# Best dairy cow/meat combo



## Himesan (Aug 11, 2012)

I just received word my homeowners assoc saw the light and is allowing cattle for non-commercial purposes. I am new to cows and I know it will be a steep learning curve, but what I do have is that I get to start from scratch. I have 5 acres in case that is a factor.

There was some good info on dairy/meat cow choices in the "Comparative Rating of Cattle Breeds (1974)" thread, but I would appreciate a more pointed suggestion. What would be a great choice for a milking breed where the calves can be raised economically (descent conversion) for the table. This can include one breed for dairy that crosses with another for good results. Any scenario that provides great milk, and great beef in the freezer, without the really slow growth rate I hear as a complaint of straight Jersey's.

Thanks so much in advance!

Jamie


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Dexter.

Serves both purposes for a family and has some of the very best beef.

Small fat globules in the milk makes it more easily digested.

One should provide enough milk for a small family while raising a beef calf, but if you need more milk, get two.

Think about fencing and establishing pasture first. You will need a shelter adequate to milk in in bad weather. Make sure your HA will permit this.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

If you're only needing milk for one family and raising a calf, I'd get a beef breed that's slightly dairy influenced. Unless you're the Duggers, most familys don't need near as much milk as a cow can produce a day. There are lots of crossbreds to be found. Lots of dairyman I've known have used a beef bull to cover their dairy cows and the offspring is great for a family cow. I even like the idea of having a 3/4 beef, 1/4 dairy. 

It always depends though on the specific cow you're dealing with. They're not all created equal. Some will give 100lbs per day while some from the same breed will give 20lbs per day. It just depends on the cow and a few other factors.


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

go small! 

and plan ahead for what you'll do with the waste bedding/manure - a 800 lb cow produces something like 80 lbs of manure/waste bedding per day. You did not tell us where you live (great thing to add to your user profile!) but this becomes an issue for handling/moving/avoiding too many flies and smell in hot, wet, and cold conditions. 

Also plan as to where you'll store hay and straw for bedding and how you'll haul it home. Buying hay can be a lot of work and expense and still end up with garbage if you don't know what to look for. 

We had one cow - our family milker - till we had to move off farm. I dream about getting a cow again! So you may absolutely love having one. But they are big all around - big eaters, big backend producers - and planning for those elements of cow ownership is important.


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## lakeportfarms (Apr 23, 2009)

I'll second Genebo...Dexter. Smaller size and easily managed, two would fit on your 5 acres so you can stagger their calving and have milk without the drying off period.

I'd suggest sticking to higher quality registered stock, that will be easier to find a market for any heifers you may wish to sell and at a higher price than a crossbred animal would be worth. Spread out along a 12-20 year lifespan, it can add up to well more than the initial price difference, even factoring in the present value of money.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Genebo, don't you have a website that you can post...Your website? Post if you can. Thanks, Topside.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Another vote for a couple of Dexters! Where do you live? Does the 5 acres include your home as well? 

Get your facilities ready before you get any animals: fencing; a shelter; covered hay storage; access to clean, fresh water. Being brand new to cattle, you might want to do a little reading first (Heather Smith Thomas's books on basic care are good). Consult with your county extension agent for sources of hay, fencing, etc. Identify and contact a large animal vet before you need one.

Start out slowly, perhaps a pair of weanling steers (cattle are herd animals and will do much better with a like companion) to see if this plan agrees with you; steers will require the least management and are much easier to sell or get rid of if you decide this isn't for you. 

Whatever breed you choose, visit as many farms as you can for you will learn something from every visit -- what you like, what you don't like, etc. -- and ask questions!


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## wvdexters (Apr 30, 2012)

I like Dexters and I think they would be a good fit for you too. They are small and easy to handle. Not as intimidating as some of the larger breeds. They don't require a lot of extra feed. My girls do great on pasture/hay. They are great for small farmettes.


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## Himesan (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks for all your help! I will be researching Dexters!

I live in Shingle Springs California. It is about halfway between Sacramento, and Lake Tahoe.

Yes, I am a big planner and researcher...that is half the fun! I have layer chickens, and I will have meat chickens as well. I also have a big garden so I will try to plan for efficiency of movement and utilizing waste for compost. I would lean towards feed efficiency over milk production as we are a small family, but I would like quality milk with high butterfat content and as I said before...good meat conversion.

...and yes the 5 acres includes my home and actual pasture is in the 3.5 acre realm.

I am asking for a lot right! 

Jamie


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

The Holstein Angus cross calves do well when raised for meat, but a Holstein produces too much milk for most families. If you can use that much milk, that will be one of your best meat options for a calf.

Myself, I'd get a Jersey because I love that extra rich milk. Breed her AI to a top purebred Jersey bull. Get good money for a heifer calf and sell any bull calf for a couple of dollars and let someone else worry about it. Then purchase an orphaned beef calf or a black colored Holstein X Angus calf and raise that on the excess milk.

You could feed a couple of pigs as well as a calf on the excess milk you get from a Jersey unless you have a huge milk swilling family.

Be really sure you want to be tied down to a rigid schedule of milking twice a day. You can't milk at your own convenience. You must be at the milking barn on time, day in and day out.


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

Holstein bred Black Angus if you can use the milk, Ayrshire bred to a smaller beef breed would be a good second choice. Pretty well any dairy-beef cross will give enough milk for most families and give decent beef, I've milked purebred Holstein, Ayrshire, Jersey, and Brown Swiss cows along with HolsteinXAyrshire, JerseyXHolsteinXAyrshire, JerseyXHolstein, Brown SwissXHolstein and even a Black AngusXHolstein and a CharolaisXHolstein. Dexters are fine if you want to pay more for the name but for less money you can buy more cow from a more wide-spread breed in most areas. Simmental would be a pretty good choise too.


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

Jamie, we had our whole property fenced in - and 'mowing/fertilizing' the lawn was part of our cow's pasture rotation. We rarely had to mow, which was good, on the other hand the cow's fertilization pattern was 'spotty'. The downside of using our cow to mow the lawn was that she also ate the perennial flower garden and would moo in the kitchen windows when she wanted us to come out and be social with her.

I searched and searched for a dexter from milking lines within reasonable distance from where we lived at a reasonable price. In the end, we bought a wonderful jersey/guernsey who stood 42" at the hip from an organic small dairy. She was being let go because she was too small for the equipment. Her butterfat production was sky high! and the price for our 2.5 yr old cow was 1/2 that of the closest dairy-line dexter, age 12, that I could find. If I ever get the chance to do it again I might hold out for a dexter to get even a smaller size and less milk with more beef. 

My suggestion is to be open to 'surprise' crosses and cows that meet your criteria. The top criteria for a family cow, imo, is temperment and health. Get an animal with a known health record, no mastitis or 3-quartered cows (why buy a problem when you can be picky?).

have a ton of fun!

edited to add: we're getting 1/2 of our cow's 2011 calf/steer back from the butcher in 2 weeks. Bred her to a jersey, making the calf about 85% jersey and 15% guernsey. The steer's hanging weight on grass/hay only was 480 lbs. While I've never tasted Dexter meat I do think jersey is the absolute tastiest to be found - angus is kinda awful after eating jersey. All of our tastes differ - so getting some meat from the breeds you are looking at would be a good piece of investigative work you might want to do as well. (make sure if you are grain finishing you get grain finished meat, same with grassfed).


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## Sparkie (Aug 16, 2012)

Another vote for Dexter, especially on a small amount of pasture like you have. Their milk and meat are very good just on pasture and a little alfalfa if milking.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

My website is:

Index Â» Page 1 of 2

Maybe one day I'll update it.


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## ArmyDoc (May 13, 2007)

with only 3.5 acres, you should also consider goats.


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## gracie88 (May 29, 2007)

> Be really sure you want to be tied down to a rigid schedule of milking twice a day. You can't milk at your own convenience. You must be at the milking barn on time, day in and day out.


Another reason for a Dexter - I left my cow's calf on, milked once a day and got 3/4 gallon and if I had to be gone, would just not separate them for the day. I did have to build her a milking stand, hard to get under a cow that short. Also, my first cow (bony old dairy-looking thing) was bred to an Angus x Hereford bull and made the nicest, beefiest calf ever. OTOH, both my girls have been yellers, if they don't get the attention they want, when they want it, they get really loud. That's probably not ideal for someone with an HOA. Another problem with Dexters is that it can be hard to find one raised to be a milk cow. My first choice would be small Jersey or Dexter, or maybe a dairy/beef cross, but any cow can be bred to a beef bull for a beefy calf, best to keep your options open.


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## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

Another dexter owner here-- my girl is actually a "belmont" dexter; or "irish jersey". She's got a little jersey in her line to improve her milk production and butterfat. Dexters breed well either way-- beefier or milkier. She's got a great temperment, and even keeps her pen pretty clean.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

My cow is a brown swiss I cross her with a beef bull and get a great calf to send to the butcher plus all the milk I. Can use .she makes plenty of milk and the calf grows big and beefy at 10 months old around 800 pounds and 400 pounds of tender gormeit baby beef .. she is my calm partner the bigest contributer to the homestead .a jersy or dexter would not fit here with so many big bulls in the area I would have to be very careful of such a small cow getting crosed with one of them no problem with takeing advantage of a free bull with her .she needs no special feeds doing fine on the pasture and mixed hay even though I grain her as I'm milking to keep her coming in to the calf on time and as she is my big pet and friend so I enjoy spoiling her a little though she's not a. Giant she is big enough to hold her own with the stock cows whereas a jersey or dexter would get pushed around or bullyed and require seprait pasture


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## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

A general rule with cattle is that exceptionally large cattle or exceptionally small cattle loose efficiency vs. input. The best bang for your buck tends toward meduim framed animals. Even within a given breed.
Have you thought about a brown swiss cow?
They generally have a really low keyed temperment. Convert better when it comes to marginal or less than premium quality feeds. Have less problems when calving due to their selective breeding throughout history. They are touted to be one of the older breeds still around today. Some say the oldest. And it isn't unusual for an individual to still be productive at age 18 years. They are also known for consistantly having a high quality teat and bag. They're meat quality will compare to pure english cross bred steers when hanging on the hook and on the plate.
No need to cross for better meat production because they are already a dual purpose breed. But do even better when crossed with the beef breeds. High notability for being the cheese makers breed, due to the right level and kind of butterfat in they're milk.
At the high, on premium feed, they will produce about 9 gallon, or a little more, a day. But without high powered feed, will be steady at 4 or 5 gallon a day.
This would make it able for you to raise her calf and later a couple of milk fed pigs or a second calf and thats after you have plenty of house milk. Doing so will offset the overheads on the cow to almost zero $'s. 
A few Brown Swiss are often brought into a herd of Holstiens to bring the butterfat content of the tank up, giving the dairymen a better price for the milk sold and it is still feasible to keep them in the milk string because they have a good level of production. 
Another animal that has often been overlooked is the milking shorthorn. They are also a dual purpose breed, with similar characteristics as the Brown Swiss but will produce about 15% less and be a little smaller size.
As a child I remember a Brown Swiss (Dutchess) that my brother raised and kept, that started as part of his FFA project. She kept us in milk and cheese (family of 7). Fed a calf, and 2 pigs through most of her lactation calender. And she did this every year, for alot of years.
Something has been mentioned about having multiple animals on a small acreage. That in itself is a recipe for inefficiency. Homesteading is the apitimy, or definition, of getting the most out of the least input. Why would you add another mouth to feed and increase your input margins without a definent return? That doesn't make fiscal sense.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

The general rule you are stating doesn't hold water. Size is not the determining factor in feed conversion efficiency. Plus you have to consider what kind of feed you're taling about.

Today's huge Angus cattle are probably the most efficent way to convert cprn into beef, but the little Dexter cow is probably the most efficient way to convert grass and rough forage into meat and milk.

Smaller cattle are so much less demanding of the land, too. Olde Towne Farm has been keeping a sizeable herd of Dexters on their land for years, yet when you go visit them, you'll be surprized to see that the farm looks more like a grass farm than a cattle farm. The cattle don't hurt the land at all.

Drive by the average dairy farm and see the cattle trails, with wind and water erosion marking them. Those cattle congregate where their favorite food grows, while Dexters are ranging widely to find more good things to eat.

How much milk do you think you'd get from a big dairy breed eating blackberry bushes, sweet gum, cedar, honeysuckle, crabgrass and everything else that grows wild in your pasture?

Alfalfa? We don't need no steenking alfalfa!


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## DJ in WA (Jan 28, 2005)

My favorite cow was a Lowline angus/Jersey cross. Bred her back to a lowline angus bull for beefy calf. She could have handled a bigger bull, such as found at Pharocattle.com.

As for Dexters, they are not all the same. Bred for different purposes. The one I had didn't give much milk. And her steer calf was pretty bony. And she was wild. I didn't like horns. Otherwise a pretty good cow.

I am currently raising a Hereford/Jersey heifer, bred to a red angus. I prefer non-black cattle because they are cooler in the summer.

While I'm waiting for her to calve, I'm milking a British White cow, supposedly a beef cow. As Francismilker said, enough milk for just me and wife. Take 2 to 3 quarts after separating calf for 6 to 8 hours. I even take a few days off milking per week.


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## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

genebo,
With no offense intended. The dexter breed associations are even suggesting that the mid-sized Dexters are the best performing in the breed.
The American Dexter Assoc. was stating the average for a cow is around 750 lb. I couldn't find anything about 205 day weights. What have you found to be true?
For me, a commercial cow should be able to raise 1/2 her weight, in calf, at 205 days of age. If I were to breed a 1350 lb. cow (large frame) to a good quality bull. It's hard, and even close to impossible in some cases, to acheive that 50% growth rate at 205 days without alot extra feed. Those last 75 or 80 lbs. are hard to achieve with the larger framed cows because feed isn't as good of a quality in the latter part of the season. And they need more to keep themselves up. The smaller framed cows just can't take in enough to bump that big calf over the 50% mark.
If I breed my 1150 to 1200 lb. cow to the same bull, she will be more likely to reach that bench mark and still breed back for next year. If they don't, they are culled as heavy springers come february the next year or as open in the fall. 
I guess I should explain, I run a group of meduim framed F-1 cows bred to Limousine bulls. Those same bulls were bred to my Swiss and my Guernsy cows. I had 2 really old cows that were looking bad so I grafted thier calves to my milk cows and sent them to the sale while prices were high on cutters. I did this instead of milking the past 2 years.
So those 2 cows are both raising 2 calves each. They will raise they're weight in calves on slew grass and willows. We will find out for sure if they can do it again at the end of September. 
My calves are contracted @ $1.89, over my scales. That makes those 2 cows worth alot. 
I saw one farm that stated that they were selling a 24 to 30 month dexter calf, on the hook for just over $1600. It ended up being over $5.00 a lb. I don't remember the exact amount. I didn't catch how many were available. But thats a good return.
I will condition my calves 3 to 4 weeks before they ship at 8 1/2 months of age. Now which cows are more efficient.
My dad has always told me to follow the money. It won't lead you astray. 
It would be hard to run 2 of any breed of cows on 3.5 acres, throughout the year, anywhere in the U.S., without severly impacting the ground. Especially with this years drought. Side note: The last I heard, 58% of counties in the U.S. are in drought condition of some kind. Adding alot to equation.
I cut back to 39 pair this year. The lowest I've ever been in the 21 years here. That will still fill a pot load and some to sell individually next fall.
To the point; Himeson, I hope that this gives you something to chew on.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

Thinking of your pasture ,it can be so much more effecent if you can devide it into 3 or more maller lots let her graze in a differint one every couple days letting the grass recover in the others most cows can be fenced with a single strand of electric once they learn about it .this helps avoid her makeing a mud hole or barren spot in one area and neglicting others


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

genebo said:


> The general rule you are stating doesn't hold water. Size is not the determining factor in feed conversion efficiency. Plus you have to consider what kind of feed you're taling about.
> 
> Today's huge Angus cattle are probably the most efficent way to convert cprn into beef, but the little Dexter cow is probably the most efficient way to convert grass and rough forage into meat and milk.
> 
> ...


Genebo, I have to question the underlined comment you made. I agree with the question you raise but dare to ask it back to you. I know you're a fan of dexters and more power to you, but I don't know of any breed of cattle that will make an abundance of milk on the that (except for maybe the crabgrass). I know dexters are good foragers as the brahman breed is, but I don't think there's enough research to prove they thrive on undesireables. They may eat it when there's nothing else to eat, but I doubt they thrive on it. 
I'd dare to bet you could put a herd of dexters on a pasture that had bermuda on one side and your described bushes above and we'd see them eating more bermuda grass as a matter of choice. I do know that cows will nearly stand on their back hooves to reach a tender leaf off a tree, but they don't thrive on them. I've had cows that would walk a hundred miles to eat forage for acorns, but they've lost more weight than they gained. 

Just my two cents here.


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## Himesan (Aug 11, 2012)

I have been reading the rotational pasturing thread. I plan to utilize the idea. I will divide up the property using the elec poly wire. How big of a area would you guys start with as a paddock? Feet x feet. I know I will have to adjust to keep the grass at 3 inches. I will probably start with one, then her calf....then mom a new calf and the yearling. So three at the most.


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

For a small acreage I vote for a Dexter, but be aware that there are beef-type Dexters and Dexters from milky lines. A Milking Shorthorn is also a good dual purpose cow.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

CIW,

The American Dexter Cattle Association has a breed standard that call for a cow not to EXCEED 750 lbs.

Dexters are traditionally a dual purpose breed, whose place in life is to fill the needs of a small landholder for milk and beef. They can never compete in the commodity beef market with specialty breeds developed for that purpose.

Rate of growth of a dexter is usually a non-issue. The calf is expected to live off of it's mama for a while and then forage until time to harvest it, usually for the family freezer.

In cars, there are Hummers, Cadillacs, Ferraris and Priuses. Each fills a need for somebody. Choosing Dexters for a large commercial beef operation would be like bringing a knife to a gunfight. But for the purpose intended, and the question of "Best Dairy/Meat cow?" they are hard to beat.

Francismilker,

I sold 4 cows to a young man who milks them on cow shares while simultaneously raising beef calves on them. They are on 100% pasture. No grain, ever. They keep the shaded area of their pastures cleaned like a hound's tooth. He has to rotate pastures so the underbrush gets a chance to grow back. The fence line is picked clean, too.

I don't milk my cows, but they sure do stay fat and sassy on what I feed them. I cut my neighbor's fields for hay. It includes all the items I listed plus almost every other weed you can imagine growing here. The drought wiped out all the grass in my pastures so that the neighbor's hay was all they had to eat and they loved it.

Now, a month later, the crabgrass and bermuda are all that remains of my pasture, but it is tall and lush. The annual rye seed that I spread under the trees is 4" tall. The reason? They don't like those grasses. They spend all day in the woods eating bark, fallen limbs, leaves and prunings. They come into the pasture to graze just in the morning and evening.

I have so much of the weedy hay that I can splurge, so I throw out a square bale every morning and night. All 7 of them stop grazing to come eat it. All that is left is the blackberry thorns. I hate the thorns, but the cattle love the leaves.

I have a hard time finding uses for all the dead cedar trees that my cattle and goats killed by stripping the bark.

A Dexter is not a substitute for a commercial dairy cow. Even the highest producing Dexter cow can't match a good Jersey. Her place in life is to provide enough milk for a small family with limited acreage. She doesn't produce more than they need and does it on less feed. Often, a homesteader finds it is too expensive to feed a cow to produce 4 gallons a day when all they want is a gallon.

It's awfully nice to be able to milk a Dexter just once a day, too. Keeping her calf on her means that if the need arises, you can skip that one milking and she won't suffer for it.

People who grew up in the commercial beef industry or on a commercial dairy have a hard time fitting Dexters into their schemes, and rightly so. But not everyone has the means to do that. Instead of a hundred beef calves to rush to market, they want one beef calf and can wait for him to develop, nursing on the same cow they use to supply them a gallon a day for the household. Instead of measuring their month's income by pounds of milk produced, they just want to be able to give their family wholesome, home grown milk when they only have 3 to 5 acres.

In that case, Dexters rule. No Holstein can do the same thing so well. No Angus can fill the bill. It's a world that big beef and dairy farmers can't understand, but those who are in that situation can see it clearly.

See? Three worlds. Big beef, dairy and smallholders. Families. That's my crowd.

Here's one of my steers, in drought pasture, with weedy hay in the feeder. Notice the tree line in the distance. Eaten clean as high as a cow can reach.


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

Excellent post genebo!


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## wvdexters (Apr 30, 2012)

I second everything Genebo said. Dexters are a very old celtic breed of cattle bred for small homesteads, small pastures, harsh conditions. They thrive where most breeds can't. Their small size and ability to forage make them perfect for people who have these same conditions now. My three girls have come through this drought in top condition with nothing but dry pasture, hay, and a small handful of grain in the morning to keep them gentle like pets. They are thriving on well under 3 acres of partially wooded WV "pasture" in the ridges. 

Dexters allow a small landowner with poor conditions to keep a small family of cattle where they could only keep one or two animals of other breeds. If this fits your situation you should try them. You could keep one milk cow, last year's calf you're raising for beef, and her new calf easily.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

I am not going to argue the point of Dexters being dual purpose or who converts pinecones into better beef; it's a known fact that Dexters have always been meant to provide some milk for a family as well as nurse a calf that goes in the family's freezer. I'm sure there are a number other breeds that can also do that. Complications pop up when the calf is a heifer (we can't send a pretty little heifer to the meat locker, we could sell her for more, oops she's not registered, now what do we do?) Managing a breeding milking animal is far more involved than just tossing hay to a couple of steers and loading them up when the time comes. 

My concern is a new person with no experience starting off with a family milk cow (of any breed) on limited space. Any milk cow must be bred sooner or later if she is to continue to have a job; that involves either AI or live cover (AI is somewhat involved and live cover often depends on how close a suitable bull and a willing owner can be found). This fact can be a major obstacle to people just starting out.

I advised Himesan to start slow, see if you like having cows before you make a more demanding commitment. If you don't like what's involved in keeping cattle, then having a couple of steers processed for beef and sharing with family and friends is a whole lot easier than wondering why you got skinned at the sale barn with a small cow with horns.


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

If someone really wanted a smaller quantity of milk - and that was the primary goal - there is little need to rebreed quickly. I bet you could keep a cow in a reasonable amount of milk, for family consumption, for years without rebreeding. My cow's production did not drop at all from 6 months into the laction till 18 months into the same lactation when we dried her up for calving. Being later in the lactation also means that you can switch to 1x/day milking with few negative consequences as lactation is not at peak levels. Very family friendly!

My good friend continues to get 3/4 gallon of milk from a goat in her 4th lactation year since kidding. It can be done successfully for an animal that is not pushed for production and that is kept kindly and fed responsibly.

The only reasons to rebreed annually, imo, are either commercial milk production or wanting another calf.


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## Himesan (Aug 11, 2012)

G. Seddon,

I heard you, and I with take the caution to heart.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I like a smaller holstein/hereford cross. Will raise 8 calves each lactation and give enough milk for a family without much grain....James


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

any cow will give you less milk with little or no grain.
Grass fed holsteins will give a fair amount of milk but nothing like the amount of their sisters fed high powered grain and silage rations.
I wouldn't be afraid of getting a lightweight holstein heifer and raising her to be a family cow.
With a grass based diet and lower milk production her butterfat will go up as well. Probably not near a jersey but sometimes trying to get a jersey heifer is like pulling teeth.


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## oxhill (Feb 14, 2012)

I would recommend Milking Devons but any of the old multipurpose breeds would be good. Milking Devons are one of the smaller thriftier multipurpose breeds.


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## RockyRidgeFarms (Sep 5, 2012)

New to your forum here but just reading the replies on this topic I thought I'd throw my 2 cents. We have a Dexter that just calved a couple weeks ago, (1st calf), and although I love the breed, they can be a little sporty to get milked. Best option there is to start out with a young heifer calf and let grow around you. I got mine from another farm at 2 years and although halter trained, don't take the rope off. However, we just recently got a "mini-Jersey" and she is a docile little sweetheart. Not the original mini-jersey of the 1800's, but bred through a couple generations of Dexter bull to Jersey cow. Outstanding combination. We get about a gallon a day.


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## Dusky Beauty (Jan 4, 2012)

Another thing about a home milker, some people are concerned with the A1/A2 casein gene-- if it's just your family and you have zero issues with milk and don't take the dairy scare seriously a Holstein or fresian derivitive is fine. 
I decided on sticking with dexters, jerseys brown swiss etc. both to err on the side of caution, and for my milk to be more sale-able-- even if I don't plan on selling any now, it's good to have the option of more types of customers. 
Seems like the more you scratch the surface on natural food-- the more hangups you find that people have with food.


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## tonyb (Jul 4, 2011)

G.Seddon's advice to start slow is sound. You might be able to find a farmer nearby that would pasture a couple of dry cows at your place for the summer. See how you like it without the long-term commitment, no need to bring in hay for winter, etc.


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