Ayrshire Bottle Baby - A good deal?

[Tam319]

Hi all,

I stumbled across an ad for an Ayrshire 1.5 month old heifer calf today. She's drinking well from a pail, eating whole oats and free choice hay. She's apparently from a dairy where she was purchased as a newborn. The owner said she was not a twin and she suspects the heifer has potential as a family milk cow. They said she has a good disposition and is a big pet. They are asking $150 Canadian for her.

Any advice?? Does anyone have any experience with the breed? I've been looking for a mature family milk cow with no luck. I am a bit hesitant b/c it would sure be frustrating to raise her and have her not work out. But then again, at that price I'm sure even if I ended up "sending her to town" I'd make out ok. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by Tam319

Hi all,

I stumbled across an ad for an Ayrshire 1.5 month old heifer calf today. She's drinking well from a pail, eating whole oats and free choice hay. She's apparently from a dairy where she was purchased as a newborn. The owner said she was not a twin and she suspects the heifer has potential as a family milk cow. They said she has a good disposition and is a big pet. They are asking $150 Canadian for her.

Any advice?? Does anyone have any experience with the breed? I've been looking for a mature family milk cow with no luck. I am a bit hesitant b/c it would sure be frustrating to raise her and have her not work out. But then again, at that price I'm sure even if I ended up "sending her to town" I'd make out ok. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

If everything is as stated it is a great deal, but I'm always suspicious of breeding stock beind sold as a calf from a dairy for market price.

[tyusclan]

I don't have any experience with Ayrshire, but I know Up North has some, and they like them. It sounds like a good deal to me. I'd buy her if it were me.

[DaleK]

I'm not entirely sure what prices are in Alberta but in general in Canada, since the border is still closed, dairy cattle are worth next to nothing. Around here you could probably get a similar aged heifer for the same price. You could also get a fresh mature cow or heifer for $6-700 with absolutely no trouble and save yourself 2 years of expenses raising a heifer. A lot of times lately you could get a springing heifer for about $700 and have the fresh cow and calf both. If the border opens tomorrow, it's a pretty decent deal but I don't understand why a dairy farm would sell a heifer calf at this point so I would be very suspicious that somebody's lying about it being a twin. If the border doesn't open for another 2 years, you'll probably have spent $1500+ raising a cow that's worth well under $1000.

[Tam319]

Good point. It makes me a bit curious as to why she was sold by the dairy barn and now her buyers are looking for a new home. The possibility of 3 homes in 1.5 months of life??? Something seems fishy. I would like to find a mature cow but haven't had any luck yet. I called the Jersey Assoc and they gave me a list of breeder's and phone # but nobody came through. The only other cow that may be a possibility is a coming 3 Dexter cow bred Hereford. She's been handmilked and they want $800 for her. Any suggestions on where else to look?

Thanks,

[DaleK]

Any of the livestock organizations or auctioneers should be able to tell you when the regular auctions or dispersal sales are, that would be a place to start. Otherwise just ask around.

[Rick Allen]

Ayrshires are excellant forragers, have high protein content in ther milk and moderate fat, but they can be nervous. You may be able to tell a little about her tempermrnt now but it is hard to tell how a heffer will act after she calves. Our sweetest heffer turned out to be a horrendous kicker when we tried to milk her after she calved. Good teat size is important too if you plan to milk by hand.

The current owner of the Ayrshire can tell you where he got her and he should be willing to give you the phone number of the previous owner if he has nothing to hide. The dairy who sold her would be a good source to check his story with.

The current owner should also be able to explain why he bought her and why he's now selling. If the reasoning doesn't make sense most often it will be clear if he's not been straight. Without knowing more I would be uncomfortable with this purchase.

The only really good reason for buying a heffer is a desire to keep a cow for 10 or 12 years and form a close bond with her. She could be sterile, she could have a difficult first birth. she might not let you milk her, her teats might not empty well. There are a lot of unknowns with a heffer and it will take 3 years to see how she'll turn out.

In the end if you purchase any unproven heffer you should be willing to put her in the freezer if she doesn't breed. Taking a dairy heffer to the sale barn would not come close to paying for what you had in her. IMO if you're not willing to turn a sterile heffer into food for your family you should buy a proven cow.

[Ralph in N.E.Oh]

800$ for a 3 year old hand milked Dexter sounds like a much better deal to me. She is already broke to milk, has her whole life ahead of her and she is obtainable! She will give you all the milk you need and then some! Go see her, milk her if they'll let you and see how much she is giving now. This sounds like it will all be new to you, breaking a heifer for the first few milkings can be an exciting experience to say the least, especially for someone who doesn't have too much experience under their belts.... I'd buy the Dexter in a minute! Now, if she was just a bit closer to Ohio!