Hey Hay Day
Looks like we are baling today. Fingers crossed as there is a shower imminent. There was a sprinkling of rain in the night too but not enough to stop us. So if the next storm goes round I will press PLAY. The air is very humid so it is going to be rough day. Dripping hot. Hard on my two new workers.
No time for lounging about that is for sure. 
On a different subject – Lady Astor is still holding most of her milk back from me until I have brought the calf in to visit the milking room. I milk her, then take the cups off and bring baby in, then while baby has a suckle I dump that milk into the bucket for the house then push baby out, quickly put the cups back on and milk her again. (If I muck around she locks me out again). I can literally see the bulges where she is holding the milk. This second lot of milk is a fair amount of milk but I am still not so sure she is milking right out. 
Every now and then I try to milk her normally (without bringing the calf in and out) and it really is like trying to get blood from a stone. She just calmy stands munching away while giving me no milk at all) If I try to milk her again later in the day she gives me almost nothing at all. Lucky this is her last season being a milk cow because this has become areally annoying habit for her. I think she will be drying herself up early with this carry on. The milk itself continues to be sweet and creamy and clean though. She is healthy.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
Weather – Not perfect for haymaking but hopefully we can duck and dive in between showers.
Thursday 07/20 30% / 0.1 in
Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. High 92F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Thursday Night 07/20 60% / 0.25 in
Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
46 Comments on “Hey Hay Day”
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thekitchensgarden 
what a naughty cow. That is no lady.
Nope – she is coming to the end of this cycle..
Hope all the hay gets in safely! We had 2″- 4″ plus inches of rain since yesterday afternoon – flash flood warnings all around here in SE MN. Lady Astor is being a stinker for sure!
Nope thehay is lying on the ground – soaked – it rained for two hours..
Oh no. Now what?
She is a stubborn little Miss! Good luck with the bailing! ❤
It is pouring – not the scattered shower that I was worrying about – full on rain – no hay for a few days..
Thought of you this morning while watching the radar. Wondered if your hay was up. Going thru emails and finding this answered my question. Fingers crossed for you. Making hay this year is a stomachache producing job. The jet stream can go to it’s normal summer home any day now!!
NOpe – it got soaked..
That’s a really peculiar habit to pick up – I wonder if it’s some kind of unconscious mothering instinct that has kicked in (weird when she’s not overly mothering) or she’s been reading those articles on babies needing real milk 😉
IT is strange for her to start this so far into the milking – but there you are –
I bet she was talking to Sheila too 😉
I hope you have an awesome hay day. I love the smell of hay. Good hard work, but I always slept well at the end of the day
A really bad hay day actually – it has been rainin on and off since 8am
Oh NO! I am sorry. I hope it lets up so the hay will dry!
Would sure love some rain down here! Not a drop for over two weeks, and the forecast does not look good. 😦 It will be a wonderful break for you not to have to milk next summer! We, too, are thinking of drying the goats off early next year, after the kids come. And even now we are going from two milkings a day down to just one. 🙂 Nice to have a bit more freedom and not have the day revolve around milking! 🙂
Yup – I am cutting everything right back so I can get a proper break – farming by myself – even with a couple of months of workers is very full on – Good for a while but the Time has come to stream line it a bit.
Good luck with the baling 👍
Bad luck happened
Darn – hay is so tricky. I’m sorry ☹️
Prying for no rain for you today. And yes, the Lady needs to retire sadly. The flower in your header is beautiful!
Yes – they are just coming out .. c
Can you record and play baby calf noises and baby calf suckling sounds for her while you milk?
She would not be able to hear them over the machine – though the image of her listening through head phones is kind of funny!
So that is where the phrase “stubborn old cow” comes from. I’ve heard it used about women too often. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for the baling today. We have clouds but no rain…still. Best of luck today.
Clouds with no rain woould have been nice here.. c
Have you tried butting her udder? 🙂 Laura
Yes – I do all that as rule anyway – maybe i should be HEAD butting her udder
I sure hope you aren’t getting what we got last night. Way too much rain.
Getting it right now – sad face
All fingers and toes crossed for dry, fine baling weather. Make sure your Scotsman wears a hat, he won’t be used to the sun and heat and a day out there is begging for sunstroke unless he covers his head.
He has been in the states for a few months visiting his grandmother already
I wonder if she’s resisting the machine? Maybe treats when machine on and take it away when she withholds milk? Maybe that’s more work than it’s worth. Good luck with haying.
Milking should not be that complicated
I agree! I had a doe who withheld milk while she was still nursing her babies. Once they were weaned, she was fine. But this year, the opposite to your situation happened… she’s been giving milk right along, even before her baby weaned. So sorry your situation has gotten more complicated!
Oh dear! What a bummer! when you want it to rain it doesn’t and when you don’t want it to it does! Hopefully all is not lost.
Try and have a nice day.
Farming!!
Hope things stay dry for you
Is that a white Rose of Sharon in the header today? Lovely: )
Yes it is! Well seen
Lol, thanks! I did have to focus on the leaves (but I have a mauve one at home; )
Will Lady Astor respond to music? I know that some people play music to help the cow release her milk? It might be fun to try.
Rain on the hay, obstroperous cow… both signs that your plans to streamline are on the money…
Isn’t Lady the one that would only let Our John milk her for awhile. I am so sorry she is adding extra work for you. At least you won’t have second thoughts about no more milking.
hahah Lady Astor- she is so done with being milked! A Sweet calf!
Yes – I suspect she is over it now..