is this a good idea?

hawkinsbunch · #1 06/04/08, 10:00 AM

I've been dreaming of having my own milk cow for quite some time. For various reasons, I've just never bitten the bullet and got one. Well, our neighbor has a full-blooded Jersey cow who has her first calf on her right now. The calf is about 2 mths old and is Jersey/Charolais (sp?) cross. She wants $1400 for both. This seems like a reasonable price to me, given the past prices we've seen.

She was bottle raised and is therefore gentle but has never been milked before. I have no experience with milking, other than milking the nieghbor's goats twice. I have a 3yr old and a 9 mth old that cannot walk and I would be here alone with them at milking time. Would getting a milk cow right now be biting off more than I could chew? Opinions, please.

Up North · #2 06/04/08, 10:18 AM

The price is fair enough for the pair. If you have never milked, and the first calf Jersey has never milked, it may or may not become an exasperating situation given your family situation at present. Might be safer to start with a cow trained for hand milking?

topside1 · #3 06/04/08, 10:26 AM

Hope you have plans for all the extra milk...it will accumulate quicker than you can imagine...Isn't the present owner milking her now? If not, that calf sure must have an appetite....You may only find a buy like this once, so think about all the pros and cons.

darbyfamily · #4 06/04/08, 12:02 PM

if you share milk with the calf, you'll be better off than milking twice a day, and if you get up early enough to milk, you can use a baby monitor to know when the kids are waking up.. and try to milk before they wake up :P

Or put a playpen in the milking area, carry the baby out and put him/her in to play while you milk

mommahen2four · #5 06/04/08, 12:33 PM

I'm exploring a milk cow because my youngest (and we're done) is 2 and I feel I can allow myself the extra and not worry about neglecting her! I struggled just to take care of the chickens last year with a toddler, and that's nothing compared to the committment with milking (based on my goat milking now). That sounds like an amazing deal, but I would be cautious about biting off more than you can chew with baby/toddler and milking an inexperienced animal. Good luck!

Maria · #6 06/04/08, 01:06 PM

If it was me, I wouldn't leave the two little ones unsupervised for that long each day. Sure, it would be nice to take them out with you on nice days, but you'd have to go milk in lousy weather, too.

planecrazyusa · #7 06/04/08, 05:00 PM

I have a 9 month old and he is a handful at chore time. He stands by the round pen pretty well during feeding, but for milking, I would have someone else watch him...I have trouble typing a sentence with him here, he is into everything and almost walking!! We keep the Jersey cow with 3 calves and only milk when we need it. You might try that option for the first year and then do more milking by hand. Then the only trouble is finding bottle calves, but I have not had a problem with that. Our Jersey came from a dairy and they put us on their list for calves, so we usually get a bull calf for $75. She raised 4 last year (she was a heifer) and it looks like we will get 5 or 6 this year. We are looking for the replacements now. This lifestyle is a great way to raise kids!! Good luck!!

matt_man · #8 06/05/08, 10:48 AM

You didn't say but I am assuming you are married????

You can milk around your husband's schedule; leaving the calf on 1/2 of the day. You can milk in the A.M. before he goes to work or in the evening after supper when he can be there to watch the babies. If you milk in the AM, separate momma and calf in the evening and let them back together after you milk in the morning. If you want to milk in the evening, separate them in the morning.

I have my 9 and 10 yr olds that sometimes watch the littles but mostly the 2 and 4yr olds watch a movie and the 4 month old is in her swing while I milk. The older kids have outside chores too.

Since she is a first time heifer and never been milked, I would get a kickstop. She won't be able to lift her leg to swat you. I would also be a bit concerned about the health of her udder if she is a big producer and not been milked in the last two months. Being that her calf is 1/2 beef, she might be alright if she is like my first calf jersey and giving 3.5 gallons/day.

She does sound like a good deal, I would probably go for it. BTW...is the calf a heifer or bull?

Rachel

hawkinsbunch · #9 06/05/08, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt_man

You didn't say but I am assuming you are married????

You can milk around your husband's schedule; leaving the calf on 1/2 of the day. You can milk in the A.M. before he goes to work or in the evening after supper when he can be there to watch the babies. If you milk in the AM, separate momma and calf in the evening and let them back together after you milk in the morning. If you want to milk in the evening, separate them in the morning.

I have my 9 and 10 yr olds that sometimes watch the littles but mostly the 2 and 4yr olds watch a movie and the 4 month old is in her swing while I milk. The older kids have outside chores too.

Since she is a first time heifer and never been milked, I would get a kickstop. She won't be able to lift her leg to swat you. I would also be a bit concerned about the health of her udder if she is a big producer and not been milked in the last two months. Being that her calf is 1/2 beef, she might be alright if she is like my first calf jersey and giving 3.5 gallons/day.

She does sound like a good deal, I would probably go for it. BTW...is the calf a heifer or bull?

Rachel

Good suggestions. I am married and will definitely consider milking at a time when DH is here. I'm also considering getting a kickstop. Someone else told me to use a glove attatched to a broomstick and rub it on her udder until she gets all the kicking out of her system. I'm gonna try that first since it's basically free. And, the calf is a bull. We're gonna make him a steer and put him in the freezer later.

matt_man · #10 06/05/08, 11:45 PM

Our first timer we got in March calved just 4 weeks after bringing her home. She was not used to people and still doesn't like my husband but the kickstop was great and fairly cheap. Less than 2 weeks later I stopped putting it on but I use it on our other cow who likes to shuffle her feet. I haven't gotten a bucket of milked tipped over on me since we got it.

I would much rather pay $15 for something like that than fight with and get hurt by her. And if she is gentle, you might not have too much trouble anyway.

Good Luck and let us know what you decide.

Rachel