The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Cattle => Topic started by: farmers wife on May 23, 2016, 01:40:18 pm
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All of a sudden since the girl has gone out onto pasture I cant move her to bring in to milk. She will walk past the gate and then stick her heals in and tuck her head into her side. Absolutely no chance to shift her unless the OH slaps her arse and drags her which isnt great for when I'm on my own. I had to resort to milking her by the gate.
She is 4yrs old.
Why has she changed and what can I do to break this?
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Are you hand or machine milking? Are you giving concentrates whilst milking?
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If she's not resisting milking, only coming through the gate, then I'd look at feet and surfaces, cold drafts where you milk her, that sort of thing - something environmental that she doesn't like. Maybe flies in the parlour? Do you leave her standing tied up while you process the milk or anything that she doesn't like? Does she have to walk across grit or gravel?
And yes, if you're feeding concentrates while milking and she still won't come in, then there's some powerful disincentive there. :thinking:
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no issues, milk by hand in a clean barn. She was ok before when I took her out of the side of the shed into a safe area, tucked into her lucerne loved it. Now on pasture not interested in the lucerne and was/still is happy to be milked.
Around the barns where we now milk is long grass and I let her have a good graze she was happy. The ground is pretty stable.
Last 2 days she is a right mare - she doesnt want to go there at all. No signs of lameness or problems on the ground.
Saying that She doesnt seem happy in the barn not sure if its being enclosed thats making her unhappy. She lets me milk her though and walks back ok. Will have to see if I can tie her up in the open barn area but first of all I'll have to get her to walk with me.
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strange, has she been frightened at all by anything? some animals just do that. One of my buffaloes keeps taking off when its time to milk her and I have to run across the field to get her back, good excercise for me but rather annoying. Sometimes they just develope bad habits which have to be broken. Animals are strange and unpredictable, but hey thats why we love em. :D I hope you get this sorted real soon and am sorry I can't be of more help. All the best :thumbsup:
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Are there bight areas and pools of dark shadow? Is there a loud noise or something new like a bumble bees' nest that might spook her?