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Jesus Unibaso milking by hand in Urduliz. Source: Jesus Unibaso.

Let us look at how cows were milked by hand, eskuz erastea, in the past. The barn needed to be a haven of peace and quiet to milk the cows. The bedding was mucked out and fodder was put in the manager so the cows stayed still.

Water was put in a bucket and the animal’s udders, erroak, were cleaned thoroughly. The milking stool, with three legs and a hole in the middle to move it easily, was then put in place.

The cows used to be milked directly into a zinc bucket, but given the risk of it turning over, they were then first milked into a pail or tank and the milk was then tipped into the bucket. In any event, when the cows were directly milked into the bucket – particularly when plastic buckets began to be widely used due to their lack of stability –, milkers had to hold the bucket tightly between their knees and feet.

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