Milking a Cow by Hand: Adding Dairy to Your Homestead Donna Larson, February 14, 2024February 14, 2024 You’re considering adding dairy to your homestead, but you aren’t quite sure if milking a cow by hand is right for you. Let’s go through the basics of what you need to know for hand milking or machine milking your own dairy cow. Milking a Cow by Hand Putting your hands to your cow’s udder for the first time can be nerve-wracking. You aren’t sure about what exactly you’re doing through this whole milking process, but you know you have to milk her. For this reason, I highly recommend finding a family cow that has already been trained to stand for milking. It’s even better if you can find a trained cow with a calf at her side. This way, if you don’t get her milked out all the way, you can just put the calf with her to clean up behind you. Milking Parlor Dairy farmers obviously have set up milking parlors, but that isn’t really necessary for the homesteader. All you really need is a place to get out of the elements during inclement weather. Check out our thoughts on Where Can I Milk a Cow for more information. A way to keep her from moving around too much is all that is really needed. Securing the cow’s head into a locking head gate is a good idea. Safety and Space Teach your milk cow to keep a respectful distance from you as a safety protocol. The only way that she should approach you is if you invited her into your personal space. Never allow your family milk cow to think its okay to play with you. This is especially a problem if you only have one cow. She will see you as her herd. Cows like to push one another around and sometimes romp and play. You can be seriously injured or killed by such behavior. Likewise, carefully approach your own cow so that you don’t scare her. The same rule applies when she’s in the stanchion. Let her know where you are so that she isn’t startled when you touch her. Always be aware of where she is in proximity to you. Don’t get so occupied with a chore or busyness that you don’t see her sneak up on you. (Side Note: Never turn your back on an open heifer or cow. “Open” means that she is not pregnant. She may take the opportunity to mount you, especially when she’s in estrus.) Supplies for Milking a Cow by Hand My must-have items to leave in the stanchion: iodine teat dip cup udder balm or other lubricating moisturizer spray bottle with chlorhexadine a brush a stool a kick stop Ultra Boss fly spray a water hose Other items that I bring in at milking time: A can with clean clothes, warm water, and a drop of dish soap a clean dry cloth or two Other Miscellaneous Supplies for Keeping a Family Milk Cow A dedicated milk fridge several glass storage jars a filter and funnel extra milk cans cheese cloth cheese making culture, rennet, and citric acid a cheese press Ninja blender heavy bottom stainless steel stock pots medicines, sterile syringes and needles, dewormers, nitrile gloves, obstetric sleeves halters and ropes mastitis test kit sample vials and sterile cups hot water on sight a cheese cave (wine fridge) How Long Does It Take to Milk a Cow by Hand? That depends. Variable factors for the time it takes to milk a cow by hand include: how much the cow is producing how fast you are as the milker the structure of the cows teats and udder Generally, plan to take a very long time when you’re first learning how to milk your cow. The more you do it, the faster you’ll get. Before you know it, your muscle memory in your hands will have you milking your cow out in no time. I use to hand milk out 3 & 1/2 gallons from my jersey cow. When I first started, it took me an hour to get about a gallon. By the end of that first lactation, my motor skills had advanced enough that I could milk her out in under 15 minutes. It takes time to get better, so keep at it. Should You Start Milking a Cow by Hand or Use a Machine I highly recommend milking by hand if you’re milking one cow. Your hands will build up the strength to do it with little effort. But just in case you’re wondering why, let’s cover some pros and cons of milking a cow by hand or using a milking machine. Pros and Cons of Milking a Cow by Hand Pros: You need very little equipment to milk a cow by hand. Really, you can do it with just a sturdy stool for yourself, a bucket to milk into, and your normal sanitation supplies. This makes for a more economical way to start your milk cow journey, and it also provides fast clean up. You will bond with your cow, forming a relationship with her. Its somewhat cathartic to most milk maids to cozy up and hand milk. Cons: I’m not going to lie, hand milking hurts a lot in the beginning. If you end up milking more than one cow, well that hurts a lot too. I cried many tears in pain in the beginning of my milking journey. It also takes longer to milk by hand than with a milk machine. Pros and Cons of Using a Milking Machine Pros: It’s very easy to hook up and milk out several gallons of milk from your cow in no time. The learning curve is short because it’s not very difficult to connect and disconnect inflations from your cow. Cons: The biggest negative side of using a milk machine is the fact that you have to purchase it. A quality machine is very costly. Please do not look for the cheapest device to milk out your expensive cow. Most of those are a waste of money and will ruin your cow. Next, the milking machine has to be properly sanitized with every single use. Washing and disinfecting the machine adds another 20-30 minutes to milking chores, as opposed to simply spending 30 seconds to wash out a pail. Lastly, you need electricity to run a milking machine. This means both establishing infrastructure and then having a back up in the event of power outages. How Much Do You Get When Milking a Cow by Hand? Again, this is a widely variable answer. Genetics, diet, age, stage in lactation, and whether or not you’re calf sharing will all determine how much fresh milk you can get from your family milk cow. There is an argument to be made stating that you’ll get more out of a machine milked cow. Sometimes that’s true, especially if you’re a slow milker. However, I’m currently milking a cow who gives me a lot more milk by hand than the machine can get out of her. Maybe she likes the hand milking better, or maybe I need a different sized inflation liner for the machine. I’m not entirely sure. What I do know is that using the machine with her yields no more than half a gallon, but I can get a gallon and a half by hand before she decides that she’s done. Generally, holsteins are bred for production and can give upwards of 100 pounds per day. Jersey cows will generally give less, but you can still get a pretty high-producing jersey in her peak giving 80 pounds per day. Milking shorthorns and Devons will give considerably less per day, making them ideal for homesteads. The longer in lactation she is, the less she’ll produce. The more protein in her diet, the more she’ll produce. If you’re calf-sharing, she’ll hold back her milk for her calf, giving you less. You can manipulate the cow by using her calf as a tool to get her to let down her milk for you. What You Can Do With All of That Milk Anything dairy that you find at the grocery store can be made at home. Besides fresh raw milk, and heavy cream, our favorites to make on a regular basis are: butter sour cream cream cheese ricotta cheese mozzarella monterey jack cheese (and several other flavors of jack cheeses) greek style yogurt ice cream Summary of Milking a Cow by Hand So what do you think? Is milking a cow by hand worth the endeavor? It certainly was for our family. The most important thing on our farm has always been the milk cow. Everything revolves around her, and we can’t imagine our farm without fresh dairy. If you’re looking to keep a family cow, give hand milking a try. I think you’ll like it. Happy Milking! Donna @ Hazel Belle Farm Donna and her family have been homesteading for most of their 20+ years together in some shape or fashion. She currently lives on their 20 acre farm where they grow as much food as possible. What started as a just a few laying hens, has grown into large gardens, pastured poultry, pork, and lamb. They are continuously evolving their small farm to not suit their family’s needs, but also providing to their local community. Donna’s favorite part of the family farm is her self-built micro-dairy, where she gets to love on dairy cows while serving her local community. Milking, cheesemaking, and processing dairy have become the soul of their homestead and the center of their farm. Dairy Homesteading