# Considering a Family Milk Cow



## Iluvboers (Feb 26, 2009)

Hi,

I'm cow ignorant, but starting to think about a family milk cow some time in the distant future. My family is currently drinking a gallon a day, so that it looks more and more advantageous.

Likely if I add in a cow, I'll get rid of all goats.

So my immediate question is how much might I expect a milk cow to eat in a year? How much hay? How much grain?

Thanks in advance for any responses.


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## bigbluegrass (Jan 11, 2011)

How much depends on where you live, weather, shelter and other things. Here are some estimates to get you started thinking.

A cow needs about 3% of her body weight in good hay a day - so a small Jersey (800#) will eat about 24 lbs of hay a day. A bigger cow (1500#) could eat up to 45 lbs of hay a day. That is for good hay - grass/legume mix. So if all you fed was hay (no pasture) 9,000 lbs to 17,000 lbs of hay per year. A very common estimate is a cow will eat one big round bale per month.

For grain, that really depends on what you are trying to do and what kind of grain mix you are feeding. I would figure about 10 lbs of grain a day as an average. Some feed none. Some feed more. So you are looking at right around 2 tons of grain. You can cut that back, but that should give you an idea.

Cows do better with other cows. They can be alone, but don't like it much. It is harder to heat detect and breed and so forth if you just have one cow.

I don't have goats, but from what I have heard, cows are much easier to keep in!

Hope that helps some.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

A good gentle milkcow is great I let mine a 1200 pound brown swiss in with the calf and I milk one side and the calf the other I get 1- 1/2 gallons a day she feeds me and I butcher the beef crossed calf at about 7- 800 pounds when she gets dryed off for a few weeks in the coldest part of winter to rest till she freshins in march extra milk helps raise a pig grass pasture and about 8 pounds of sweet feed a day while milking mostly hay in the winter grain as a treat just cause I like to spoil her she is agreat contributer to the homestead that is easy to fence and won't debark the apple tree or jump on top of the car as the calf gets older if I get busy or need time off I let them out together with no. Problem a friend has a fruit market and I get all the ruised apples ect for her I feed the large round bales to her and a few beef cattle free choise in winter but id say she could eat about 1/2 a square bale a day during winter the cream floates to the top of the milk over night making it easy to save up for butter ice cream or coffee so far iv had no problem with off flavors often keeping drinking milk several days in the fridge .a good book is the family cow by dirk van loon or husbandry by nathan grifith with old fences and a large hilly pasture a cyoute problem goates were out of the question and I'm glad 1 cow to milk fits in well


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## Iluvboers (Feb 26, 2009)

Arnie, is that half of a small bale? Like a 100lbs?


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

Sorru but yes a small bale less than 100 pounds mabe 60 after a cow the rutiene of what time you milk and she gets her grain ration you can set your clock (almost) by her mine will come and moo for me if I'm late .I go into the barn lot with my milkbucket pour her grain into the manger go back and open the gate the calf will try to nurse but she will continue into the barn I have my damp cloth in hand and clean up my udders or as the calf grows and takes more only 1 teat for me now the race is on the calf inspireing me to not dilly dally and get er done in the morning I'll get 3/4gal and in the eve about 1/2 then I go to the house strain my milk into a glass jar and into the fridge rince or wash the equipment and done bout 20 Min's now I'll go back to the barn check the rabbits gather some eggs and take a small amount of grain and put it in a dish outside the lot she usally has had enough quality time with her calf and is ready to return to grazeing if its cold I might put some bag balm on her udders usally the calf has her striped clean no more than a moo or two and she's back to the other cows .unlike goats cattle do not require and can make better use of rougher hay .her previous ouners would snap a chain to her halter while they milked but I don't if I needed more milk I could limit the calf or eliminate it or bottle feed but this method works well . I remember my uncle would milk in his yard n grain just speak softly a couple pets on the flank and no calf as back then they had a good market for veal and sold that calf early .


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

We switched from a couple of milking goats to one milking cow, a very small jersey guernsey mix, and the switch worked very well for us. Our cow became very social with us and very tame, we let her have go wherever she wanted other than the vegie garden. She did a pretty good job of keeping the lawn mowed! Her fertilization method, though, was a bit spotty.

Biscuit was maybe 700 lbs, produced an average 2.5 - 3 gallons/day, ate perhaps 1.5 small bales of alfalfa/grass hay day during winter, and got maybe 4-6 lbs of grain/day. She kept in great body condition. 

We started separating her calf from her at night from 2 weeks on - would milk her in the morning and let the calf stay on her during the day. We'd get about half the production I stated above when milk sharing. 

The best part of having a family milk cow is the sweet, wonderful milk, cream to make butter from, and the cow herself - I loved my cow. The worst part is the urine - gosh, but that stuff stinks to high heaven.


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## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

I love boers, too. Have you considered a dairy goat(s) for your gallon a day habit? Even though goat care and infrastructure is more demanding than cow IMO, you already have a handle on the goats. Not that I would try to talk you out of a dairy cow. Jerseys and guernseys have something bred into them that makes them such interesting animals. Ours are as pesky as the goats. Oh, and expect that gallon a day habit to double when you have your own fresh milk (cow or goat).


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## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

I switched from dairy goats to Jerseys four years ago. We like that we can make butter and cheese, plus the huge amounts of cream we get are a bonus. We use the extra milk to raise pigs and chickens plus I have a small herdshare group which helps pay the feed bills. The dogs and cats like it too. I like that the milk isn't as sensitive to temperature like goats milk. I found keeping cows is easier for me because they don't challenge my fences like the goats did. I'd rather milk one cow than several goats to get my gallons of milk. It's a personal choice but we like the cows best.


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

Something I always tell new milk cow owners - don't fall into the trap of spending a ton of money on feed just so you can milk a cow for all she's worth. If you only need/want a gallon a day, most milk cows can easily give you that on only grass/hay. And you can get that one gallon in once a day milking. For the last few years we milked jerseys for home milk they were just on pasture or hay with a little alfalfa pellets for milking. 

Google the health benefits of grass fed milk and meat at some point.

There is no set way to do things and you do not have to do things like a dairy would. Adjust how much milk you take and whether you milk once or twice a day to your own situation. 

If you bring home a cow who's milking 5 gal/day you can slow her down to what you need, it just takes a little time and paying attention to how her udder is doing with it. Most people new to dairy cows don't realize that and end up with many many gallons of milk in their fridge trying to figure out what to do with it.


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

You might also consider buying a crossbred cow. We have some Jersey/Red Angus crossbreds that milk great and raise a great beef calf every year. A couple of them even raise a second calf after their first calf is weaned. If you do this, make sure you get a cow that is broke to milk. I think that is a mistake that some first cow owners fall into, buying an untrained heifer or cow. For first time owners a gentle, trained cow is worth the extra money. Good luck in your search for a cow.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

Yes I'll agree with lin n a good gentle cow is gerat but breaking a heifer takes patiencs and a special stall an unbroke or a mean spoiled cow can be dangerious .always let the seller show that she can be milked


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## Iluvboers (Feb 26, 2009)

Thanks for all the comments. They are very interesting and give me something to think about.

I have considered a milk goat on and off for years...But I have always wanted a milk cow and I don't know why that is so much more appealing to me than a milk goat. But it will matter when I'm heading out the hundredth time to milk and don't really feel like going.

Also I'm heading into a transitional period where I may need to go through 2 yrs with no animals. My husband is entering a doctoral program in another state. Its a good time to start researching and rethinking the animals. I like the idea of a milk cow and pigs. I was hoping the feed would be about what I already purchase. Now I'm not so sure. But it might work out if I factor in the cost of milk also.

Thank you all once again.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

If you're concerned about feed costs, here's a pic that ought to put the fear of God into you!








That's my Christine. She has a _healthy_ appetite! 
May I recommend a Jersey? ound:


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

willow_girl said:


> If you're concerned about feed costs, here's a pic that ought to put the fear of God into you!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Lol or even a Dexter...


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Anything but Christine ... ound:


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## DJ in WA (Jan 28, 2005)

linn said:


> You might also consider buying a crossbred cow. We have some Jersey/Red Angus crossbreds that milk great and raise a great beef calf every year. A couple of them even raise a second calf after their first calf is weaned. *If you do this, make sure you get a cow that is broke to milk.* I think that is a mistake that some first cow owners fall into, buying an untrained heifer or cow. For first time owners a gentle, trained cow is worth the extra money. Good luck in your search for a cow.


Just be careful in buying a used cow. There is often a reason for being sold which you may not be aware of - milk fever, low-grade mastitis, etc.

Personally, I prefer a heifer which has not been culled for problems. Just spend time handling her, touching udder, etc. Maybe I've been lucky, but 3 of last 4 I've trained never offered to kick. The one that did responded to some boots from me after everything else failed.

I like the crossbred idea - I now have a hereford/jersey heifer I just bred.

And even some beef cows can milk decent. I have one who just had her second calf and I got nearly 2 quarts out of just one side (calf milking the other) after calf separated just 5 hours. I'm wondering if jersey cross heifer might give me more than I will need, as the beef cow is supplying my needs currently.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

I also use a beef ( angus) bull so I can raise my own beef when its time to dry he off the calf goes to the butcher as a baby beef and I get great meat for the year this is a really big plus


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## Cliff (Jun 30, 2007)

I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier, but do not bring a cow onto your place till you know it's negative for Johne's disease. It is the number one killer of dairy cows, has no treatment and an infected cow pooping the organism on your place will contaminate it for at least a year. Buying a cow from a dairy is a bad idea for the same reason. I brought home a Johne's positive cow from a dairy years ago before I knew about the disease. I got rid of her fairly quickly but not before she had contaminated my whole place. I kept my other cows off this place for a year, but still when I brought one of my Jerseys back from my other place she caught Johne's.


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## Wisconsin Homesteader (12 mo ago)

I wrote a blog post on this, and I think it might be helpful to you! If you want to check it out, you can find it here: Contemplating a Family Milk Cow? Your Questions Answered


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Wisconsin Homesteader said:


> I wrote a blog post on this, and I think it might be helpful to you! If you want to check it out, you can find it here: Contemplating a Family Milk Cow? Your Questions Answered


Welcome to the forum, @Wisconsin Homesteader.

This is an older thread, so you may not get any responses, but I'll be sure to look at your blog post.

I'm a confirmed dairy goat person, but it is interesting to look at the possibilities of a family milch cow.


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