Hey Bruce from Canada

Bobl1958 · Dec 30, 2015

I am just wondering how it is that you handle your milking? Do you bring the cows in and milk them and then let them go back outside, or do they spend the day in the barn? Just curious how you folks in the real cold country handle things?

My Grandad and Uncle milked just under 100 Holsteins when I was young here in KS. They had a milking barn that every morning and every evening they would gather the cows in a pen and would milk 6 at a time in a kind of a single pen that had a gate on the front and also the back. They milked 3 on a side and they would be in the middle in a sunken pit, of sorts. They had a feed system set up similar to yours and would feed grain while they were milking. When they had the cow dry, the would unhook the milker and open the front gate and the cow would head out. Shut that gate and open the back gate, then open the door to the barn and another would walk in and take that one's place until all were milked. I know the cows were trained on the procedure after so many times doing the same thing.

Once they were done milking, all the cows were back in the bigger lot/pasture until the next one. Is that similar to your procedure? Thanks - Bob

centash · Dec 30, 2015

That sounds like what is referred to as a milking parlour here. They were more popular with larger herds --50 plus-- although my dad used one similar to your description in the summer time, milking two at a time with a herd of 30 back in the 60's.

Ben

Leroy · Dec 30, 2015

Milk parlor and some were only on one side of pit with very few being on both sides of pit. And was used with as low as 20 cows. Some of the stalls in parlor were made so you could let first, midle or last cow out without letting the others out and that is the way most were made, all I ever saw was that way. But in catalogs there was also the type that you had to let all out at the same time. Those only took a 4' wide space for stall, the side individual opening stall type took 8' space so the back ones could walk past the front ones that would take longer to milk out.

Andy Martin · Dec 30, 2015

(quoted from post at 15:39:58 12/30/15) Milk parlor and some were only on one side of pit with very few being on both sides of pit. And was used with as low as 20 cows. Some of the stalls in parlor were made so you could let first, midle or last cow out without letting the others out and that is the way most were made, all I ever saw was that way. But in catalogs there was also the type that you had to let all out at the same time. Those only took a 4' wide space for stall, the side individual opening stall type took 8' space so the back ones could walk past the front ones that would take longer to milk out.

With my uncle's herd it wouldn't have mattered. He had two on each side, and if one was missing for whatever reason, her spot stayed open, the next cow would not take it. I think he milked about 40 most of the time. That was his new setup. Hand milked when I was little then vacuum into the underhung tanks. My favorite uncle, skinny, but would carry two milk cans, one in each hand, and set them one handed into the cooler. How much does a full milk can weigh?

rrlund · Dec 30, 2015

You can get about 86 pounds in one,but my uncle worked in the receiving room at the milk plant for 35 years. He said they averaged 72 pounds. I hauled for two years. Tossing them around was a matter of leverage.

Glen SW Wi · Dec 30, 2015

About 110 pounds. As I recall, but that was some 70 years ago when I lifted them.

J.Wondergem · Dec 30, 2015

(quoted from post at 19:45:13 12/30/15) About 110 pounds. As I recall, but that was some 70 years ago when I lifted them.

Probably with the can and milk.

rrlund · Dec 30, 2015

I don't think an empty will weigh more than 15 pounds or so will they? I have one in the barn,but I'm not going out right now to weigh it just to win an argument.

gab · Dec 30, 2015

This barn was built in 1948 I think, had a 3 stall parlor, 3 in a row, nice pit on milk house side, pull rope, door slides open,cow comes in, flick a chain, stall opens, pull chain to close, same to let them out. Originally had a pipeline into milk house to cans but was changed 6 or 8 years later to a bulk tank and carry the milk pails to the tank. Ground feed was blown in above the parlor which dropped down 3 pipes to each stall with a hand crank auger for each cow. I didn't do much milking but did a lot of hosing the place down. All those barns used to get filled with small squares plus another big old barn over the hill was usually filled half way.

L.Fure · Dec 30, 2015

(quoted from post at 01:45:15 12/31/15) I don't think an empty will weigh more than 15 pounds or so will they? I have one in the barn,but I'm not going out right now to weigh it just to win an argument.

I think they weigh closer to 25 pounds. I got one out of my parents house after we moved Dad to the nursing home. It felt a lot heavier that fifteen pounds.

rrlund · Dec 30, 2015

I used to toss around about 120-130 a day,empty and full. I didn't know I was ever that strong. I wouldn't want to have to do it again these days. lol

2underage · Dec 30, 2015

A standard milk can hold 10 gallons of milk. Milk weighs 8.5 pounds per gallon thus a full can weighs 85 pounds plus the weight of the can.

Bobl1958 · Dec 30, 2015

But my question I guess is looking at Bruce's pictures below and others in the past, do the cows lined up like that just come in, be milked, and then are pushed on out and more take their place? Or do they spend the day in there?

I know my Grandads had 3 on a side with a pit in the middle. When the cow was dry they would turn her out no matter what position she was in. The milk barn is still there, my Brother lives on the old homestead now. Bob

Bruce from Can. · Dec 30, 2015

Hi Bob, our cows are milked in the stalls you see them in, in the picture. Cows are kept in during the winter, late fall and early spring. The cows do not like the cold/rainy or snowy weather any better than you and I . In this photo you can see my better half with the milkers we use. These are Boumatic auto take-off units, and they are two to a car. The car runs on a rail which is just like door track.You just push the car in between two cows, and milk one on the right and one on the left.We have three cars, so 6 milkers, and this will keep one person busy. One person can milk about 50 cows per hour. The milk goes from the pipeline to a receiver jar in the milk room then pumped through a filter and then into the bulk milk tank. The farms around me have every thing from double 10 parallel ,herring bone and carousel parlours, and even some robot barns, but still most farms milk in tie stall barns. I still like my old tie stall barn but, if I had to build a new barn , it would probably be a robot barn. Just because I wouldn't be the man milking the cows for too many more years and I think my son would prefer to go with the more modern idea, for better or worse. Bruce

rrlund · Dec 30, 2015

8.6 pounds.

Leroy · Dec 30, 2015

As per the 1959 Wards farm catalog. 10 gallon can with plug cover, 25 pounds and $13.50. With umbrella cover 27 pounds and $14.25. The 5 gallon can with plug cover weighed 15 pounds and 8 gallon can 23 pounds. That 10 pounds per can on a truck load of 200 cans would make a ton of weight difference and I would guess that is someware close to what our truck hauled loaded 3 cans high that picked up our milk but dairy left election day of 1980 due to our hauler having to quit due to a brain hemorage. I don't think he was 5'5" tall yet he could get them to second level with no problems. Third he would restack emptys down and full up.

Andy Martin · Dec 30, 2015

Thanks, guys, I'm still impressed my uncle would walk into the cooler room carrying a full can in each hand and lift one and then the other into the cooler one handed without setting either down. I guess the cooler was about 36 inches high. About 100 lbs each.

oldsarge · Dec 31, 2015

gab; are you that's not backwards? We (Dad really) milked in un-partioned stalls with head stanchions using Surge hanging units.When we had the little old 8 gal can milkhouse,we carried buckets to the milkhouse and dumped them in the strainer on top of the can .WHEN WE GOT THE NEW ADD ON MILKHOUSE(with hot water) and bulk tank,we had a roll around vacuum transfer cart with strainer.I wouldn't want to hoist a bucket to the bulk tank,It'd be 5 feet in the air!!

Kickinbull · Dec 31, 2015

I worked on the farm for a guy that hauled milk most of his life. 20 plus was with cans. He told me that tall guys didn't last very long on a can route.

Leroy · Dec 31, 2015

Some tamks were only designed to be filled that way. And they were in no way that tall. Some were in the 110 gallon range in size. That is equal to what a 12 can cooler would hold.

rrlund · Dec 31, 2015

I weighed one this morning just for the heck of it. 25 pounds for the average 10 gallon.
I don't know of a truck that would haul 200 cans. They were classified by what they held on the floor. Way back early on,most were 66 can boxes. 11 rows of six wide. Later on they went mostly to 72s and 78s. I had an 84. The biggest one I ever saw was a 92. The top decks would hold whatever the floor held minus three rows in the doorway. So my 84 held 150. In spring flush,we'd stack them two high in the doorway too,so there was the capacity to haul 168 if it was really necessary.

As far as the weight in the can,you have to remember,nobody stood there with a teacup topping them off. You couldn't even see the milk in the can. The strainer was on it. You'd lift the strainer before you dumped a milker in it and if it was up to the seam,you'd most likely switch to an empty,not stand there and dump a little in,wait for it to run through and dump a little more. You wanted to just dump it and get the milker back on another cow. That's why the average was 72 pounds of milk in one.

Bobl1958 · Dec 31, 2015

Thanks for the replies from all. One last question, do you leave the cows tied all day long in the same spot? My reason for the questions is that I can't imagine the effort it would take to clean the bedding and manure, and change to fresh, etc.

Just that living here in KS, and I'm sure some would do the same here, it seems like one heck of a lot of effort. However, I'm sure the cows like the warmth.

We always kind of figured that as long as the cattle could get out of the wind, they would be fine as long as they were full. Of course the beef cattle that I was raised with have a lot more flesh on them than the dairy cattle. Our horses always would stand right out in the middle of a blizzard. If you brought them in and didn't shut the gate, they would be right back out.

Thanks again for the thoughts. Just trying to get knowledge in other areas of the country. Bob

gab · Dec 31, 2015

About 1969 my x father in law and 3 other guys were in his Ford station wagon on the way to work one super foggy morning, hit a can truck sliding down the high way on its side, looked like he went in through the top of the box and out through the truck cab.. truck driver killed and one guy in the back seat of the car and the other guys were pretty well used up for a quite a while too. I can't imagine what it would be like driving through a truck load of milk cans.

Leroy · Jan 3, 2016

You are probably closer to number of cans, That was just a guess and that was 35 years ago for that truck. anyway the point I was trying to make is that there was more weight in the cans alone than what most people would expect.

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