Our own fresh milk is an environmentally friendly, healthy product. But sometimes a situation arises when a cow does not allow herself to be milked. Some farmers don't know what to do if their favorite cow kicks while being milked. You need to “persuad” the obstinate animal. Otherwise, the cow will have to be taken to slaughter, which is especially undesirable if it is young.
Basic rules of milking
The reasons for a cow's kicking may lie in improper milking. Therefore, you must strictly follow all the milking rules. The main positions are as follows:
- Milking must occur according to a schedule, strictly at a certain time.Usually milked 2-3 times a day. If the cow has just calved, then the procedure is repeated up to 6 times a day. This will help increase milk yield. After a month, you can switch to a 4-time schedule, and after another 30 days - to a regular one.
- Wash your hands thoroughly before starting the procedure. Wear gloves. It is necessary to maintain personal hygiene so that the milker does not emit unpleasant odors. If you have to milk several cows, wash your hands after each one.
- 30 seconds before starting, massage the udder. Clean it from dirt and wipe it dry. Check the udder for injuries or scratches. If they are, then you need to start treatment.
- Young cows are milked first, then old ones. Milk from sick animals is taken last. At the beginning of milking, 2-3 streams are expressed from each teat into a clean container. This reduces the likelihood of disease in an animal by 7-18%.
The first heifer needs to be prepared before she calves. From the fifth month of pregnancy you need to start touching her udder and belly during feeding. The chick will eat and will not pay attention to the stroking. This ensures habituation to the procedure.
After milking, teats must be disinfected. The table shows the most common disinfectants.
Reasons for kicking
There may be several reasons why a cow kicks and does not allow milking. It's easy to eliminate them. The main factors are:
- If the cattle were recently purchased, the new habitat can cause severe stress. Therefore, a cow can kick and not be milked.
- Udder diseases, such as mastitis. Also, if the animal has injuries and abrasions on the nipples, they cause pain. Therefore, it is important to inspect the udder before milking.
- If milking occurs “at random”, not according to schedule, then this can cause irritability of the animal.
- Bright lights, loud sounds, strong odors, the presence of strangers - all this can provoke aggression in a cow.
- If milking is done ineptly, it causes pain to the cattle, and it may kick.
In addition to the listed factors, the cause of aggression can be the fatigue of the cow. Milking is also a tiring process for her, so the extra stress can cause her to buck.
How to solve a problem
People have been engaged in cattle breeding since time immemorial. Therefore, a lot of popular advice has accumulated that you can use. You also need to listen to the opinions of veterinarians.
Veterinarian advice
First of all, veterinarians recommend checking the udder. If there are bruises, hidden mastitis, or internal injuries, then the cow will experience pain during milking. There may be small cracks, insect bites, invisible hematomas.
Therefore, first you need to carefully examine the udder and treat it if necessary.
Veterinarians recommend various sedatives. For example, decoctions of oregano or valerian. You should pour 30 grams of grass with 500 milliliters of boiling water. Then wait 20-40 minutes. Mix the finished broth with 10 liters of water and give the animals a drink. With prolonged use, the milk may become bitter.
With the help of Corvalol, another calming mixture is created. To do this, for every 50 kg of a cow’s weight, add 1 milliliter of the product to the drinking water. A similar mixture is used for cramps and twitching in the muscles, and for spasms of the gastrointestinal tract.
You can simply tangle your legs - one of the common ways.To do this, make a figure-eight knot and throw it over your legs. Then the knot is tightened. A cow constrained in this way will not be able to kick. Another option is to tie the raised front leg to a support.
Traditional methods
The cow gets irritated in bright light and may hit the milker with her hoof. Therefore, you need to reduce the lighting in the barn or throw a blanket or blanket over her head. If the room is hot, then place a wet cloth on the back of the cow. This will cool the animal and repel insects from it.
Many farmers tie the tail to the leg. If the cow likes some kind of food or is hungry, then with the help of an assistant you can try to milk her. One person feeds the cattle, and the second one milks it at this time. If all the described methods do not produce results, then you can use special devices called anti-kick devices.
We make anti-bang with our own hands
The action of the device is based on the forced raising of the rear or front leg of the cow. To do this, one end of the anti-kick clings to the fold on the thigh, and the other to the back. By adjusting the degree of tension, it will be possible to immobilize the animal.
The following elements are used in the manufacture of anti-buck:
- 2 identical pipes of small diameter, for example, 25 millimeters with curved ends and holes along the length, “A”;
- large diameter pipe, for example 32 millimeters, concave in the middle, “B”;
- rubber tips inserted into pipes of smaller diameter, “C”.
- corner springs for fixation, “D”.
The device is assembled according to the following algorithm:
- Springs are inserted into the holes of pipes of smaller diameter.
- Small ones are inserted into each end of the wide pipe and secured with a spring.
- Softening tips are placed on the ends of small pipes.
The final design looks like the one shown in the figure below. There is also a schematic diagram of the anti-kick installation method.
If a cow kicks, there are many effective ways to subdue it. The main thing is to determine as accurately as possible the cause of the animal’s anxiety and apply the correct method of calming.
