Below are just a few items we recommend.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, we will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
We Love these collars. All of our cows wear these collars. We trained our cows, to essentially be led by simply tugging (gently) on their collar. Click link below to purchase from Amazon.
If you own cows, you know the love to scratch themselves. We highly recommend these scratching pads for cows,, horses,, and goats. Simply wrap around a sturdy post and watch the funny ways your animals will scratch themselves.
We like these bells, they've held up for several years, and still sound as good as day 1. Plus, if you're like us, we love hearing the Cow bells jingle, as the cows run down hill.
As raw milk producers, SCC counts are extremely important to us, for the quality of our milk. We apply this cream to all the cows, after milking. We even apply it to dry cows if they need a little moisturizer. We love this because its organic, it's made with all natural ingredients, plus a little goes a very long way. We even use it in our home. 🤣
This milker was our very first milking machine. We've had it for years, and still use it, for our goats now. We only stopped using it because we are milking up to 15 cows, and needed a larger tank.
Milkstone is a microfilm residue left behind by milk. ACV (apple cider vinegar) is great for cleaning, however, it does not have the molecular chemicals to remove the biofilm left behind by milkstone. Therefore, we highly recommend this product. A little goes a long way only needing 1 to 3mls for a 5 gallon bucket. We use this daily, and take apart milk lines and scrub on a weekly basis.
We are a little OCD when it comes to cleaning and prepping the cows for milking. We use these rags religiously. They have held up for years, being washed and dried in a conventional washer and dryer.
Some of our best producers are 3/4 cows. These are cows who only have 3 lactating quarters vs four. When using a milk machine, like we do, we have to plug the corresponding cup. These plugs are universal and fit most cups.
We do a few steps, to ensure teats and udders are always clean. We first spray warm soapy water, to the entire Udder and wash/wipe all dirt and or poop. We then spray the cow's udder and teats with this iodine wash, and rub and lather with our silver rags. We then strip each quarter, and spray a 1% iodine, wipe dry and milk.
Let's talk Iodine for a sec. Have you ever watched a surgery, and the nurses/surgeons wipe and blot iodine on a person/patient prior to surgery? Do you know why they do this? This is to disinfect the skin removing all skin flora and microorganisms, such as bacteria. 0.5% to 1% Iodine is what is favored in operating rooms. In Dairy Scienc
Let's talk Iodine for a sec. Have you ever watched a surgery, and the nurses/surgeons wipe and blot iodine on a person/patient prior to surgery? Do you know why they do this? This is to disinfect the skin removing all skin flora and microorganisms, such as bacteria. 0.5% to 1% Iodine is what is favored in operating rooms. In Dairy Science, it is highly recommended to use the same strengths when disinfecting and sanitizing a cow for milking. We simply spray this iodine on, and wipe off, after stripping, to completely disinfect the teats.
We understand that some people are allergic to iodine, and recommend CHG (chlorhexidine) to be used instead of iodine.. Here is an economical option to use inplace of iodine. We keep this on the farm, as it has many uses on a farm. We've noticed it's cheaper on Amazon vs TSC. $12.99 on Amazon vs $19.99 at TSC.
Organic Powdered Kelp.
Did you know kelp is an excellent source in filling in micronutrient deficiencies so the herd can improve digestion functions, reproductively, and their immune system. Healthier animals equal better productivity overall. Kelp does have copper, so be sure you know your feed and soil copper levels. We personally buy Or
Organic Powdered Kelp.
Did you know kelp is an excellent source in filling in micronutrient deficiencies so the herd can improve digestion functions, reproductively, and their immune system. Healthier animals equal better productivity overall. Kelp does have copper, so be sure you know your feed and soil copper levels. We personally buy Organic Kelp Powder. Cows can taste the saltiness so start slow.
This is what we've done:
The first week we provided 1/2 ounce a day for 7 days. Then 3/4 ounce for 7 days.
Then we moved to 1oz every other day. If not mistaken the maximum a cow should have is 4oz daily. Where our cows do get iodine and copper from other sources, and after speaking to our vet and nutrionists, our dose of 1 oz every other day, is plenty sufficient for our herd. We also do soil tests, and test our hay for nutrients.
This is the kelp we purchase:
Hayes Valley Farms
1341 Matson Drive Marion, VA 24354
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