Week 1 is done !



Well, all the new dairy farmers survived the first week of milking... and learned a lot along the way. And are learning to live with LESS sleep and everything else that goes with it! There are still a lot of small projects left to complete, more cows to arrive, but all in all the first week was without catastrophe.  Tad just sprayed down the deck before evening milking. He usually does the mixing & feeding, stirs the sawdust while the cows are being milked.  He helps with 5 am milking before heading off to work.  Then tries to get home in time to do the same thing for 5 pm milking.




Dora -  went from Project Manager to Master of Most Trades.   Takes
kids to Dad's at 4:30 am so she can do the 5 am milking; does all the
clean up after the morning milking, various farm chores, assists kids
with their homeschooling, fits in time to clean the surgery center, then
is back home in time for 5 pm milking. No wonder supper isn't until 8:30 pm
these days !  They try to be home and settle down by 9:30 pm.



Cows on deck - prior to milking



Boys come into parlor to ask Mom a question



While Hannah does some homework where she can still watch milking being done.  Hannah does a wonderful job helping in the parlor with the predip and postdip, as well as a lot of the clean up after.  Who knew Hannah wouldn't mind scraping manure!!! 



I helped out  a little on Saturday night and Monday night.  And quickly realized there is a lot to learn and pay attention to during the milking process.



Shawn looking out at herd left to be milked. He leaves for work at 4 am so he already knows what it is like to be up that early!  Then when he gets home, he helps with 5 pm milking and clean up. It seems that clean up takes as long as milking does!




And while Shawn checks out the herd, Pretty checks out Shawn..     Pretty is on of their favorites !




Then Pretty checks out Hannah and seems to pose when Hannah took this picture !



Cows waiting to be milked

Shawn letting the girls check out his boots !



Then I think he must be encouraging each one to produce a lot of milk while he is waiting to herd them into the parlor !  Sure looks like they are having a conversation anyway !



Back in the pit -  cows get milked on one side while the other side is filled with the next round of cows.



Dad wiping down udders after the predip



Dora hooking up machine

And me doing postdip



Front of parlor.... 
Diana wasn't home to get her picture taken for this posting...


                                             posted by:  Angie     aka  "City Girl"  according to SOME of the dairy farmers anyway... 




I took my friend Melissa out to the farm tonight..   The dairy farmers were all VERY HAPPY....
They learned a little trick from the dairy equipment man tonight that enabled them to gain 500 # of milk !!!