Dairy photos

Got some photos on the Dairy Farm so thought I'd pop them on here!

Calves nomming on my hand...


Sid! My favourite calf :)

 Little red calf


 Lesbanim calves kissing each other


 Inside the milking parlour...


 Cow being milked


 Clusters / Milking unit on a cows udder


 Cow on antibiotics being milked out into a dump bucket


 Milked out mastitic milk

And last but not least!

Me with my arm up a cow...

Third day at the Dairy farm this week and like it!

I scraped out the yard with this little old Case tractor! :))

Told Michael I couldn't reverse but he said would be fine and I was :P I did down along the cubicles and didn't crash... he did have to do between the cubicles nearest the parlour 'cos it was fiddly but only 'cos we were in a rush.

Dairy - Been milking!

Been milkin' today! :D
Got there at 9 and had to scrape out and then bed down (sawdust + straw) all the beds (for 80+ cows).
Then bedded down some more and moved some heifers out, bulls over and moved some calves :)

Went out in the Tractor with Michael to give cows out in the fields some straw. "Have you ever driven a tractor?" Nope "Ahh, you'll be fine!" ... didn't today but they'z said I might be scraping out :) - will warn them I hate reversing ;)

Did some jetwashing + then home for lunch 'cos its only round the corner.

More jetwashing then prepped + washed 4 calves with Anna ready for a show at Stoneleigh!

Got the cows into the yard + into the dairy and started milking! The parlour is all mechanised and has sensors, 2 walkways either side with 4 bays. A gate opens to let cows in + then out after too.
They all have numbered collars on so you put that into the machine and put the milking clusters on - have to check they're not on antib's or have mastitis, they get milked into a dump bucket, not the bulk tank.
Fed some calves their milk in buckets and had my hand nommed and clothes sucked!

Washed all the clusters + all the floors in the parlour and that was us for the day! :D

Going Milking!

I decided a while ago that I wanted to get some Dairy and Calving work experience.
I applied years ago to a place round the corner but got turned down 'cos I was too young for insurance - think I was 16 or 17 at the time.

I wrote a letter explaining what I'm doing at Uni and what experience I already have and took it to a local dairy farm. I spoke to a lady there, the farmers daughter and she rang me a couple days later, I can go next Monday! :))

Have experience with most farm animals now but hardly any with cows so am looking forward to it.
Start at 9am which I thought seemed quite late for milking but we'll see!