How To Train Your FAMILY MILK COW | Milking Cows 101

Hey y’all! More stanchion training for our first time heifer so this video hopefully will help you show how to teach your new family milk cow.
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[@coopdog360]

I have way more questions but this is the first steps! Milker sanitation and steps throughout the process. You are both so informative. So much to learn!

[@PaulaJoDavis]

Great info! Blessings from NE Missouri!

[@TheMacs1]

Thank you!!

[@ourselfreliantlife]

Interesting. I never thought about training the animals, but I can see how that would be important.

[@TheMacs1]

Very very! If you don’t train it can make for a train wreck!!

[@CoffeeCowsNCurls]

Great info! Will for sure be referring back to this when our heifer is close to calving! Thanks!!

[@TheMacs1]

Great! Works great and has done good for us!

[@deborahtraylor296]

She is a beautiful little Jersey I started training mine when she was 5 months old and by the time she had her first calf you could milk her out in the field you didn't have to bring her in if you didn't want to.

[@TheMacs1]

That’s awesome! Elsa our big milk cow is super gentle and easy like that! I love when there big teddy bears!

[@samanthalabreck5837]

Thank you for this video! I get my first Jersey cow in 3 weeks! She’s bred to calf the end of June.. so I’m so glad I watched this video. I’ll start training her when I get her so she’ll be ready when her milk comes in :) - God bless you all. - Sami from Arundel, Maine.

[@TheMacs1]

Yay! Good luck! Hope the video helps! This one I was training was very stubborn and she is now one of the best milk cows ever

[@AllOuttaSpoons]

Would love to know how it’s gone for you Samantha. We may be picking up our first jersey tomorrow. Had beef cows for years. A Jersey to milk is a first for us.

[@samanthalabreck5837]

@@AllOuttaSpoons it’s going very well! My first Jersey was a dream milker. I hand milked her for a year while calf sharing. We ended up getting her little sister too (the same day because they were trying to make room in the barn) and she calved in November of this past year (2022) and I’m now milking her! Jerseys are amazing. Sweet and give the perfect amount of milk/cream for my family and a few friends to enjoy :) Good luck with your girl! I think you’ll really enjoy it ❤️

[@AllOuttaSpoons]

@@samanthalabreck5837 Thank you for responding with an update! I am so happy to read this! Haven’t slept a wink in anticipation of today. Can’t wait to start on this new journey. We are going to calf share as well. So happy to read about your success and additional herd members! Many Blessings to you, your family and your herd. ❤️

[@stepht5]

She did a pretty good job. 🙃 I’m so glad you mentioned that you really don’t know how an animal will always react, and you need to be aware. She looks like she could get used to getting a treat! 😁

[@TheMacs1]

She loves treats!.. ha but cows are moody can be cray cray too!! Haha

[@CedarCreekHomestead]

Great video and information.

[@TheMacs1]

Thanks so much my friend! Thanks for watching. Always hope we out out good content!!

[@coopdog360]

Awesome job! My jerseys were malnutritioned when i got them, so i have been graining them heavy to get them back to a healthy weight. They are getting close now. Within a 1-200 pounds. Do you recommend cutting back feed slowly before starting stantion training?

[@andrewjohnson7161]

I am buying my first jersey heifer next week. She's supposedly bred but he hasn't verified that, if so this will be her first calf, she will be turning two years old in July. I haven't milked or even messed with cows since I was 22 23, I was raised on 180 acres and we had several milk cows, we were pretty self sufficient. But that's been 25 years ago . This heifer , according to the owner, is gentle but she's not been handled at all much less milked so I'll have to train her for all of it. Your videos help me to remember a lot but there's still I'm sure a lot to learn. Any help you can drop my way as far as training to halter, handling, milking would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the good vids.

[@TheMacs1]

That is awesome. Bring her into the stanchion DAILY with the same bucket, same call and same spot. For the first several days- she may not even go in. We use alfalfa, but you may consider allowing her to have some type sweet feed just to get her in. ONLY let her eat if she goes all the way in. Keep up the Routine DAILY. Once she delivers- she’s like to revert back to hesitation on going in the stanchion, but she has knowledge of where to go when she wants to eat. Slowly work on touching her from the back then work your way down. Rub her bag gently daily and get her used to being touched. Good luck and God bless! Hope you enjoy our channel. We try to share as much about our homestead as possible on our channel

[@andrewjohnson7161]

@@TheMacs1 Thank you for your helpful comment, I still have to build a milking stanchion have no idea how to do that but I'm sure I'll find something on here somewhere, any ideas on how to build one ? I don't have a lot of materials on hand, probably have to buy most of it but they don't look all that complicated. Thanks again.

[@shawnathompson8942]

Great video!! My question is if you get a young heifer is it better to start training before they are fully grown?

[@TheMacs1]

When she becomes able to be in heat and gets bred, start training a lil with feeding on in there and then simply after she is half way to almost calving I would be doing daily or 4-6 days a week

[@unitedwestand5100]

Couldnt you use some soft straps to restrain her legs back out of the way and prevent kicking?

[@TheMacs1]

Yes you can use a cinch strap around her waist or tie legs. I have some hobble or tie legs if she needs. I think we have trained her good enough to not go crazy and kick however cows can be moody ha so I have a strap to at least get her main leg back to post if worse comes to worse. I try to not use to much unless I have to so she won’t be in much stress while milking

[@unitedwestand5100]

@@TheMacs1 ,. Makes sense. Thanks for answering me. I love your channel...

[@TheMacs1]

Thanks so much!! We try to put good content out!!

[@hannahkay8540]

So is apple cider vinegar better than soap and water?

[@TheMacs1]

We do both. Soap and water is great and we did that and do that during winter or wet seasons if the cows are nasty however with rotation my cows are not badly disgusting so we usually just do organic apple cider vinegar and that’s one less step and one less bucket to have out there. You wouldn’t be wrong any way at all. I have done both for years. Just like the acv and like the basic iodine pre dip also