How to Milk Minty

About a year ago, while visiting our friends that own a dairy, Andi Beth started asking for a baby milk cow. Well as many of you probably don’t know, my hubby and his sister used to show dairy cows in high school. Guernsey dairy cows to be exact. So, when my then 3 year old started coming home and asking for a baby milk cow, at first we did what any good parents do. We said, “Sure sweetie, you can have a milk cow,” and just went on. We do have cows and we had been talking about getting a nurse cow for twins and such, but we just really were not in a hurry to get one. Well Andi Beth did what every good three year old does. She went and asked Papa for a milk cow, and Papa was more than happy to oblige. Now there was a long drawn out process of finding the milk cow and going to get the milk cow, but anyway we have a milk cow now. Andi Beth named her Minty, after a green My Little Pony.

Andi Beth has done very well at taking care of her milk cow, with the help of Papa, Mommy, and Daddy. She can tell you everything you have to do to milk her. We can milk her by hand or with a machine, but usually we let two are three calves nurse her. Right now she is raising an Angus heifer named Missy and a half Holstein steer calf named Calico. The following are pictures are of Andi Beth milking Minty. I also asked her to tell me step by step what you have to do.

First, you have to put Minty in the chute and pen the calves, and give Minty a little bit of feed while the calves nurse.  She needs someone to work the head gate on the chute and get the calves into the small pen.

Then you open the gate and let the calves come to Minty.

This is Missy nursing on her side, the calves are so used to this they go to the same side every day. If they don’t Andi Beth fusses at them until they do!

While the calves are nursing, you go get the rest of Minty’s feed ready. We buy feed in 1,000 pound totes, when they are full they are taller than Andi Beth.

She fills the bucket as full as she can, and then I help her finish filling it up.

I put water on the feed for her. Andi Beth can do this, but there is a lot less mess if I do it. Then she mixes it up with her hands. At some point she looked at me and said “This is fun!!” Then she wiped her hands on the front of her shirt. I had to laugh.

Andi Beth told me you have to go behind Minty and check to make sure the calves got all the milk. It is bad for Minty if they don’t get it all.

When the calves get all the milk, you use the cow stick to tell the calves they are done. You tap the calves on their front legs and the go back to their pen.

Then, you have to dump out your boots. My guess it she got feed in them.

It is really fun to go to the barn with Andi Beth. She really loves going to see Minty. Minty really loves Andi Beth, too. The only time Andi Beth gets upset with Minty is when she tries to rub on Andi Beth with her head; the problem with that is Minty’s head is nearly as big as Andi Beth’s whole body.