Excuse me, but ...

[MissPrissy]

The lady I get my milk from has a very small parlour. She milks 4 jerseys right now. Her cows are on pasture 365 days a year. No grain, only grass fed. It is the best milk I have ever had in my life. I go pick up my milk this afternoon. 3 gallons a week. Stored in Glass jugs that I provide.

You are at an advantage over us all, Kitty. Fresh milk on tap daily!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

And lots of hardwork to go with it! No automation here-that's for big farms. Everything is done by hand, except milking which we have a pipeline for-no automatic take offs either. Feeding is done by fork and wheelbarrow unless it's baled hay and then it's up to the haymow and throw it down and feed. The heifers outside get big round bales and corn silage-that's tractor work. But, it is a great place to raise kids and teach them the value of good days work. I'm really happy with being a dairy farmer, even when the days are long and exhausting.

 

[MissPrissy]

So, does your skin and hands take a beating during bitterly cold weather?

 

[AllChookUp]

I'll bet Kitty's hands do take a beating this time of year, Angie. I remember how it hit my hands back when I helped on a neighbor's farm. He used a cream called "Bag Balm".

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Hands take a real beating with the cold weather. I have found some good products but, I have trouble remembering to put them on when I'm not going to be washing it right back off again!

 

[MissPrissy]

I make a few things good for the skin.

I am trying to find out what she uses LOL

 

[Chicken Salad]

Quote:
You don't use gloves? My dairy agent here was just talking about this in conversation yesterday (yes, it's a strange place where I work) how milkers should use latex (or another kind...can't think what it was?) gloves to avoid transmitting germs from humans and from cow to cow. Also to keep dip chemicals off your hands.

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
Twice a day 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. The barn holds 34 cows and in the winter that is tops. We have switched milk (milking some and turning them out to bring in more) in the summer months but, we have no housing outside for the extras in the winter.

4am !!!

That right there is why I don't have a milk goat - no way I could scrape myself out of bed so early in this cold.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

I absolutely hate gloves! I'll wear them when it's cold out but, I'm not about to wear them for milking! I have tried them for the reason you stated and we did not see any improvement so why do something that not only do I hate but, costs money? As for chemicals, it's just udderwash. We have tried the post dips and there again, no change. Our dairy equipment guys have tried to talk us into all this different stuff and we get no improvements--all they can say is we must be doing things right. I do use bleach water to spray the floor under the cows down although since we put the rubber mats in I don't have to do that so much anymore.

 

[MissPrissy]

You can milk the goat at 8am.