first time milking heifers

ciaran kinvara2012

looking for any ideas on how to quieten a heifer that calved down yesterday. we tried to milk her this morning but she wont let us near the udder. i tried putting kicking bar on...couldnt get near her, put concrete block behind her legs......she was too smart for it, tried with stick at her eye....pised her off more.

any other ideas???

Bizzum

ciaran kinvara2012 wrote: »

looking for any ideas on how to quieten a heifer that calved down yesterday. we tried to milk her this morning but she wont let us near the udder. i tried putting kicking bar on...couldnt get near her, put concrete block behind her legs......she was too smart for it, tried with stick at her eye....pised her off more.

any other ideas???

I've heard of lads applying slight pressure via a vicegrip on the top of the tail.
I myself have tied one back leg when I couldn't strig out the odd cow.

F.D

on a real bad one seen a halter put on and tied frimly to the front gate or to the stall work and then tie the leg to the bar, not ideal, but it works
either that or wedge her between to big cows to stop her squirming
other times we used to put them in last and just lie up against them, it was usually enough, problem is we found with the first idea as soon as you untie them there back to square one

whelan1

get them in as tight as possible - like an extra cow in the row- usually works here

ciaran kinvara2012

thanks for advice lads, shes in betwen two old bigs ones but u should see the kicks shes flying, real bad mind in this one, she attacked us yesterday in field wen i tried go to her calf.

il have to put hurling helmet on to have any chance with her!!!

delaval

ciaran kinvara2012 wrote: »

thanks for advice lads, shes in betwen two old bigs ones but u should see the kicks shes flying, real bad mind in this one, she attacked us yesterday in field wen i tried go to her calf.

il have to put hurling helmet on to have any chance with her!!!

Give her a few days, if you can imagine he has had calf, bonded and then stuck in a noisey environment.
We use the vice grip high on the tail..............If she is t it in a fortnight hang her high (she'll be fine though)

ciaran kinvara2012

where abouts on tail will i clamp it?she was only bought in lately and the lad who had her before cut the tail in half, thouth the bottom bit of tail hasnt fallen off yet!!

Injuryprone

It sounds like you're not on your own in the parlour. If so, 1 of you climb up on the stallwork and lift her tail straight up to the sky while the other milks her. Not suitable for one man operations, but has never failed to work here. If possible, get the kickbar on her, we leave it loose for the first couple of milkings (while we're still having to lift the tail) so that she gets used to it. Usually, you shouldn't have to lift the tail for more than a couple of milkings. The 1 that I had to do this year was grand on the 2nd milking and didn't need a kickbar by the 4th day.

delaval

ciaran kinvara2012 wrote: »

where abouts on tail will i clamp it?she was only bought in lately and the lad who had her before cut the tail in half, thouth the bottom bit of tail hasnt fallen off yet!!

As high as possible or you will have 2 black eyes and it will be from the vice grip:cool::cool:

Blue Holland

Jump lead clamps very handy too, you can buy them without leads for few euro.

delaval

Blue Holland wrote: »

Jump lead clamps very handy too, you can buy them without leads for few euro.

Cheaper than forgetting about vice grip:p:p