Milk Cow

Firethorn · #1 07/21/08, 04:16 PM

I now this has been asked before but I need to ask it again.
If Im looking for a milk cow. What would be best? I was going to buy a X a few weeks ago and the advice of someone here saved me heartache and $$$.
It got me to wondering. Maybe I want to be more literal in my search for the RIGHT cow for our needs.
I will be getting Highlands for raising and I want to milk a couple of them. BUT to start I want a good milker. But I dont want a huge cow. I will have a highland bull so whatever cow I get the offspring will be a X with that bull.
I dont hear to many good things about any of the "new" miniature breeds. I want something that is proven and easy to work with. That will provide all our milk needs for a nice huge family and any guests that come through. And

, wont eat us out of house and home through the winter.
When you give me your suggestions please include what I should expect to to need to feed them through the winter. A good hardy bread (like the highland) is preferred. No one knows what times will bring and I dont need a high maintenance cow in case things do get particularly difficult.

darbyfamily · #2 07/21/08, 05:00 PM

sounds like you probably need a Dexter

and I dont say that as easily as I used to... I love my Dexter, really I do, she is the best cow ever! But, I need a jersey. I have a big family and need lots of milk. My Dexter does not give me LOTS of milk, but she did give me enough for basic needs around here while I was milking her. Im anxious to see how much I get from milking her right from the start with this next lactation.

and I think Dexters cross well with Highlands.. and I KNOW they are easy to manage. We only give Spring a small amount of hay each day to supplement the grass she eats in the yard, but she's done very well on it.

matt_man · #3 07/21/08, 05:04 PM

Not all standard dairy breeds are giants and need a whole lot of grain to produce or to maintain good condition in winter. We own jerseys and don't feed grain at all to one and the other only gets 1.5lbs per day (she is harder to get to maintain her weight). Our two cows shared 1 bale to 1.5 bales of hay/day during the winter months, depending on how cold it was going to be in the overnight hours. (These are small square bales, around 60lbs). They also calve easy and breeding to a Highland should not be an issue.

Our girls are small also. One is smaller than our Dexter was and is 41" tall and the other is just 45" tall. The both produced 4 gallons/day at peak.

topside1 · #4 07/21/08, 05:51 PM

Rachel, do they produce 4 gallons of milk per day individually or combined?

matt_man · #5 07/21/08, 06:05 PM

Individually

JKB07 · #6 07/21/08, 06:54 PM

Im with Rachel, I own grass fed Jerseys and there is nothing easier to handle. They calveing statistics are better than any other breed. Darbyfamily mentioned a Dexter, but they wont give enough for a big family. A good mid-sized Jersey is what you need!

JKB

Firethorn · #7 07/21/08, 07:05 PM

Iv had people tell me that Jerseys eat three tons of hay a winter and as much as 4 if its a long winter.
Ive heard on miniature jerseys. Is that what you have?
And I have heard of a miniature brown swiss.
What are the opinions of these breeds?

topside1 · #8 07/21/08, 07:15 PM

Huge price tags is all I've heard.

topside1 · #9 07/21/08, 07:21 PM

Hay per winter is 7-10% per day based on animal's body weight...the percentage is dependant on where you live, temperature wise and how long the winter lasts. Rachael, great numbers for the gals being near grainless...Awesome,,,TJ

matt_man · #10 07/21/08, 07:42 PM

You can find a small Jersey that is not necessarily registered a "mini" but fits within the guidelines of being a mini. My 2 yr old would be a mini if she could be registered as such, my 5 yr old is mid-sized. Don't shop for "minis" just look for a standard jersey that is shorter.

We went through 150 smalls and 2 - 1000lb round bales last year to feed 2 full grown cows, two 6 to 9 month old growing bull calves, and a new heifer calf. There was a time frame in there when we had another full grown cow as well. We had to start feeding hay in October; the summer drought killed our grass growth and we didn't recover from it soon enough when it finally started raining again. We feed hay until first part of April.

Firethorn, the amount of hay you go through will depend on the cow, and your climate; 40lb a day should be a good estimate if you are trying to figure out how much hay usage you would have. We don't know where you are so don't know about how long you will need to feed hay. I would think that 2 tons should be sufficient.

Rachel

piglady · #11 07/22/08, 11:28 AM

We have two Jersey/Holstien cross cows that we bred to our registered highland and are due to calf in December. We are going to milk the cows so we will pull the calves off at 4 days old. If you can get to MO, and if we have a female, and if you want a female bottle baby that is 1/2 highland 1/4 jersey and 1/4 holstien, I will have one available.