As you know Daisy stood (we think) on her udder while standing up the other day and ripped a teat almost in half. This teat was sewn back together by the vet. It will be a good three weeks before I can use the machine to milk this quarter. 
Did I tell you I heard crowing in my Baby Layers enclosure this morning!
A cow’s udder has four quarters. Each of these quarters is quite independent of the others. So each quarter has its own independent milking cup that is joined to the others at the base so that the pumped milk will flow down from the four milk reservoirs and along a plastic line into the sealed milk bucket. 
This is not a picture of milk this is the ladybird wine!
Yesterday there was mastitis in the milk. This is from the old problem quarter that often gets mastitis. Her defences have taken a hit and it does not surprise me that the mastitis has returned though I am grateful that so far it has not flared up in the damaged quarter.
Above are the bottles for the honey mead, it is delicious and very scary!
Now, Mastitis milk cannot go into the general tank. We do not drink it and neither does Aunty Del. So my first task is to block off three of the cups and using the pump for speed, and the remaining cup, milk that one infected quarter into a tank for discarding. 
Then I go to the other side and taking the lines off the little tank I hitch everything up to the main tank, plug up two of the cups and holding them upright, put the cups on the other two good quarters to pump that milk while hand-milking the damaged one.
Do you feel like I am running out of hands.
And this all while Daisy stomps her feet and throws her body from side to side trying to avoid me milking her hurt quarter at all.
Weirdly, this is a very satisfying arrangement. There are some heavy odds stacked against me as Daisy and I cycle through the various stages of milking a cow and trying to keep her healthy. 
Though for the record in any other operation Daisy would have been put out to pasture or gone to the sale barn. But she is my only milk cow and I have to get her super healthy before I can even think about drying her up early as the Vet has suggested and preparing her for her next career as a Nurse Cow raising orphan calves alongside her own.
I do hope she is pregnant.
I hope you have a lovely day.
your friend on the farmy
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
31 responses to “How I milk my cow”
Sounds labour intensive, but still faster than milking all quarters by hand. What is in Ladybird Wine?
The Ladybird wine is from the grapes we harvested last autumn, it is using a wild yeast this time. There were heaps of ladybirds in the vines so i called that vintage the Ladybird Wine. The grape is a Vidal Blanc. c.
I was wondering the other day if Daisy isn’t pregnant, and the hormones were making her crazy enough to try jumping fences again? That Ladybird wine looks gorgeous. Hope you have a calm and peaceful weekend. Laura
I hope we have a calm weekend too Laura! And hope you do as well.. c
Are those the chooks from the urban coop? If so, my, how they have grown! How is Little, btw? Aunty Del looks so pretty in the field. She really is a gorgeous cow and so sweet tempered. Love the blue bottles with the nifty closing mechanism. I am such a container junkie. 🙂 Looks like y’all are having wonderful weather for farming. Enjoy!
We are having perfect weather, very cool, and yes, those are the Baby Layers and Little is doing very well with them now.. Getting bigger.. c
Poor old Daisy, but poor Celie, too – it must take an age for all that rigmarole. You still haven’t told us what is in ladybird wine! We’re having a succession of violent thunder storms. I hope they stay clear of your neck of the woods.
Love,
ViVx
The wine is still the Vidal Blanc from the vines that mostly died last winter, no wine this year, but there were a lot of ladybirds in them .. hence the name.. c
I’ve oft wondered how you milked Daisy when the mastitis flared up, more so now with the injury. Like you haven’t enough to do on any given day.Looks like we’re in for a few really nice days, Celi. I hope you find time to enjoy them a bit. I’m off to the farmers markets. 🙂
we have decided to. go into town to get Daisy’s mediciine and treat ourselves to lunch.. YAY
That is good news! Buon appetito!
My mom is having a bad day so I’m asking her about milking our cows before they got a milking machine in 1950. She and another woman each milked 6 cows twice a day. The milk was put in cans and kept in cold water. In the morning the cans were put on a bench and one farmer was in charge of picking up the cans throughout the village and transporting them to a Molkerei ( a dairy processing place) . Thanks Celie for helping me entertaining my mom. She doesn’t remember many details .
Oh I am thrilled to bits that I am able to help at all through what must be such a difficult time for you. Even though she is not remembering a lot today it is possible that your questions will have pressed keys that allow her to remember some of her other early life. How wonderful it must be that you can be with your Mum now. c
All I can think of when I read about you milking her injured teat is, “Ouch, ouch, ouch!” Glad she’s healing though. 🙂 April
Morning April, I hope she is healing, it is going to be a bit of a struggle. however .. I must pop over and see how you are doing now that you have left bear country.. c.
I was just wondering if there was such a thing as a cow bra to stop the udder hanging down so that daisy can’t step on it when she stands up…
Your wine looks great 🙂
Ooooo. The Bovine Brassiere. Good one! An untapped market, no doubt. Daisy’s Secrets. Fashionable styles. Udderly gorgeous.
Jean you are Brilliant!.. Morning Mad!
Yes, they have something called an Udder Sling. Holds those babies up when the ligaments get stretched and saggy. A lot of us know about that. Present company excluded, of course.
Gosh, I hope your girl heals quickly. We just went through our own bout of mastitis with one of ours. Did you know… you can take the unused milk, mix it with water and pour it around your fruit trees for some incredible health? The ratio is 1 part milk to 7 parts water.
Excellent! I also have acorn squash in big pots at the barn door and I am doing the same for those plants as an experiment.. they are doing very well.. Nothing is wasted at your place either!.. c
If wishes were money…I would buy you a cow…:( I am very impressed at the relationship you have in with your cow and your determination to heal her. Very!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
So its not a wine made from ladybirds but called so because therr were lots of ladybird bugs on the vine. What a sensible solution
I often wonder how it is you have learned so many specific routes to solving major dilemmas. I understand that these issues must be resolved and you must learn as the problems arise, but you are still a wonder. This was a fascinating lesson! I hope you have a wonderful weekending.
There’s a vineyard in France that we visited last autumn that makes Ladybird wine, but their variety produces red wine, therefore the reference by name to ladybirds. 🙂 Happy weekend, C!!
Well they say women are great at multitasking (better then men) and I think you prove it!
Still making loads of pickled beets, picking and freezing beans and carrots. With the diet Sam is now on I am going to need lots of veggies in the freezer (Meat and veggies, no carbs.!) He heads to the vets on monday for more tests but to be honest he seems fine now and back to his normal self. Maybe the small frequent meals (every four hours) is what he needs?
Just back from the farmers market and they have a new vendor selling all sorts of goat cheese – bought some garlic and olive will try for my lunch today.
Had to look up ladybirds. I expect that wine to be especially good because ladybirds/bugs are supposed to be good luck. I can’t imagine how mastitis milk even diluted is good for trees. Amazing agronomy. (is there such a word?)