The adventure begins soon, and the wife wants a dairy cow...

[Gobbler'sKnob]

For anybody that was tracking, I'm getting out of the military soon. I go on terminal in June and the adventure soon begins. Looking at several properties now and I lucked into (didn't know I was owed) a decent chunk of change so looks like everything will go smoothly all about at once on land acquisition. Found a few good jobs that will extend me an offer with good enough hours for me to go back to school to make the big bucks. All's on track for stuff to step off the trailer for me somewhere by fall-spring (latest) so I sat down to start pencilling costs and stocking rates and then...

The wife tells me she wants a dairy cow. I start going over milk production with her and telling her that getting something done with all that milk is gonna have to be her effort as much as mine. She asked about looking at mini jerseys and I hit up some websites and some folks and they are thousands of darn dollars and higher, whereas I can find full size cows cheaper, but that's a lot of milk. We eat a lot of dairy and drink a lot of milk, but not a good producing jersey's worth a week. So... what do y'all that milk do with it all? I know it's good for picking up bottle calves and feeding hogs and chickens, but that's still a lot. Texas only allows home pickup of raw milk for sale, so I'd have to cultivate a customer base for the excess but it's easier to sell meat than other cow products in my experience. So... either what do y'all do or is there a better way to not get taken for a ride on these mini prices? Maybe other breeds? Even as a family we only drink 4 gallons a week, eat about a pound of cheese and two pounds of butter... a man can only have so many chickens and hogs before stuff gets silly... any advice is appreciated.

 

[farmerjan]

Mini cow prices are insane. There are breeding problems with them. Don't go that route.
Read all the posts by @MurraysMutts ... on his sale barn finds and how he turned a very sad looking jersey into a fantastic nurse cow... If you were to have a normal sized jersey, there is no law that says you have to feed for MAXIMUM production... You can feed less and she will produce somewhat less.
Do a "share deal" with a couple of calves. Milk her once a day and let the calves have the rest. Lock her away from the calves ( or pen them up) say in the morning... 8-10 hours later, milk her; then let the calves stay with her for 10-12 hours or so. You might get 1-3 gallons from the milking... the calves get the rest. She will get used to the routine and will give you enough milk for what you want and the calves will get plenty. I do this frequently with my nurse cows. If you have to be gone, the calves just stay with her and get it all... All according to how much she is making, as to how many calves she can feed... 2-3 is a good average. The more grain the more milk... to a point.
There are many different ways to utilize the milk. I have several 1/2 jersey 1/2 angus cows that I have used for milk cows... produce a little less.... can feed 2 calves and still enough milk for 1-2 gallons a day....
Yep, pigs will utilize a good amount of milk... feeding a couple of bottle calves will use 1-1/2 gallons PER CALF per day... 2-3 bottle calves and you will not have alot of extra milk.
Breed her back to a beef bull, get a calf that can become your freezer beef if a bull, or the start of a beef herd if a heifer... use AI, cheaper and safer than keeping a bull for only a couple of cows...
I can/ will answer any questions if you prefer to PM me... and I certainly do not have all the answers... been doing it a few years though...

 

[Gobbler'sKnob]

Mini cow prices are insane. There are breeding problems with them. Don't go that route.
Read all the posts by @MurraysMutts ... on his sale barn finds and how he turned a very sad looking jersey into a fantastic nurse cow... If you were to have a normal sized jersey, there is no law that says you have to feed for MAXIMUM production... You can feed less and she will produce somewhat less.
Do a "share deal" with a couple of calves. Milk her once a day and let the calves have the rest. Lock her away from the calves ( or pen them up) say in the morning... 8-10 hours later, milk her; then let the calves stay with her for 10-12 hours or so. You might get 1-3 gallons from the milking... the calves get the rest. She will get used to the routine and will give you enough milk for what you want and the calves will get plenty. I do this frequently with my nurse cows. If you have to be gone, the calves just stay with her and get it all... All according to how much she is making, as to how many calves she can feed... 2-3 is a good average. The more grain the more milk... to a point.
There are many different ways to utilize the milk. I have several 1/2 jersey 1/2 angus cows that I have used for milk cows... produce a little less.... can feed 2 calves and still enough milk for 1-2 gallons a day....
Yep, pigs will utilize a good amount of milk... feeding a couple of bottle calves will use 1-1/2 gallons PER CALF per day... 2-3 bottle calves and you will not have alot of extra milk.
Breed her back to a beef bull, get a calf that can become your freezer beef if a bull, or the start of a beef herd if a heifer... use AI, cheaper and safer than keeping a bull for only a couple of cows...
I can/ will answer any questions if you prefer to PM me... and I certainly do not have all the answers... been doing it a few years though...

Thank you, I greatly appreciate your input and my kids would love if they got a bottle calf each at a time to take care of.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Love Jan's comments!
Every time!

Lots of folks calf share. It's a bit more work but lots do it.

My gals just raise calves. I'm always coming home with some kinda poor lil orphan.
I just wormed Brandy and turned her and the babies out. So that's something to be aware of as well. Gotta be careful what ya use for wormer and other meds, as it can be passed on thru the milk!
So there's some more to discuss as well.

 

[BFE]

Ugh. I've owned a jersey for a week now and having a heck of a time getting her to take two calves. She don't care for them much. I'm beginning to question my sanity.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

Bringing something home from a Salebarn all the time to mix with what I have would set my teeth on edge.
I shall leave that to you experts. offered with respect for those who make it work....

 

[BFE]

I know you're not talking about me. Expert and my name don't commingle. Only things I'm good at are eating and sleeping.

 

[MurraysMutts]

@BFE I presume u have them penned?

Will they nurse while she's eating?

I've been very very fortunate I know!
Both my girls just let anyone have a go at it.

But aside from that, I usually leave em penned at least 2 weeks. Have u tried taking the calves away for about 12 hrs and reintroducing them? I've even tried 24 hrs til mamas bag is about to explode.

 

[BFE]

Yes they're penned. I been tying her up to let them nurse if I don't she's still butting them away. The calves can go into another small pen that she can't. I've tried feeding her at the same time as putting the calves on but she's bad about kicking them off.

I've cinched her belly and that helps a little but she just don't seem to care for them much or me when I've tried to milk her down some. Just kinda witchy.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Yes they're penned. I been tying her up to let them nurse if I don't she's still butting them away. The calves can go into another small pen that she can't. I've tried feeding her at the same time as putting the calves on but she's bad about kicking them off.

I've cinched her belly and that helps a little but she just don't seem to care for them much or me when I've tried to milk her down some. Just kinda witchy.

Well bless her heart....

Good info to pass along. Sounds like you got a lot of "try"!

@Gobbler'sKnob pay attention!

Sometimes ya get what ya pay for...
Some get lucky at a sale and some of us don't. I've had a few letdowns as well.

 

[BFE]

She's from a dairy. Been used to probably 50-60 cows in her pen. She was culled because of edema affecting her udder. He was going to milk her until production fell then haul her to sale so I got her for cull price. She's young never raised a calf so it's all new to her too.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Bringing something home from a Salebarn all the time to mix with what I have would set my teeth on edge.
I shall leave that to you experts. offered with respect for those who make it work....

Living on the edge!!

Brandy came from a closed herd of over 100yrs! Just a tidbit I'd like to share. Strictly a.i.

 

[MurraysMutts]

She's from a dairy. Been used to probably 50-60 cows in her pen. She was culled because of edema affecting her udder. He was going to milk her until production fell then haul her to sale so I got her for cull price. She's young never raised a calf so it's all new to her too.

That's exactly what everyone told me would happen with a dairy cow!! Dairy cow don't know nothing about raising a baby...

I was really worried. Apparently there may be a bit of truth to that.

Thanks so much for sharing!
And I hope she comes along for you.
As always, pics?

 

[wbvs58]

Buy the biggest tag you can find and write your wife's name on it to remind her it is her cow and her job to milk it.

Ken

 

[BFE]

I just figured out if I stand there and scratch her she quits kicking. Spoiled cow apparently

 

[Gobbler'sKnob]

Much attention paid and much appreciated.

 

[Son of Butch]

Brandy came from a closed herd of over 100yrs! Strictly a.i.

Impressive, A.I. since 1921.... someone call Guinness

 

[MurraysMutts]

Much attention paid and much appreciated.

I think Ken's idea is the best of all!

 

[MurraysMutts]

Impressive, A.I. since 1921.... someone call Guinness

Sorry about that. Was abit confounding wasn't it.
The herd has been around that long.
Cant speak for how long on the A.I. part.
Sorry again. Bad grammar on my part

 

[farmerjan]

@BFE .... If the cow was milking when you got her from the dairy and she never had her calf to suck/stay with her, then I am not surprised she is reluctant to take them. Some cows just won't... ever... but many times when they have their own, then they get the "mothering instinct" to kick in and then they will take a 2nd calf... There is just no guarantee... a calf sucking and butting feels NOTHING like a milking machine... I had a cow that just never would take a calf... not even her own... hated them... was a dream to milk... I wound up raising about 12 off her milk that lactation.... but I had to bottle feed them. She looked at me and said her job was to produce the milk... I could do whatever I DA#@ felt like with it after she produced it....... OKAAAAY, point taken... Got one that hates to be in the barn, jumps fences/gates... raises one he// of a calf and should have a 2nd one but not going to fight her....
I would take the calves away from her after they get to suck... as murray said, let her get some pressure... put them on her while tied, eating grain, scratching her tailhead or what ever... then when she gets done, kick her out, away from contact with the calves... make her associate coming in to get grain/feed/alfalfa hay or whatever, with feeding the calves... I had one that i worked with for over a month... then one day she just gave in and then they were fine...