The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-04-07
Kicking or Restless Cows.

1t is quite possible we would have no
kicking or restless cows while milking
provided they were properly handled
from calfhood. But we must take
things as they are and not as they
should be in treating this subject.
There is a wide difference in obtaining
the milk by a cowboy from a wild COW
of the plains and the sanctioned gen.
tie cow of the modern dairy. 1t is
claimed by some that the stanchion or
close confinement of the cows head is
all the restraint that should be applied
to the cow while milking; that if she
does not stand quietly during the pro-
cess of milking it is for the reason that
milking is painful to the COW, and in
justice and for best results, no further
restraint should be put upon her.
The proper position for a GOV in
milking is to stand at a "hOist." That
is, the hind leg next the mixer to step
back, or the opposite one to be in ad-
vance. When in that position the I'D
der is handily reached and the cows
greatest weight is on the hind foot
farthest back, 30 that if the COW in that
position decides to kick it is with the
opposite foot, which is less likely to do
damage than if the kicking was done
by the foot nearest.
Some cows acquire the habit OF
standing in just the right position for
handy milking, while others seem to
insist on the reverse, which is apt to
arouse the ire of the mixer who resents
it with his strength and as the COW has
the more strength, anger and brutal
abuse of the GOV follow.
The plan l have used for many years
is to gently apply my strength in such
q manner to the cow that l prove the
strongest, then anger is not necessary
and / get along much better without it,
In many cases milking is painful to the
COW, hence q sort of necessary surgical
operation. In human surgery confine.
ment is necessary-then why not con.
fine the COW in a proper position fol-
milking and quietude while the opera.
tion is performed. To accomplish this
desirable result stanchion the COW; take
a rope some ten feet long, make a loop
on n end; 60 to the opposite or left
side of the cow, place it gently around
the gambrel joint, through the loop in
form of a slip moose, then slip it down
just above the dew claw; pass the rope
twice around the stanchion, then draw
the foot forward as far as you please
and make the rope fast. This confines
the cow to a forced "hoist" and in
most cases it is all that is necessary;
in others, however, the 20 takes ex-
ceptions and milking is impossible un.
til the cow gets broke to the rope and
quietly submits to its restraint, in which
case the COW should have lessons in ad.
vance of milking.
In some cases the cow has been sc
trained by brutal treatment that ever
this mild restraint will not confne the
cow sufficiently to keep the offending
foot from damage, in which. case place
the loop around the gambrel joint and
pass the rope around the top Of the
stanchion and draw the foot off the
floor OIL as much as seems necessary tC
produce the required result. l have
used this plan of restraint for many
years and never found a case / could
not control-yes, and reform, although
when the cow has been so long trained
to a continual stepping, interspersed
with kicks, more or less vicious, a full
remedy requires time and patience
Practical Dairyman.