Preparing for hand milking

[coaklnic000]

Does anyone have any tips to prepare for hand milking. Like any hand exercises? Also what's the best portable Milking Machine with a vacuum system that's on the not so expensive? Just Incase? I appreciate all the help

 

[TexasBred]

Does anyone have any tips to prepare for hand milking. Like any hand exercises? Also what's the best portable Milking Machine with a vacuum system that's on the not so expensive? Just Incase? I appreciate all the help

Like most things, stamina comes over time. In the beginning you won't last long nor will you get much milk if you've never milked before. If you're serious about getting fresh milk I'd go ahead and buy a milker.

 

[farmerjan]

Squeezing a tennis ball, or using one of those hand grip spring things will help to build up some wrist muscle. When I had a bad car wreck in 1989, and had some extensive hand damage, one thing they had me doing was the tennis ball thing. But as soon as all the surgeries were healed so no dirt etc., I found I got more out of milking by hand and built up more strength. The squeezing of the tennis ball and such did help.
Your arms and all will really ache for a few weeks. I went to milking with one hand, 10 squirts, then the other hand 10 squirts, and what ever else I could do to try to keep up a rhythm.... There is no real good milking machine that is "not so expensive".....the cheap kind don't last or don't do a good job and the cow will get mastitis.

What kind of cow and are you going to let her calf raise also? There are alot of ways to get around it and get your arms/hands stronger, while still getting the cow to produce what you want.

 

[Aaron]

Your hands will get stronger as time goes on and your speed will improve.

Best plan is to take what you want and let calf have her the rest of the time. Pen calf for 12 hours beforehand when you need more. Did this for many many years.

 

[hurleyjd]

Okay now you have the strength to squeeze a teat. You need a way to secure the cows head and keep her comfortable. Then you wash your hands and walk up to the cow with the bucket in one hand and a stool in the other set the stool down. and pat the cow with that hand and push on her hip bone toward her tail and say saw back your leg. position the stool and set down and wash the udder with water you had in the bucket pour the water out place the bucket under the cow. There are two ways to get the milk. One is to grab the teat in your fist and manipulate the teat from the top to the bottom and squeezing the milk out this method will let you milk two teats at the same time. Also you can take the fore finger and thumb and squeeze the teat and pull down as if you were coating a rope to water proof it. You can alternate each hand on the same teat and create a rhythm that is most productive. Got it now get to squeezing and hope the cow does not kick the bucket over about he time you have it full.

 

[farmerjan]

Mine usually wouldn't kick it over when almost full, they would manage to nicely put a foot right in it..... or give me a face full off their tail and then knock it over getting away from the smack I would give them....LOL

 

[JParrott]

My mother (5'3" / 110lbs) could crush whole black walnuts in each hand from her milking strength. When she got ahold of your arm in one hand and a switch in the other, you weren't getting away.

 

[TexasBred]

My mother (5'3" / 110lbs) could crush whole black walnuts in each hand from her milking strength. When she got ahold of your arm in one hand and a switch in the other, you weren't getting away.

:bs: :bs:

 

[JParrott]

The woman milked a Jersey and a Guernsey for twenty two years twice a day by hand; ten years before I was born and twelve years after. I don't know how many days she missed but I don't remember myself or my dad either one substituting more than a handful of times over those years. We had eight black walnut trees that lined our driveway that dad had planted himself. When they started to bear out, they would fall on the driveway and make a mess. I would gather them in a bucket to shell out and mom would always make it a point to show me up when I was using a nut cracker and she would bust one up into pieces in her bare hand - and she could do it with both her left and her right.

I don't appreciate being called a lair without due diligence. I am not a liar and having a stranger take it upon themselves to say otherwise without said diligence and cause is cowardly and indicative of their lack of character and courage.