit, especially if you haven't been training her to the stanchion beforehand.  With patience though, she will eventually learn that wasting all that energy on kicking doesn't do a bit of good, and she will settle into the routine of milking.

      One other thing:  Most first-timers give themselves mastitis by refusing to let down their milk, trying to hold it all for the calf.  We have dealt with this twice.  The first time cleared it up faster.  If the milk suddenly gets yellowish lumps and strings in it, she's got mastitis.   The affected quarters will feel warmer than usual, and maybe harder as well.  DON'T DRINK THE MILK.  It is fine for the calf or pig, but make sure that you dispose of it where other cows or goats, or other female animals, can't get to it and infect themselves.

     Before I go any further, I want to say that I am not a vet, neither do I have tons of experience with this.  The kind of mastitis I'm talking about is pretty simple, not anything like black mastitis, sub-clinical, or any of the other more dangerous kinds.  What I'm suggesting here is just that:  a suggestion, so please don't think that I know everything, or blame me if your cow/goat becomes very ill from mastitis which you didn't treat correctly.

     If you call a vet, they will most likely tell you to give her an anti-biotic.  You don't necessarily need to at this point.  She probably has brought it on by holding up all that milk, which bruises the udder tissues and causes the problem.  Mastitis is basically an inflammatory fever.  At this point, if you can get rid of the inflammation, she can take care of the fever.  To do this, you will need to milk her 4-10 times per day.  That's a lot of milking.  At least 6 times per day is preferable.  Also feed her extra dolomite and vitamin C during this time.  (When I say vitamin C, I am talking about heavy doses- 20-30,000 mg per day at least.) If she won't let down for you, lock her away from the calf 24/7, and bottle feed it.  This seems like it would defeat the purpose, since the goal is to reduce the amount of milk in her udder, and this would prevent that goal in the short-term.  However, the idea is that she will eventually figure out that it does no good holding all that milk up there, and will let down for you.  When she's doing this regularly, you can try putting her back with the calf, but wait at least a week or two so that she really gets the point that she has to let down every time you put her in the stanchion.

     When the milk returns to normal, and the udder is no longer hot and hard, the mastitis is hopefully gone.  Wait a couple days before drinking the milk to make sure it stays normal, and keep her on the vitamin C during that time.  Hopefully you won't have to deal with this complaint again once she learns to behave.  There are other causes of mastitis, and I have not dealt with those.  Also, this kind can turn into a more insidious version, and so if it doesn't clear up after a few days, or a week, it may be something else, and in that case she may need some more serious care.

      Next:  A video tutorial of hand-milking a cow, and some photos of our stanchion and milking equipment.