Question....

[TheFunnyFarm]

I had a stillborn (or it died right after birth) from a first timer. I still want to milk the cow. Her udder appears full and I have tried to milk her but get nothing out of any teat. We are still pretty new to calving (we have only had 3 births on our farm so far). We usually just purchase bottle calves. I have tried several times to get milk from her but no luck. Any suggestions? Thank you for your time!

 

[regolith]

Likely blocked teat orifices - it's a natural seal, can be pretty tough to break at the start of lactation but a strong calf will do it.
You could ask an experienced milker to try, or convince a hungry calf to do it for you. Or if you really want to keep this cow, get a vet who can also confirm if there are any unusual blockages/mastitis causing the problem.

 

[alisonb]

Being her first calf it's likely that she is holding back her milk. It's all new to her, she's going to be stressed. A cow has a hormonal response(the release of Oxytocin), it is stimulated by the calf nursing which allows the milk to drop.

Is the cow a beef or dairy breed? You can get hold of Oxytocin from a vet but I personally don't like going that route, would sooner try and imitate calf, massage udder etc and get her to relax and drop milk naturally.

 

[TheFunnyFarm]

Alisonb- she is a very gentle red angus meat cow. How long should I keep trying before it is just too late to get milk?

 

[Lucky_P]

Most likely what rego said... some cows have very firm, persistent teat orifice plugs. Can take quite a bit of 'forceful' squeezing/milking to dislodge them - and sometimes - though I try to avoid them at all costs - it's necessary to insert a teat cannula to get 'em open. As stated, a veterinarian or experienced milker can probably get it flowing - or tell you if it's a lost cause...

It's possible that she had undiagnosed mastitis earlier in her career and teat canals are scarred in - but it would be unusual for all four to be similarly affected.

 

[alisonb]

When did she calve? You may still have time to cross foster another calf to her, this would at least keep her productive. With her udder not being emptied she's not producing further milk so I'd say a day or two of trying. Can you get hold of some Oxytocin? You need to find out if the problem is indeed 'holding back milk' or as Rego suggested 'blockage'.

If you are unsuccessful with cross fostering or milking her, leave her be, her body will naturally start reabsorbing the milk in the udder and she will 'dry up.

I would personally not bother with milking her, being a beef animal.

Good luck

 

[regolith]

Alisonb- she is a very gentle red angus meat cow. How long should I keep trying before it is just too late to get milk?

About three days. You might still get a lactation going later than that, but it will certainly be much less milk than she might have had if milked out correctly within the first day or two.

I didn't think to suggest let-down failure because I always get milk out of those cows when handmilking - it's keeping the milk running that is the issue. Oxytocin or a calf is the quick fix for that. Typical let down failure is when you get one squirt of milk, then a few dribbles then nothing, but the udder is still full. And she's just the age to suffer from it.