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He also asked me if I don't mind a dirty work and cows. So I told him that I'm not scared of work at all and that can't I have any opinion if I won't give it a try. And so two days later I had a little interview with the owner of the farm. He was surprised (maybe a little bit shocked) that I want to try a job. He said that if I won't mind that the cows are standing almost above me and that is a dirty job. So I told him that I'm not scared the cows at all. And so then we agreed that I'll come try a job at Tuesday that I'll work with an older woman that will learn me and show me everything that I need to know. Meanwhile he informed me that there are 150 cows in our farm. I was surprised because I didn't expected such a number.
And so when Tuesday came, I should only check up the place where I will possibly work. But when a woman that teaches me now asked me if I'd like to try milk a cow, I agreed. And so she was looking at me, talking about watching the signals that a cow can give me when she is about to kick. And then she was standing by me at second cow, third cow...and then I started to milk by myself. Some kicking cows were coming to me and the lady quickly always rushed to me warning me from them but I managed it and never got kicked.
Only one trouble is that I'm too small and reach the back teats is sometimes complicated to me. Because you CAN'T go under the cow. She can kick and she can break your jaw or worse.
Today I was at the morning shift. A lady let me milk four cows in the same time while she was milking also four cows. Normally she's milking eight cows in the same time which I was something that I really admire. You need to be quicker, you need to watch out, you need to do work just carefully. You just need to take a care properly!
You need to prepare the udder and it's teats. Which means wash it and use a solution. Then you dry the teats and you need to squirt some milk away because of the possible bacterias. This milk is a foremilk that needs to be milked to the strip cups to see if the milk is clean. If a milk is clean you can apply a machine and so you milk a cow. When it's all done, you use a germicide dipping and let the cow happily go.
So we were milking four hours, started before 5am and ended before 9am. Then we were feeding a calves and bringing a new dry straw to their quarters. And then we cleared a milking room.
And then it was a lunch time (two hours) and a lady let me go home because she said that there is a like thousand brand new informations in my head so we will take it easy from the beginning. She continued till almost 8pm.
Not gonna lie, I was stressed out as hell when I was milking for the first time. I was scared that I won't be able to strip a single drop of a milk. But it depends on your way, your grip. Sometimes you need to talk to a cow, sometimes you need to wait for her to get prepared, it just really depends on a cow too. They are not a machines! They are living creatures. And if you are holding the teat for a first time, it's a sure thing that you can't have a same results like a woman that is taking care of a cows for most of her life.
The woman that teaches me is very kind and she told me that she's very satisfied to me and also that she is surprised that I'm not scared of the cows at all and that I can milk four cows in the same time. Which actually really pleased me. Because I was scared that she will think "Oh, just some stupid big girl's blouse." She told even to a boss that she can't believe that I've never been milking before.
I'll be honest - the shift is rough, the job is not easy at all. But I think it all depends on a time now and my determination. This is not a job for everyone. I'm learning it because a need of a job was a one big main thing but I also really, really (like a lot!) love animals and working with them is kinda a dream.
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