How many cows can one person hand milk in one day?

grahamg

grahamg

Old codger
Location
South of Manchester, UK
You may find this hard to believe, but the following question arose over the weekend, "How many cows can one man or woman hand milk in one day"? :unsure:

There was a reason why the topic was raised. One of my cousins and his wife, were tending a "mechanical cow" at a country fair locally, where you had one full minute to try to "milk" as much liquid into a measuring jug, pulling on the two rubber teats fitted under a a large bucket, (the workings all hidden behind a board cut out in the shape of the rear end of a cow, complete with tail !.......). I know what you're thinking, the fun to be had these days at a country fair!!!!!!!!!! :giggle:

Anyway, my own father aged eight had to hand milk six cattle before, and of course after going to school. He left school aged fourteen, though didn't attend much in the last year he said, and by then my grandfather said he could do the work of a fully grown man, and milk ten cows a day. 👨‍🌾

My cousin and his wife couldn't believe an adult man or woman couldn't milk more cattle than this in one day, but my father could have told them, that after the length of time it took to milk them your grip weakens, so you cant carry on any further.

I'm looking for some evidence to back up the comments my father made, and of course as he was born in 1920, there was no such thing as a milking machine back then. 🪣💪

All I've found so far is this article from Ireland about the numbers of cattle a man can milk in a modern milking parlour, and the contrast is amazing in my humble view:

https://www.irishexaminer.com/farming/arid-30868706.html

(oh and by the way, my cousins wife thrashed the rest of us in the artificial cow milking exercise! 🐄 )
 

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I find the original question of yours, interesting too.
How many did they, and could they, do by hand?
 
Kaila said:
I find the original question of yours, interesting too.
How many did they, and could they, do by hand?
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Yes, that's the question, and my own dear father, who should have known the answer, growing up when this was the only option, and he said it is just ten cattle, (each end of the day of course).
 
Here is a link and a bit more research on the thread topic, "when a spirited novice took up the job of milking cows in wartime:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/03/a4060603.shtml

"My friend Kay had gone to work at Lyndhurst for a ‘gentleman farmer’ who bred racehorses and kept a rare breed of white cow – with black noses – called English Park Cow. She very much wanted me to join her there. I was terrified of high-spirited horses and the only milk I had extracted from my animal was from the goats we kept at home – and they used to kick me unmercifully!!

So I had an interview and got the job. Kay assured me she would soon teach me to milk by hand – there were about 15 – 20 cows and no machine. Well I remember the kicks and aching hand and wrists I suffered before I got proficient at it. The first time I was left to milk on my own some dastardly cow kicked me across the back of my hand which immediately swelled up and I had to do the rest with one hand. It took hours and when Kay came back from her afternoon off I was still struggling – and in tears by that time. We made cream and had a milk round in the village."
"
 
Well, back years ago, whenever the power went out (no generator to depend on) myself and one other worker had to milk 46 cows twice a day. 😲 Let me tell you, nothing mechanical about a pee soaked tail swatting your face while milking. ;) That and spending all summer getting ready for winter and cleaning gutters by hand help guide me into realizing dairy farming wasn't for me.
 
squatting dog said:
Well, back years ago, whenever the power went out (no generator to depend on) myself and one other worker had to milk 46 cows twice a day. 😲 Let me tell you, nothing mechanical about a pee soaked tail swatting your face while milking. ;) That and spending all summer getting ready for winter and cleaning gutters by hand help guide me into realizing dairy farming wasn't for me.
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Very difficult to milk cows by hand that are used to machine milking I know, but twenty or so each end of the day good going, (maybe my dad was asserting the way my grandad did things as the norm, saying ten was the limit?). :)
 
Gary O' said:
10 seems reasonable

No machine???!!!

That's a lotta pulling
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I know, but back in the 60's, very few dairy guys had generators, or those new fangled milking parlors. LOL All our cows knew which stanchion was there own. The worst part was the 3-4am cleaning of the poop gutters. Shovel into a wheelbarrow and leave the dimly lit barn for the pitch black and skinny ramp out onto the manure pile. 😲 One mis-step and you were waist deep in manure yelling for help. :) Or course the fun part was spreading that manure with that old (fling more on your back than the field) spreaders.


spreader.jpg
 
we had a milk cow for years, she gave on average 5 gallons morning and night. I could milk her out in five minutes, my son and daughter who took over for me when they were eight or ten could together milk her out in 5 minutes. growing up we had 40 milk cows and three machines chores took about 2 and 1/2 hours. before school and after.
 
Alligatorob said:
This person? Zero, in fact that's my lifetime count so far. Guess I would like to try it, once anyway.
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And you could set a record, too. :sneaky:
At the very least, the record of how many you could milk! :LOL::giggle:

The title of the thread sounded like a riddle to me, at first,
and easily lends itself to humor, :D
but when I read the explanation in the OP, it held actual interest for me, as have all of the posts. :)
 
Alligatorob said:
This person? Zero, in fact that's my lifetime count so far. Guess I would like to try it, once anyway.
Click to expand...
If you do decide to "give it a try" one day this website has advice on the challenge ahead. It contains information I didn't know myself, and some in truth a didn't quite agree with, such as the suggestion you might wear latex gloves, or the use of udder cream before starting, (the rest of it is excellent advice though):

https://www.wikihow.com/Milk-a-Cow

Quote:
"Protect or lubricate your hands. Your hands can carry bacteria, which may be harmful if transmitted to the cow. To keep both you and the cow healthy, and to avoid scratching the cow’s udder with rough hands, put on a pair of latex gloves before you start milking. If you prefer not to use gloves, apply a lubricant such as petroleum jelly to your hands to minimize friction.
  • Some people prefer to use udder cream (also called udder balm or udder butter) to lubricate the cow’s udder. Like petroleum jelly, udder cream will reduce friction during milking. You can purchase udder cream at any farm or ranch supply store."
 
I don't remember milking by hand but from what I've read the average number of cows was 9-12 depending on the number of children you had to help with chores.

The period that I remember was the portable milking machines and the milk cans that were sent to the local creamery.

Many of our old local farms went out of business or went from dairying to other areas of agriculture when the shift from cans to bulk storage was made. The additional investment in stainless steel tanks, pipelines, etc... meant taking on more debt to support the new fixtures without much in the way of additional return for the farmers.

20170617-Morristown-GM-5.jpg
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When I was a kid our well used to run dry in the summer. We never kept dairy cows but I remember the man that collected the milk for the local creamery used to bring my mother milk cans filled with hot water from the creamery so she could do the family wash.

The simple life. 😊
 

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