Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Morning Milking

Got up at half five this morning to learn to milk the cows! It wasn't too difficult getting out of bed; my room is warm, and I went to bed at 11:00 as opposed to my usual 1:30. It was crunchy and frosty and pitch black outside, but I warmed up as Ben and I cleared the muck out from under the cows and pushed it to the sides. In the afternoons we take the cows out first and then clean the byres and then bring them back in an milk them, but to save time in the mornings we just tidy up around them. Then I gave them hay and then Justin started teaching me!I've already learned how to clean the teats, so today he showed me how to prepare the machines and turn the air on (which goes into the machine, creates a vacuum and thus, suction which makes the walls of the tubes that go on the teats move in and out, squeezing the milk into the jug below. Most people assume the milk is sucked out, and it's not really. There is some suction, but mostly the air creates the squeezing and that's how it comes out. Okay, lesson over. So I cleaned them and them and then, after Justin demonstrated, I put the machines on myself. It's not so hard really, there's just a lot of little steps to remember.

This morning I'm in the food centre, then home for lunch, and I have a doctor's appointment at three to have my heart looked at and then Shepherd's Play rehearsal at 4:15 in the school, so this morning aside, no farming for me today. Oh, and then there's co-worker supper and the last evening of foundation course stuff.

Gotta get going. Peace.

1 comment:

Stephen said...

"Did you ever milk a cow?
Well I had the chance one day but I was all dressed up for Sunday"
lyrics from We Can Talk by The Band