Got some questions

[DownHome]

I've been lurking on here for quite a while. Lusting after every little Jersey heifer and cow I see I've wanted one ever since I was young and saw my first pair of long lashed eyes peering back at me from across the fence.

And now it so close to a possibility I can just barely stand it. We have 3 1/2 acres. I know that is not much. How much would we need to have fenced off for a cow and possibly a calf too? We would ultimately like them to be able to live off of the grass they are fenced in. If I could fence off an 1-1 1/2 acres how much hay would I need to supplement? I know all you cow experts out there will be able to help me on this one.

I'm pretty sure I can convince the boss that between the milk and butter and meat, the investment would be worth every penny. I figure we spend $1050 on milk a year, $260 for butter, and about $500 on beef.

Thanks all I look forward to your responses.

[Up North]

Originally Posted by DownHome

I've been lurking on here for quite a while. Lusting after every little Jersey heifer and cow I see I've wanted one ever since I was young and saw my first pair of long lashed eyes peering back at me from across the fence.

And now it so close to a possibility I can just barely stand it. We have 3 1/2 acres. I know that is not much. How much would we need to have fenced off for a cow and possibly a calf too? We would ultimately like them to be able to live off of the grass they are fenced in. If I could fence off an 1-1 1/2 acres how much hay would I need to supplement? I know all you cow experts out there will be able to help me on this one.

I'm pretty sure I can convince the boss that between the milk and butter and meat, the investment would be worth every penny. I figure we spend $1050 on milk a year, $260 for butter, and about $500 on beef.

Thanks all I look forward to your responses.

Your location in KS has much to do with how much hay you will need to feed. If you draw a line on map from OK border up through Wichita and straight north, the farther west of this line you are the more days per year you will have to feed hay. The farther east of this line you are the fewer days of year you will have to feed hay. Roughly a 50 pound small square bale will feed cow for one day.
So if you feed hay for 180 days you need 180 bales X 50 pounds @ = 9,000 pounds or 4.5 tons of hay per year. More or less depending on location, localized droughts or rainfall.

[DownHome]

How many pounds do the large round bales weigh? and on 1 1/2 acres would the cow eat it to the ground in a short time or would it be able to feed off of it until winter. We are right on that line neither east nor west. Would we still have to supplement with quite a bit of hay or feed in the summer?

I spoke to the boss last night and HE'S CHECKING INTO FENCING FOR ME!!! I'm asking for a cow for my birthday and I can hardly wait!

What would you guys recommend. We are so new at this, I'm really not that comfortable with calving, so I would like a cow that is ready to milk or has her calf by her side. Preferrably some what family friendly because I'm sure she will be spoiled rotten and loved to pieces for many years. Does anyone have something like that in the Wichita area they are selling or do you know anyone who might?

thanks all for you help.

[Up North]

Originally Posted by DownHome

How many pounds do the large round bales weigh? and on 1 1/2 acres would the cow eat it to the ground in a short time or would it be able to feed off of it until winter. We are right on that line neither east nor west. Would we still have to supplement with quite a bit of hay or feed in the summer?

I spoke to the boss last night and HE'S CHECKING INTO FENCING FOR ME!!! I'm asking for a cow for my birthday and I can hardly wait!

What would you guys recommend. We are so new at this, I'm really not that comfortable with calving, so I would like a cow that is ready to milk or has her calf by her side. Preferrably some what family friendly because I'm sure she will be spoiled rotten and loved to pieces for many years. Does anyone have something like that in the Wichita area they are selling or do you know anyone who might?

thanks all for you help.

Large round bales vary in size. The 4X5 foot size weigh roughly 1,000 pounds or the equivalent of 20 - 50 pound small square bales. In reality you will get 19 small square bales of hay because of loss on the outer shell due to weathering . Some of the folks in your area prefer the 5X6 and 6X6 foot round bales, which can go roughly 1,500 pounds and up.
How much hay you supplement depends on what you do with your 1 1/2 acre. If you let cow wander all over it and eat at her leisure, there will not be enough feed when the dry, hot spells come in july and August. You could, however, achieve more days of grazing by doing one or both of the following: 1.) Build a good perimeter fence, then use a more inexpensive fence like one-wire electric or polytape and small posts to subdivide 1 1/2 acre into ( 3)1/2 acre parcels. Rotate cow thru these, allowing land to rest and regrow while cow is not on it. 2.) You could use a hose and a sprinkler to do small scale irrigation during the hot, dry months. Sounds extravagant at first glance, but I suspect the water and labor to move sprinkler would be lower cost than buying additional hay, and could be done on a small parcel as you describe. Whether this will work or not depends somewhat on the grass species on the land.

What you have not said is what is growing on the 1 1/2 acre at present? Is it native prairie hay or Bermuda or other?

There is not an abundance of dairy cows in your area, but there are a few herds. There are some dairy herds around Hutchinson area. may take some persistence to find just the right cow, but it can be done. Good Luck.

[DownHome]

Thank you upnorth for your input. Those are all great ideas and real possibilities. Watering parts of it would be fairly easy. Rotational grazing may be a possibility too, especially if we can get the deal on fencing we found.

About 1/3 of it is nicely treed. It remains shaded at all times and is always moister and cooler in that area than in the rest of it. It is also closer to the water spigot, so I think we will probably feed and water at that location, so the water stays cooler for her in the summer.

It is mostly prairie grasses with clover and alfalfa mixed in here and there.

We measured last night for additional fencing. It sounds like we may be able to get all the field fence and more than we will need for about $50 for every 300'. Not too shabby. A friend of a friend kind of deal.

How long do calfs nurse? How long do they have to be off and on grain to butcher to taste right?

[Up North]

Originally Posted by DownHome

Thank you upnorth for your input. Those are all great ideas and real possibilities. Watering parts of it would be fairly easy. Rotational grazing may be a possibility too, especially if we can get the deal on fencing we found.

About 1/3 of it is nicely treed. It remains shaded at all times and is always moister and cooler in that area than in the rest of it. It is also closer to the water spigot, so I think we will probably feed and water at that location, so the water stays cooler for her in the summer.

It is mostly prairie grasses with clover and alfalfa mixed in here and there.

We measured last night for additional fencing. It sounds like we may be able to get all the field fence and more than we will need for about $50 for every 300'. Not too shabby. A friend of a friend kind of deal.

How long do calfs nurse? How long do they have to be off and on grain to butcher to taste right?

Good that you talk about this before fence is built! The most important pointer I can give you is to include some portion of those trees in each smaller area you lay out. This will provide shade in summer and shelter in winter. Do so even if it is inconvenient. Graze one area off, then move cow to new area, then put water to area just grazed and watch it grow!
Sounds like a good mix of plants. The clover will probably go dormant during hot summer, but it will feed cow during spring and fall as it is a cool-season plant. The Alfalfa has value as it has deep roots and is drought tolerant. The native grasses are good as they do not require special treatment or spraying for bugs to do their job.
Given the plant mix you have, you probably want to plan on feeding hay from Nov thru March 5-15, depending on conditions, etc. Always have a backup plan and be ready to feed hay during late summer flat spot, of course this will depend on how well you implement above strategies and the great unknown - Mother Nature, LOL.

A calf can nurse anywhere from 60 to 180 days, depending on your management decisions. Calf can be put on grain while they are still nursing if you choose. It really is personal preference on how long you grain before butchering. Some folks, us included, harvest steers fresh off grass with no grain atall. This will produce a lean beef with very little fat or marbling, but it is perfectly healthy to eat. So it really is a personal preference, having much to do with matching your expectations of what "good" beef are.

As I like to say: It's up to You!...

[sammyd]

I keep a Jersey Holstein cross on 1/2 acre in the summer. 1/6 is permanent pasture with a small shed and the water trough and only native grasses. The other 2/6 is cross fenced into halves and I rotate them.
I planted a clover/alfalfa mix on the 2/6s with my oats last year so the pasture quality is pretty good. She also gets a good shot of 14% dairy mix daily as well.
This only works in the summer though and I buy a lot of hay for about 6 months.
Last winter from Oct to May with the 2 yearlings and 2 just weaned and 2 goats I used 5 big squares and 1 big round of alfalfa hay just for the big girls. 100 bales of good 3rd crop and 60 bales of 1st crop timothy clover mix for the rest.

Last year I ran the JerseyX and another calf on a half acre and it lasted from May till Oct pretty well then I turned them on the new seeding to browse it down a bit before winter.

I also have 2 calves I tether around where ever I can. No fencing costs...and Jerseys are made for it I was told (mine on tether are Holsteins and adapted to it well).

If you're getting a Jersey for the milk use and butter you can wean the calf at 60 days if you have it on good hay and a grain starter as soon as it wants it. I feed it free choice from the day I get them and wean them at 50-60 days without any problems.