Imagine milking a cow by hand!
By barehugs
@barehugs (8973)
Canada
March 26, 2013 7:08pm CST
I grew up on a farm before there was electricity and everything was done by hand, even milking the cows. Milking time was 6am, and 6 pm, and everyone helped. We all had cows (we called them our cows) that we milked. To milk a cow you first had to wash the cow's udder, and then sitting on a milk-stool, with a milk-pail under the cow you take a teat in each hand, and using an up and down motion, squeezing and pulling, the milk squirts into the pail. It takes a lot of squirts to fill a pail!
Are you unique, in that you have milked a cow by hand?
1 person likes this
13 responses
@doroffee (4222)
• Hungary
29 Mar 13
I haven't milked a cow yet - I've been a city girl, always :D. I mean, I have relatives who come from the countryside, but I never had the chance to milk a cow... because they only had chicken. I think I would be a bit afraid, because what if I squeeze the teat in the wrong way and I hurt the animal, and stuff like that.
2 people like this
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
28 Mar 13
I have milked cows by hand. When I was a child, milking, like gardening, was usually done by the women folk, which consisted of my mother and me. When I left home to go to work in the city, my brothers had to learn to milk the cows and use the hoe. We separated the milk, fed the skim milk to the hogs and sold the cream. The cream checks and an occasional crate of eggs had to keep us going from one harvest to the next.
2 people like this
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
28 Mar 13
I remember turning the crank on the cream separator too. We poured the milk into the tank on the top and it went down into a centrifuge and was separated. Then the cream came out of the small spout into a can (for sale) and the skim milk ran into pails to be fed to the pigs. Cream used to be a big seller, but now cream is too fattening to be very popular on the dinner table.
1 person likes this
@randylovesdar (4932)
• United States
27 Mar 13
I tried milking a cow at a county fair once and it is difficult work. Randy grew up on a farm and has cows as well, but he never had to milk them by hand. He used to help milk the cows before he went to school and then in the evening. He also helped with the plowing and all the other farm chores. He did attend school as well because his parents believed in education. I wish I could live on a farm.
2 people like this
@Ghajini (776)
• Philippines
27 Mar 13
This is really interesting, I might someday try this if ever the opportunity comes. Unfortunately, the few cows that my parents used to own were already sold. I enjoy taking of the native chickens at my grandparent's place, and hopefully someday, I'll be able to try milking a cow.
1 person likes this
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
27 Mar 13
I know fresh milk is good. But I dont think I could milk a cow.
1 person likes this
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
29 Mar 13
Fresh warm milk is good in taste and quality. But if the milk is not kept cool and covered, bacteria may find their way into the milk. When this happens the milk will turn sour.
I'm sure you would enjoy milking a cow because the warm milk is so rewarding to drink.
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
29 Mar 13
Ill take the milk anyday, but i wont be milking a cow anytime soon. Have a great weekend there.
@xuy2xfreak88 (182)
•
27 Mar 13
Well, I haven't been in a farm in my entire life. I really want to do what you did with the cow. I think its fun. Does Milk Cow tasty? I tried drinking the Goat Milk and its delicious.. How about the Cow? Fresh Cow Milk? How is it? I'm just very curious that's all.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
31 Mar 13
I remember how hard it was. You need to get up close so you can reach under for the teat but not so far that you cannot see what is going on. My knees would also get in the way. LOL. I was 13 and a gangly, long legged girl.
The reward was warm, creamy milk on my porridge. My family was on holidays at the time and it was my favourite time of day. The cows were Daisy and Bluebell.
It's funny the things we remember. This happened 47 years ago.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
31 Mar 13
We had 15 cows to milk by hand, so everyone was there to help. Some cows are harder to get the milk from, so Dad milked those. Some cows wouldn't stand still, so I had them. If the cow milked easy, and stood still, Mom milked her. The cow soon got to know her milker and that made it easier too. Some of the best cows gave a whole milk pail full twice a day.I remember feeding the cats in their own dish in the stable.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
31 Mar 13
I think they had other cows too but we were at a guest house so I guess we got to do the easy ones. I was the only "guest" who was interested. I got to go and call the cows to come in too.
I remember being somewhere once (no idea where) and I was allowed to watch but that was all. There were a couple of cows who had one leg tied to something because they kicked. I wondered at the time if the milker was hurting them. I would think that being relieved of a full udder would be a good thing?
@AnnieOakley1 (5596)
• Canada
27 Mar 13
Nope, I never had to milk a cow by hand....yet....but I may still do so, since I have been reading that they are planning on putting Aspartame into the milk without labeling it. If that happens, I WILL just buy my own cow and will be milking it myself for our own milk.
But, I have milked a sheep. I have quite a few of them, and if the lamb is having trouble getting it's first meal...weak, cold, etc, sometimes I have to milk her out into a bottle to feed it to the lamb to warm it up faster.
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
27 Mar 13
I grew up on a farm and we had cows. We used milking machines to milk the cows. I don't remember ever trying to milk by hand!
Before we milked a cow we also cleaned the udder of the cow. I remember doing that from time to time. Most of the time my dad washed the udders and did the milking. I had to carry the milk buckets,after my dad dumped the milk out of the milk machine, to the milk house and dump them in the bulk tank. That was my job!
@kyle2krystel (2489)
• Japan
27 Mar 13
I think this is fun and exciting! I never experience this and I would love to. I've only seen this on tv and very unfortunate to have this great experience. How does it feel milking a cow by hand? I bet the milk taste so good too specially its fresh;-)
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
27 Mar 13
Its not hard work to milk a cow, but the hard part is getting up early every day of the week. If the cow is not milked on time her udder gets hard and swollen and she become very uncomfortable. Also some cows don't like to stand still and will occasionally step forward and put their foot in the milk-pail.
@natliegleb (5175)
• India
27 Mar 13
that is quite a awkward moment and we should not do that just like that and it will leave bad impression all the way for sure,so try to eliminate it
1 person likes this
@FireflyN (22)
• United States
27 Mar 13
I have milked both cows and goats by hand. I must say that it is quite a lot of work, no matter the animal, but personally I find it quite enjoyable. I have been working on farms since I was seven, so I feel right at home when spending time with animals. I found that milking cows and goats was surprisingly more relaxing and peaceful than most people would think. Sure, it takes a while and your back will usually start killing you after a short while, but it is nice, quiet, and peaceful all the same.
1 person likes this
