Got Happy Milk?

I finally got to milk a cow today! Well, sort of. They use machines here on the farm because it takes too long to do it by hand but I did get to prep the cow’s udder and start the milking process by hand. The night before they separate the milking cows from their calves so they can’t feed. In the morning the udders are filled with milk and the process begins. First I got to steer in the cows from the holding gates into the cowbell (this is where the milking takes place). One friendly happy cow named Sausage (I milked her) came right up to me so I can pet her. Not sure how she got that name. We feed them hay topped with molasses to keep them happy. The molasses is a nice treat that’s very good for them. Can you imagine munching on dry hay all day, everyday? Give me some moolasses...that's what they're saying when they moo. They seem to like it and getting them into the holding spot was a breeze. I got lucky because sometimes the cows can be cranky but today these cows were cool, calm and filled with milk.
I had to clean the udder with a warm damp cloth. Once cleaned you tug and gently pull on each teet (i know, that sounds funny) to get the happy milk flowing. You place the suction pumps on to the udder and the machine takes it from there. This is much quicker then doing it by hand. In about 5-7 minutes the bucket was full which would have taken me hours! I got to taste the milk. It was warm and surprisingly light and sweet – quite delicious. They pour it into containers and it lasts in the fridge for about 4-5 days. I did think about the whole milk pasteurization thing we do in America and at first I was afraid to drink it but I figured what the heck. Everyone on the farm drinks it and they're ok. I've been drinking it the whole week and nothing has gone wrong. It's tastes really good fresh and raw. I do love me a good cold glass of milk - it makes me happy. I learned that a happy cow produces happy milk and these cows are definitely happy here. Thanks for the glass of milk Sausage.