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Transporting a cow is a significant operation. Luckily, we started out on a lovely spring day, and also luckily, we started out our experiences in transporting smaller animals, like goats, and worked up to sheep and donkeys. So we (cough, cough) knew what we were doing by the time we got to a cow.
It actually went pretty well! A good way to transport animals in the bed of a truck, if you don’t happen to own one of those multi-thousand dollar stock trailers, is with the use of plain old wooden pallets you can pick up for free many places.
52′s truck is out of commission at the moment, so we borrowed my cousin’s big yellow truck and lined it with pallets. You can attach them with rope and/or tie-downs. It’s a free set-up and you can take it apart once you’re done like it never happened. We had some hay and feed in there for the cow to enjoy on the trip.
When we got to the farm in Ohio, they brought her out using some feed.
They made a halter with rope to put on her.
We backed the truck up to a big pile of gravel.
They led her up the gravel pile using the feed….
….then on into the truck. The whole family got involved with the pushing and shoving. They had a bunch of kids!
I wondered if it took half a dozen or so people to shove her on, how we were going to get her off. I asked them if they wanted to come to West Virginia with us. They said no. And right about then they leaped into action as a family again chasing down the calf that made a break for it while we were all paying attention to putting the cow in the truck.
See to the left of the tree in the below photo? That wheel? That’s a kid on a dirt bike. No cowboy horses on this Ohio farm–they ride the range on dirt bikes.
I have to admit that this whole episode was really entertaining. Because it’s always entertaining when a farm animal gets out–if it’s NOT YOURS.
And there she goes, back in the gate where she belongs.
I blocked her from going on down the road and helped herd her to the gate. They thanked me for helping. I said, no big deal….. I herded a ram this morning before I got here.
Back to our cow…. She was tethered at the front of the truck to keep her from moving around too much.
Another pallet was put in place at the back of the truck and we were off!
Once we got back to our farm, we backed the truck up to a creekbank.
We got her turned around inside the truck and it only took a little pulling to encourage her. She came right off!
And started walking around our meadow bottom like a giant in Lilliput-land.
Look how big she is next to Boomer.
I think she could swallow him in one big bite.
Or step on his head and he’d go missing.
Only she wouldn’t do any of that because she’s very sweet and gentle. I’m pretty sure Boomer was more interested in her than she was in him.
I HAVE A COW!!!!!
I started milking her yesterday morning. I’m still in my learning curve, but it’s going pretty good, I think!!!! They were getting up to two gallons a milking from her, sometimes a gallon and a half. I brought home 3/4 gallon. I probably milked her a full gallon, but I spilled some. It’ll get better. I left her when I knew she still had a milk, but for the first milking, I figured I’d get out while the getting was good. She is sweet and gentle and she was very patient with me. She doesn’t kick. I love her!
I just stared and stared at this milk in my refrigerator yesterday. And took it out and examined it. And put it back. And took it out. And photographed it like it was artwork. (It also tastes sweet and wonderful and perfect.)
Me and my cow, we made that! Here’s a pic of me milking her for the first time yesterday.
Don’t you love my get-up?
Cut-off jeans and chore boots. I’m stylin’.
Morgan declared she was having nothing to do with this cow milk. I thought this was rather odd since she drank Clover’s milk (GOAT milk) with no reservations. I told her I wasn’t buying any more milk, so she’d have to drink water for the rest of her life. (We very very very rarely buy soda pop. She’s a pretty big milk drinker.) She insisted she would buy her own milk! Then she came home from school yesterday and declared, “I’m drinking this milk!” And filled up a big tall glass and drank it down.
Success.
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on April 13, 2010
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She looks so calm and peaceful, I’m sure you’ll soon be getting the full two gallons of milk. Your farm seems to be such a lovely place, and the animals that you’ve chosen are just perfect for you.
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I really look forward to seeing you make hard cheese. That’s something I’ve never done and would love to. It’s not so much the cheese making that I can’t figure out. it’s the aging. How can you be patient enough to let it sit that long?
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i love the cattle transporter,so practical. Sadly it would probably be illegal over here and you would have had to hire a closed in trailer.
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She won’t give as much milk for a few days. A move or drastic change will cause that. Once she settles in to her new home, she will be back to normal.
I kind of disagree with Sheila, I thinks she needs a little more fat on her. I would gradually increase her feed especially until the grass gets really going good.
My cow was extremely wormy (she had been running with goats that I knew from my vet had a serious worm problem). This is a simple matter of taking a spoonful of her poop in a plastic baggy to the vet. He can tell you very quickly.
OK, no more unsolicited advice……….maybe. I love milk cows.
Hope your hands don’t get sore. I hadn’t milked in over 4 years and mine didn’t. They did get tired though and I had to rest them now and then.
Are you getting foam on the milk? That is a good sign you are milking correctly.
The milk is just the best tasting. I think we comment on how good it is at least once daily.
Wait til you have it icy cold with some of those delicious cookies you make!
6:00
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Yes, our pasture needs to grow back and for now we’re feeding a lot of supplemental hay and feed. We’re fencing in two more areas for pasturing and will be moving her to one and the sheep to another to allow the meadow bottom to grow back before rotating them back through there, so this is temporary until we get those fences up.
I just met this cow so I’m pasteurizing her milk.
And yes, I’m sitting on a stool, not just squatting!
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http://chickensintheroad.com/forum/the-old-barn/milking-a-cow/
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Suzanne, I hope that when I eventually get to my rural/farm/sustainable homestead, I can take in on new challenges with as much gusto as you do!
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And yes, I do love the chore clothes….that’s what I’d be wearing! LOL!
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And she is so pretty and sweet looking. She has that “I trust you and you can trust me” look in her eyes
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And I dress just like you….looks normal to me!!
Will you be acquiring a little butter churn and milk separator??
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Suzanne, your farm attire looks alot like mine. Also been known to run out in the field to check a cow or calf wearing my “work clothes” (high heels and skirt). The neighbors are no longer surprised by anything.
1:34
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Boomer
is going to be wearing some 
Cow Patties sometime soon! 
Angela
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Susan
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How I was taught to milk was to put my head cradled in the crook of the cow’s belly/leg area, and my knee against her leg, foot back. This will place your knee and part of your leg between the cow’s leg and the milk pail. This will put you slightly forward facing. This will give you extra protection and your milk too, in case she does decide to kick one day, or in case you do buy/train another one who may potentially be a kicker.
You will find too that it is easier to move out of the way and scoop up your pail. You will get to learn every twitch she has and would be able to predict when something is off before it happens.
You will want to wear a ball cap, though! You have long hair…you would want to tuck it all up. I did this as a teen and a young man came by and saw me at a distance. I was in my very baggy overalls then too. He mentioned that he was just shocked to see all of this long blonde hair come out of that cap.
He thought for sure that I was a boy until then! I thought that was so funny!
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Our cow has a good udder and good muscles for it. Once you are done milking the front, she will actually pull her back teats so that they are pointing forward. That helps.
For that swinging tail, you could either pull it to the side with some twine and tie it with a slipknot. Our cow doesn’t like this, so we tied a big hair clip to the twine and clip it in the hair part. She doesn’t mind that.
Just a few ideas to try!