Simple Udder Prep & Milking Routine for Hand-milking My Dexters

Here--in a condensed, easy-to-follow form--is the routine I use to prep my Dexter cows' udders for milking.  An expanded version, including explanations and rationales, can be found here.

Clean.  Brush or wipe the udder with a clean cloth to remove dirt and debris.

Let the cow into the stanchion and close the neck catch.

Dip.  Pre-dip each teat with an iodine dip from the GREEN for GO cup.

Count at least 30 seconds after the last teat is dipped.

Dry.  Firmly wipe each teat with a separate paper towel or separate side of a clean cloth.

Wipe each teat with a separate teat wipe to remove excess teat dip.  (This is a step I add that many milkers do not use.)

Apply Bag Balm to each teat.

Strip.  Strip each teat 3 times into a cup to check for clumps.

Milk.

Strip.  Strip each teat until no more milk comes out.

Dip.  Post-dip each teat with iodine dip from the RED for STOP cup.

Clean.  Let the cow out and sweep out (or hose, if necessary) the stanchion.

Thanks to my Keeping a Family Cow friends for their help in condensing the original post into a more manageable form!  They generously responded to my original post, and I thought the poll in the link was helpful, too--especially Charlotte Smith's video.

If you want it condensed even more, here are the Seven Essential Steps in a recitable mantra:

Clean
Dip
Dry 
Strip
Milk
Strip
Dip

Udder Prep and Milking Routine for My Dexters

Last fall I posted my udder prep and milking routine.  Then in February of this year as I was drying off Siobhan, she ended up with Staph A mastitis in one quarter.  My vet felt that her self-sucking on that quarter probably caused it, but he recommended that I change my milking routine to include use of an iodine pre- and post-dip.  I followed his advice.

The more I read and asked questions, especially on Keeping a Family Cow forum, the more I became convinced of several things:

• Water does not belong on an udder (except in very limited situations).
• Iodine (non-foaming) teat dip is the best.
• Pre-dipping is most important, with post-dipping a close second.

Using this udder prep and milking routine since early this year, we have 100% clean milk tests--two on Siobhan and one on Ebony.  Since we had to travel a lot this summer, once the calves could handle all the milk this spring, I let both the cows just be mothers with only occasional milking.  Now it's time to wean Ebony's calf, Tiggy, so I'm milking Ebby OAD (once a day) in order to monitor her before I dry her off.  Here, then, is our routine . . .

Bring the cow to the milking parlor and tie her outside.  This gives her a chance to poop and pee before she gets into the stanchion.

Now is a good time to brush the cow.  This is a bonding time and establishes a routine that prepares her to let down.

Most importantly, check her udder and clean off any hay, mud, manure, etc.  (Ebby is normally a clean cow and doesn't usually lay in her manure, but like many Dexters she does have a hairy udder, so cleaning removes anything that could fall into the milk.)  In the milking parlor I keep a gallon plastic ziplock bag full of sanitized cloths, and I grab one to thoroughly wipe off her udder.

Let the cow into the stanchion (lead her or let her walk in) and close the neck catch.

(Ebby was upset at being separated from Tiggy for 15 hours, her udder was quite full, and Tiggy was bawling her head off nearby (but out of sight) in the round pen.  So this was not Ebby's happiest time in the stanchion, but it was when I had a photographer available so we went for it.)

Thanks to Kara for the great photos!

Set the covered milk bucket somewhere safe.

I use a shelf because it's out of the reach of pee and poop splatters and can't get knocked over by accident.

Optional:  Apply mint udder balm if needed.  I used this for Ebby because she was so full and uncomfortable.  It's also great for newly-freshened cows with edema.   Massage the mint balm into the udder, but keep it off the teats because some cows don't like the sensation on the bare teat.

Have the iodine teat dip (this is Teat-Kote 10/III from Hamby Dairy Supply) in separate cups for pre- and post-dip.

(I bought this style because they fit easily under short cattle, but I don't like how they drip.  I would like to replace them with these, but they don't come in multiple colors.  So I guess I'll put up with the drips!)

Take the GREEN cup for GO, and squeeze some into the reservoir.

Dip each teat by pushing the cup up until the dip completely surrounds the teat.

When the last teat is dipped, you can dump the extra dip on one of the cow's hooves.  This can eliminate any possibly contaminated dip and is good for the hooves.

After the last teat is dipped, count at least 30 seconds.  This is the minimum time needed for the dip to do its job.

Tear two clean paper towels in half.

(I keep the roll of paper towels up high on the shelf where they stay clean.)

Firmly wipe each teat with a separate piece of paper towel, wiping the entire teat, including the orifice.

(Some people use sanitized rags.  Use two rags, a separate side for each teat.)

Wipe each teat with a separate commercial teat wipe, including the orifice.

I use Milk Check wipes from Hamby.  Using four per milking, this works out to 17 cents per milking, a cost that I find quite reasonable.

The teat wipes:

• remove most iodine residue.  (This is the most I got off; other teats had barely any left.)
• are a final sanitizing step that I like to do.
• If the cow pees during milking, the teat wipes are a handy way to re-clean the teats.

Apply Bag Balm to the teats.  This keeps the teats moisturized and makes it easier to strip without pulling the skin of the teats.

Optional:  If my gloves aren't powdered or I'm sweaty and have a hard time getting gloves on, I put a bit of baby powder on my hands.  (Sorry about the awful photos of me--just try to concentrate on the process and the beautiful cow!)

Glove up!

Why do I use gloves?  Research has shown that the use of gloves for milking reduces mastitis.  I often have splits, cracks or cuts on my hands that could harbor germs, so I think it's especially important for me.

Why do I wait till now to put the gloves on?  Because up till now I really haven't touched the teats, but I'm about ready to.

One nice thing about wearing gloves is that any time you need to re-clean your hands during milking, it's easy to sanitize them with an alcohol-based sanitizer without being hard on your skin.

NOTE that I do not touch the pump with any part of my hand that will touch the teat.  I turn my hand upside down and use the back to pump.

If I need to stop milking and touch the calf, a lead rope, or a shovel to catch manure--I sanitize.  Many days I never use the sanitizer, but it's there if I need it.

Strip each teat about 3 times into a cup . . .

. . . and check for clumps.

(I do have a strip cup which I forgot to bring to the barn.)

Note the lightweight stall mat under Ebby's feet.  There's also a larger one behind the stanchion for the cows to walk over as they enter and exit.  Cows do occasionally pee in the stanchion, and mats prevent slips and falls for both cow and milker--says the voice of experience!

Dump the stripped milk.

Milk away!  When the cup gets fairly full, I get up and dump it in the covered bucket, then sit back down.  I do it this way because:

• It keeps me from getting stiff.
• The lightweight camping cup is so much lighter to hold than a bowl and easier than a bucket.  The bowl I used to use weighed a pound, while the cup weighs 5 ounces.
• It's much quicker to move out of the way if the cow hikes her tail to poop or pee.
• It helps me gauge how much milk I'm getting since I know where the 2-cup mark is.
• A cow can put her foot into a bucket if you don't get it out of the way when she moves, but she can't step in the cup.
• Dumping milk into a bucket up on a shelf means that if an accident happens, I'm only crying over a little spilled milk.

To finish milking, strip each teat until no more milk comes out.  I strip at least 10 times.

Take the RED cup for STOP, and squeeze some into the reservoir.

Dip each teat.

Leave the dip on--do not wipe off.

If the calf is still nursing, I wait 30 seconds and then blot each teat with a separate piece of paper towel instead of wiping firmly.

You can dump the excess dip on a hoof.  Some people don't like to keep the dip that's left in the reservoir, while others leave it to eliminate waste.

Let the cow out of the stanchion, and clean up.  Ebby is not a pooper, but she did pee, so I sprayed bleach-water (that I keep in a spray bottle up on the shelf) on the stanchion and mats where the pee went.  Then I swept away the bleach water, and debris that Ebby and I tracked in.

Hang the mats to dry, if needed.

Lock the gate and take the milk back to the house.  The stanchion is clean and ready to go tomorrow.

With so many photos and detailed explanations, it may seem like my udder prep is really time-consuming.  It's not. When I get into the routine (and I'm not stopping to let someone take photos), it only takes a few minutes.  I believe it is time well spent, and I like the satisfaction of knowing that I have done everything possible to keep my cow's udder healthy and our milk clean.

Here is the condensed, simple version.

Please feel free to ask questions or make comments.  I'll do a follow-up post to answer any questions and share some resources that have helped me.

A Different Perspective on Milking My Dexter

A Photo Essay 

Starring Siobhan and Introducing Macree

Photos by Jennifer Lea

Captions by Susan Lea

Milking Demonstration by Jean-Marc Wallimann & Susan Lea

Back at Thanksgiving, Jean-Marc helped me milk one morning, and Jenny documented the whole process.  She applied her photographer's eye to catch the entire experience from each of our perspectives.  She captured not just Jean-Marc and me as we milked, but also the viewpoints of Siobhan, and her heifer, Macree, as well as a unique birds-eye view that would never in a million years have occurred to me.  Siobhan seemed completely unfazed by having two people milking her while a third clambered around her head and over her back and poked a camera into her most intimate functions as a mother and family milk cow!  With all the busy-ness of the holidays, I was slow to get around to doing this post, but Jenny's photos are so great I just have to share them.  You may never set foot on a farm, but I think that after seeing this photo essay you'll feel you were right there with us.  The only thing you can't experience is a glass of ice cold milk back at the house!

Milking starts with setting up feed for Siobhan and Macree.

Siobhan hears the clang of the feed bin and heads my way.

"Hurry up, Mommy!  I'm hungry!"

I halter Siobhan and tie her to a post.

She thinks about her feed and starts to drool.

This makes her have to pee and poop, which is much better done in the barnyard than in the stanchion!

I bring Macree out of her stall where she's been shut up overnight.

Macree is hungry, too, and helps with a "let down" nursing
so Siobhan "releases" her milk from the udder, available for milking.

Siobhan is seriously thinking about that feed waiting for her.

"Let's get this show on the road!"

Macree goes readily to her feed tub beside the stanchion, and I tie her up.

Siobhan goes right into the stanchion and starts eating.
"Now that's more like it!"

My bucket of hot soapy water is standing ready.  See this post.

I use a clean cloth to wash Siobhan's udder.  See post above.

Siobhan's udder is washed, dried and the teats have been cleaned with
disposable teat wipes.

I apply Bag Balm to my fingertips and smear it onto the udder and teats.  Dry hands and dry teats translate to painfully pulled skin for Siobhan.

I express milk from each teat onto the floor to make sure there's no lumpy,
clotty milk which would indicate mastitits.  This milk is good to go!

I start with two hands straight into the bucket.  Look at the spray!

When the less-productive front quarter is empty, I switch to a hand-held cup.
This way, if Siobhan moves a leg suddenly, I don't have to cry over spilt milk.
I grasp the teat firmly between my thumb & forefinger . . .

. . . roll my other fingers down and squeeze, and the milk squirts into the cup.

Jean-Marc caught on quickly. 

Milk spray sparkles in the sunlight.

Not every cow will let two people milk at the same time!

Like her mama, when Siobhan finishes her grain, she picks up her tub and
tosses it!  Jenny kept putting the tub back and making Siobhan toss it again
until Jenny got the perfect shot!

This is what milking looks like from Siobhan's perspective.

And this is what it looks like at the business end of things.

Jean-Marc found the "stripping" technique worked best for short teats and
long fingers, definitely helped along by Bag Balm.

"My feed is gone.  I want some more milk!"

Macree zooms in for a second "let-down" nursing. 

Macree switches from teat to teat and butts the udder with her head until Siobhan lets down more milk.  "Yum!"

Don't worry--I'm going to wash it again!

A slobbery milk face means there's more milk ready for Jean-Marc and me.

It also means a slobbery udder that needs to be washed again!

No more slobber.

Now it's clean and dry . . .

. . . and cleaned with teat wipes again.

We got over 2 more cups after the second let-down nursing.

When we finished, I let Macree out first, then Siobhan.
She always grabs one last mouthful of hay, "one for the road." 

Siobhan doesn't get a kiss every day, but she earned one today, sweet thing!

We shoo Siobhan away until I can get her empty feed tub, put it in the barnyard and dump in the soaked alfalfa cubes.  She tends not to poop in the stanchion now that she gets her alfalfa after milking is done.

No job is over until clean up is done.  Today was a "neat" day so all I have to do is sweep, pour the used wash water over the milk on the stanchion, and sweep the water out.  Then everything is clean and ready to go tomorrow.

Note