A battle of wills today. Let's call it a draw...

Big Moo stopped letting down for me suddenly, probably figured out what I took the calf couldn't have and he thumps her udder harder than I do ... so squeaky wheel and all that.

I decided I would seperate them and she could have dinner and go back to him when she let down. After about 8 starts and dinner snatch-backs later I was wondering just how close to midnight it would be and which day before she got the message that a quick letdown would get dinner in her belly and her back in the paddock.

It was getting colder and darker and windier so I offered an olive branch. I set everything up and let Ziggy in and he raced over to the milkbar and started sucking like crazy. I raced over to the other side of the milkbar and started milking like crazy.

Milk came beautifully and Big Moo just kept munching contentedly. Once I got used to the earthquake and froth tsunami happening on the other side it was pretty smooth. Since I am using a jug to milk into I didn't have to worry about calf slobber in a bucket. At one point he stopped nursing and came round to get my side, stopping short when he realised someone was stealing HIS milk !!! He didn't know what to do... settled for stealing some of mum's dinner.

So I'm going to skip the morning milking as he always eats at dawn and I just can't be bothered trying to beat him to it. I'll take her out when I come home and let him get hungry and then milk about dinner time. This should work nicely until he is big enough to push me off my stool :-)