tractable cows w/ low output?

We have milked different Jerseys once a day for years with no mastitis problems. You do have to pay attention when you are slowing them down. Since we often have more than one Jersey fresh but only want to milk what we need we also usually have a cow with just a calf on her. Again, you have to pay attention. Hands on, check them once a day for the first few weeks. And we often have to milk them out a bit for around 3 weeks till they slow down.
It's all in the management. You can't feed them very much and expect them to slow down either. Pasture or hay is all they need just feeding a calf. We feed alfalfa pellets in addition when we are taking milk.

As a kid I milked a little 900 pound jersey who was sold to my dad as "not productive enough" for a dairy.

This little cow freshened with her second calf and gave us 5 gallons of milk a day for quite a while, then settled down to around 4 gallons a day. We milked her for almost two years without breeding her back, but she was down to around three gallons by then.

Now I have only Angus cattle on the place. A good, high-milking Angus will produce a bit more than her calf needs, and I have two that are broke to milk. Actually, if you put them in a chute and pet them, give them a bit of feed and pull on their teats you can break any cow to milk in a short time. You can do the same thing in a stanchion but are more likely to get kicked. Hobbles or "kan't kick" devices might help but I have never found then neccessary.

My choice would be a small Jersey as I am a fan of their high butterfat, high carotene milk. Just be sure that whatever you buy is tested for tuberculosis.
Ox

PEOPLE, PEOPLE! Lets settle down here!

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My first milk cow, so many long years ago, was a Herford/Guernsey cross and a wonderful family cow she was! My personal observations are that Jerseys are too ticklish for me to sit down and milk. Guersneys and Swiss have the best disposition of the major dairy breeds. I would like to milk a Dexter, but there are none around here.

Sorry.....i just thought ya'll were getting a lil Bossy (no pun intended!)
Aj

disposition differs by individuals in cows not just breed. i have several cows . 2 specific jerseys mom and daughter that i milk. i trained the daughter my self and she stands in the head gate with out kickers but is stand offish, the other is imposible and stomps and kicks the whole time , but is an absolute sweety out side and lovable we can sit on her and pet her all day. so you cant rule out a whole breed by the behavior of one. the older one was ruined before i got her but she has good babys and raises lots of bobbie calves for us. and i milk the better milker. same breed just different personalities.

And your large type coment would add to the discusion at hand :no:

Yes...I thought so!