I have a jersey cow that I bought appx 4 months ago. She is supposed to be 10 years old. She calved about 10 days ago. She has one blind front quarter but I knew that when I bought her. We left the calf with her for two days then separated them. We bring her in morning and evening to attempt milking and let the calf nurse.

When we bring her in with the calf, milk begins to stream from her udder. The calf is gaining weight, so is obviously getting fed. We, however, are not getting any milk. We have tried milking as the calf is sucking hoping she will let down, but can only get about a cup of milk.

I do know how to milk and I have had my dad helping me as well. He has had milk cows in the past, but has not seen this particular problem before. She does not appear to have any hot or hard spots on the udder. I know that udder size doesn't equate to milk amount, but hers is as big as a bushel basket. It is high and tight to her body. We are feeding her 9% sweet feed at each "milking" [hah!}. She has ample access to grass and fresh water.

HELP!!!

-- Mona in OK (modoc@ipa.net), October 10, 2001

Answers

One question I forgot to ask....

If she had been milked only by machine in the past, could this create a problem with her "let-down" reflex?

-- Mona in OK (modoc@ipa.net), October 10, 2001.

It could be that she has udder edema which is putting a lot of pressure on the little bit of milk that is in there. At first, a cow can look like she has a lot in there, but only a little comes out. Also, being milked by machine makes the teats very firm, and hard to milk by hand. Besides this, cows sometimes dont have very much milk at first, as all mammary glands are designed to produce according to the growth of the offspring. Her output will increase probably a good bit. However, the calf's intake will also increase proportionately. To get optimum volume of milk in the bucket, you are going to have to separate the calf from the mom and feed it a bottle or let it suckle only twice a day.

I had a calf on the cow this past spring, and that calf was running by mom's side all the time. The little one was drinking 3 gallons a day!!! I discovered the amount the calf was taking when I sold it. I dont think I will allow that to happen again.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), October 10, 2001.

Our Jersey cow does that to me. There are a couple things I do to try to get the milk out of her. If I try to milk her by taking the full nipple in my hand, it will flatten and no milk comes out after about four squirts. I "strip" her by using my thumb and pointer finger. I slide down the nipple tightly, express the milk out ahead. Even so, her nipples sometimes go flat after fifteen squirts. If I wait, the nipples fill back up and I can have a go at it again.

I learned to take my milk before the calves have nursed. That way she is full and tight and has more trouble holding her milk back on me. I milk each nipple a couple times and keep switching from nipple to nipple and rub and massage her udder to stimulate her to let her milk down.

I should sell this cow. It is not wise to spend the amount of time it takes me to coax two gallons of milk out of her. The cow that we had for 17 years was so different. We sat down and milked two gallons of milk in less than ten minutes and then turned her in with her calves for them to empty her.

With this cow, I spend an hour (really) to pry the milk out of her and then turn her in with her calves and watch them gulp and slurp as she lets her milk down for them.

I have tried milking with her calf nursing, but he is wild to nurse and gets over on the two nipples that I am trying to milk and slobbering in my bucket and banging her udder. He is geting all kinds of milk and here I am, on my side lucky to coax a squirt at a time. Maybe it has to do with the calf having suction and I don't.

Yes, I know, I have made every excuse for this cow that I can. When the milk is in the nipple, it comes easily, but when it stops, the nipple is as flat as a pancake. It might be full again in a minute, and give 20 good squirts, but then flat again. I don't know if it is actually possible that she is fighting me that hard. (She is not a nice dispositioned cow and fights me at every point and is super contrary about everything.)

We need to be harsh enough to sell animals that aren't working out, instead of accepting the stress that they create.

-- homestead2 (homestead@localnetplus.com), October 10, 2001.

This is more to homestead than you, Mona, but you can go to the vet and get a bottle of oxytocin to inject each milking to force milk let down if you have to. I wouldn't bother with an animal like that myself, but if it's the only cow you've got you might want to try it. If you don't know the vet, tell them you are getting it so you can get more complete milk out for a case of mastitis because it's possible they might get uppity on you if they thought you were using it constantly as a milking aid. Some farmers have been known to abuse oxytocin as it causes about 10% more milk to be let down than normal. It is cheap, btw, and you use very little with a very small needle. It's not like you are giving them a solid jab every milking, more like a fly bite. :)

Machine milking is more natural to the cow than handmilking, since it somewhat mimics the calf's way of milking her out. I can't imagine a cow can get "used" to it over hand milking, though, and change because of it.

Some cows do have odd udder configurations INSIDE the udder, which may cause odd let down. Pieces of tissue that will act like one way check valves when pressure is applied by the milk during let down. This problem reduces when the edema goes away, though, and the whole udder becomes more pliable. A ten year old cow has been milked for years, though, so she wouldn't have lasted a long time if she had serious milking problems.

Do you let the calf get first dibs? If you do, try getting to that quarter first and see what you get out of it then. It may be she has more than one bum quarter and you weren't told that or didn't realize it. A quarter does not have to be totally blind to be no good. They can freshen and milk a little bit before drying themselves off after awhile without ever having given significant milk. They can look fine, milk fine, but there's just not much there.

Having discouraged you as much as possible, :), I'd say give the cow some time and see what she does once the edema goes away. If you know the person you bought her from you might inquire a bit more on her lactation history, as well.

Good luck with her. She sounds like an attractive cow for one ten years old. "High and tight" usually doesn't apply to us older girls. ;)

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), October 10, 2001.

I would also try the oxytocin. The high and tight udder actually causes me concern on a 10 year old. It may be edema then again it could be an udder full of old scar tissue from mastitis. Dairy goats who are allowed to nurse their kids will also pull this sometimes up on the milk stand. Holding their milk back for the kids and not letting you have more than a drop :) If you massage her good with any kind of will to milk at all you can stimulate her to let down that milk though. Adding vitamin C to the diet and cutting back on the SWEET of the 9% sweet feed, which is way to low of protein, unless she is on full alfalfa hay, to make much milk anyway, course I am a goat gal :) but the vitamin C will help if it is edema or congestion. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 10, 2001.

As always, Vicky is such an expert and one of the many reasons this forum is so fascinating. I read these posts with interest as I hope to be milking within 24 months myself (with no prior experience). Let me just say as a female, "ow."

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), October 10, 2001.

Thanks for the advice. There doesn't appear to be any edema. When I press on the udder, there is no "spongy" feeling.

Vicki,

What would you recommend as feed?

-- Mona in OK (modoc@ipa.net), October 10, 2001.

Hi Mona, I also had an old Jersey, and to get the most milk out of her I had to bump her udder with the back of my hand like her calf would. You might try it. My milking rythm went squirt squirt squirt bump squirt squirt squirt bump, etc :-) Try a few good smacks, it might help.

-- Julie (julieamc@eagleslair.net), October 10, 2001.

A lactating dairy cow should be getting at least 16%(protien) dairy feed. . Are you preping the cow with warm water prior to milking

-- David A. (mncscott@ak.net), October 12, 2001.

Like the previous answer we aim for a 16 or 17% protein, but this is taking in account your hay and grain. If you are feeding excellent hay your grain can be lower. With poor hay she needs a higher amount of protein in the grain. Mollassas in moderation for ruminents and anything sticking to your hands is way to much molassas, will actually make her eat less not more. It takes alot of calories for stock to be anythng more than mediocre milkers, but in a family setting a few gallons a day is probably better. It's just that milk sales will pay you to keep your cow for free.

Have you tried milking her before you let the calf on her? Since you do know how to milk I would think the bumping, massage and all has already been tried. Hope you keep us posted on what ends up working. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 12, 2001.

Mona, I have had 3 Jersy's and got my first from a Dairy. We had a problem somewhat like you had. What I did was use warm soapy water to wash her teats with and then massage the milk sac while before and while milking. This seemed to help.

-- Pat (pdzehr@poncacity.net), October 14, 2001.

My husbands uncle kept a cow for many years. He used to separate the calf and the cow all night and then milk: or, he used to keep the calf in during the day while the cow grazed and milk her partway before the calf got any.

-- (hooperterri@prodigy.net), October 16, 2001.