Reason to go from goats to cows?

[Bricore]

I have dairy goats but I am thinking about switching over to cows. Can you tell me the plus sides to owning a cow over goats (besides one cow will give me more milk then a couple of goats..lol..)

Thanks in advance,

Dora

[Cotton Picker]

Hi Dora....

I would say that for me.... Taste would be the deciding factor.... I prefer cow's milk to goat's milk for drinking... Both types of milk are conducive to cheese making.... As a matter of fact.... I do like chèvre soft cheeses....

A cow would require larger housing quarters than a goat... And although goats can be pesky.... Cows due to their larger size can tear stuff up a little more than goats can....

If you are hand milking... A cow will require more time spent on the milk stool... And if the faucets (Teats) are small and the teat sphincter is strong... You will be in for a fairly good workout.....

[BlackWillowFarm]

Yes, taste. And cream, butter, yogurt, cheese. Goats are harder to contain than a cow (at least my experience) and you have to milk more of them to get the same amount of milk. The milk is more forgiving if you don't chill it immediately and just tastes better. Plus you can share milk with a calf and raise beef for your freezer.

[Bricore]

Thank-you Cotton picker for your answer.

My husband doesn't care for goat milk either. I clean the udders, strain, and get it cold fast but he just doesn't care for it. That's the main reason why I am thinking about switching over really. I figure if I am going to be doing all this work with the goats I want everyone to like the milk.

Do cows need baking soda like goats? Do they have a high requirment for copper as well? Do you need to keep an anti-toxin on hand for them too? Seems like they'd be easier to fence in then my goats (I see cows in 4 and 5 strand barb wire every where..)

Would you say cows are higher maintenance then goats (in general?) If, not I might look into it. If, they are I better stick with goats (they keep me busy enough) and just buy my husband his milk from the store.

I know I should just go buy a cow 101 book but I thought I'd ask you here first.

Thanks again,

Dora

[topside1]

Dora, your chore load will instantly decrease. As you may know, it takes roughly six goats to equal the milk production of one small cow. On the flip side if one of your goats dies, well it's not the end of raw milk. If one cow dies and you only have one, you are out big-time for a long-time. I have a small herd of dairy goats and dairy cows, each have their place. Goats browse, cows graze, good luck with your decision..Topside

[Bricore]

Originally Posted by BlackWillowFarm

Yes, taste. And cream, butter, yogurt, cheese. Goats are harder to contain than a cow (at least my experience) and you have to milk more of them to get the same amount of milk. The milk is more forgiving if you don't chill it immediately and just tastes better. Plus you can share milk with a calf and raise beef for your freezer.

BlackWillowFarm,
I love cheese and butter. It takes me forever to save cream from my goats milk to make butter.
What would you say an average price range would be for a backyard milker? I just mean something healthy but maybe not show ring ready (I know it could be a big price range because of papers, bloodlines and all of that. Just average ball park price is what I am talking.)

Thank-you,

Dora

[topside1]

I challenge anyone to a taste test. Quick chilled goats milk is as good if not better than cows milk. If milk chilling practices are not adhered to then yes the milk will have a foul taste....Love goats milk, the challenge is on, you just need to bring the cookies..Topside

[Bricore]

Originally Posted by topside1

Dora, your chore load will instantly decrease. As you may know, it takes roughly six goats to equal the milk production of one small cow. On the flip side if one of your goats dies, well it's not the end of raw milk. If one cow dies and you only have one, you are out big-time for a long-time. I have a small herd of dairy goats and dairy cows, each have their place. Goats browse, cows graze, good luck with your decision..Topside

Topside,
Would you say cows are easier or harder to care for then goats? I noticed you said the work load would be less but are they "hardier" then goats (in general of course.)

Dora

[BlackWillowFarm]

Originally Posted by topside1

I challenge anyone to a taste test. Quick chilled goats milk is as good if not better than cows milk. If milk chilling practices are not adhered to then yes the milk will have a foul taste....Love goats milk, the challenge is on, you just need to bring the cookies..Topside

When I made the decision to switch to raw milk, we did a blind taste test.
I had three jars lined up. One of raw cow milk, one of raw goat milk and one of store bought cow milk.

Everyone took a turn. You had to wear a blindfold because you could see the difference in the milks. The goats milk was the whitest! Anyway, the winners in order were....
#1) Raw cow #2) Raw Goat #3) Store milk

I kept buying raw cow and goats milk because the tastes were so similar. The turning point for me was the day I poured goats milk on my cereal and in my coffee. It wasn't ice cold anymore and blech! I couldn't finish my cereal and I had to get a fresh cup of coffee.

I like cows milk cold or warm, tastes good to me either way. So, IMO, cows milk is better because it's more versatile.

[topside1]

Dora, cows are easier to keep hands down...I'm not a dairy, just a fellow who enjoy raising livestock....Well most of the time I do!!!!!. Raising dairy calves to weaning age is my favorite challenge, very rewarding seeing them leave with new owners....Topside

[topside1]

Much more hardy than goats, rain, snow no big deal to cows....Cows are better eaters than goats...less waste.

[BlackWillowFarm]

Originally Posted by Bricore

BlackWillowFarm,
I love cheese and butter. It takes me forever to save cream from my goats milk to make butter.
What would you say an average price range would be for a backyard milker? I just mean something healthy but maybe not show ring ready (I know it could be a big price range because of papers, bloodlines and all of that. Just average ball park price is what I am talking.)

Thank-you,

Dora

Dora, it's going to depend a lot on where you live. I think you could find something for between $500 - $1000. I found my cow at a dairy. Maybe you could check around in your area to see if they are selling any cows?

The dairy where my cow came from is selling yearling heifers for around $900 today.

[Cotton Picker]

Originally Posted by Bricore

Thank-you Cotton picker for your answer.

You are most welcome Dora....

Originally Posted by Bricore

Do cows need baking soda like goats? Do they have a high requirment for copper as well? Do you need to keep an anti-toxin on hand for them too? Seems like they'd be easier to fence in then my goats (I see cows in 4 and 5 strand barb wire every where..)

I would say that if the cow was on a forage based diet... Rather than concetrate or ensilage... Baking soda would not be required... The action of chewing her cud adds the natural buffers in the saliva to the rumen..

As for trace minerals.... You can put out a Trace mineralized salt block.... Or loose free choice mineral in a weatherproof trough.

Not sure what you mean by anti-toxin..... If you mean Epinephrine for the treatment of Anaphylactic shock... I would say that cattle run about the same risk of occurance as goats would.....

Dairy cattle are fairly docile.... Like draft horses... it is a prefered trait that is often a part of the selective breeding process... Cows.. If not harrassed i.e. by dogs, coyotes, etc.... Will often stay behind a single or double strand electric fence.

Originally Posted by Bricore

Would you say cows are higher maintenance then goats (in general?) If, not I might look into it. If, they are I better stick with goats (they keep me busy enough) and just buy my husband his milk from the store.

Not in my experience... Cows are usually content to find a shady spot in the summertime... And much like Ferdinand the Bull... will just lay there chewing their cud and smelling the flowers.... Conversely... most goats that I have been acquainted with behave like a ten year old kid (Human that is)... With a big time sugar buzz....

Originally Posted by Bricore

I know I should just go buy a cow 101 book but I thought I'd ask you here first.

While I'm glad to be of help.... You could purchase... The Family Cow...

http://www.amazon.com/Family-Cow-Gar.../dp/0882660667

I personally have not read it... However... It's not that expensive.... And might be a good informative read for one just starting out in the bovine dairy business...

[Karin L]

In my experience with cattle an anti toxin was never needed to be on hand. Cows tend to "know" when they've eaten enough mineral, and won't over indulge themselves as, from what I figger, goats would do. It's a little different if the cows' on pasture and they get Grass Tetany or Nitrate Toxicity. That's not from directly eating the mineral, but from the time of year and the amount of nutrients are in the forage. If you've got a good handle on your pasture management--soil testing and all that--these anti-quality factors I mentioned shouldn't be much of a worry.

Cows I don't think have as much of a high requirement for copper as goats, at least from what I remember foggily from Animal Nutrition class a while ago...just so long as they get their trace minerals, which includes copper, selenium, cobalt, iodine, iron, etc. they should be fine. Selenium requirements also vary with location; up here selenium is deficient in our soils so it has to be supplemented to cows and bulls on a regular basis. Where you are you may not have to worry about it so much, but it doesn't hurt to find out. Cows definately don't need baking soda either...Cotton already explained that well enough for you.

Cows are hardier than goats, at least from what I've been reading, and just need food in front of them, and a shelter to run to in case the weather gets too much for them.

As for books, if you scroll down a little bit on the web Cotton posted there's a whole pile more to look at in addition to the one CP suggested.


Just my two bits worth.

[LamiPub]

I am in a similar dilema (well once I get over the hurdle of dh letting me have any dairy animal). I want butter and cream so thinking more of a small cow....dh can milk a cow, grew up doing it. I am more comfortable with goats because they are smaller and I can handle them on my own. I like the idea of having a dairy cow because she would give us beef to raise but worry about getting a dairy cow bred because I don't want a full time bull around.

They both need water, pasture, hay, fencing and shelter so I don't see that as being much of a deciding factor for us.

[sammyd]

Easier to fence in or tether around. Cows can be kept behind a single strand of hot wire.
We have had good success with tethering out during the day. They really clean up an area and after a summer of leading them in and out they ecome quite tame.

More poop. May be a nuisance at stall cleaning time but I do like the large amounts of fertilizer I get from our cows.

Taste has never been an issue for most of our family. we do have one son who will not drink goat milk if he knows what it is. If you put it in a jug from the store he will drink it until the jug gets so old the label falls off and he realizes......

Cows may be easier to find in some areas.

Local vets will usually know how to fix a cow, goat knowledge seems to be hit and miss.

With the proper setup getting a cow bred does not involve you handling a bull at all. You should have a decent stall to restrain her. I think a big reason a lot of one cow folks get the brush off from inseminators is that there is probably doubt about their facilities.
I have bred more than a few animals and would not care to chase after a heifer to try to get her bred if my schedule was full all ready.

[francismilker]

I personally think the ultimate is to have one jersey milker and a couple of nubian milkers together. As topside1 mentioned above, goats browse and cows graze. For the homesteader, the goats and cows together make for cleaning up a small paddock well. If you don't personally care for goat's milk, you can leave the kids on the goats and only use their milk for personal consumption if you have cow problems.

[HomersGoatLady]

Why not keep both? We had goats for years before adding the family cow to our homestead. I wouldn't trade my cow for the world. She keeps us in milk while the goats are dry in the winter and all through kidding season. And about the time we get all the kids weaned, its time to dry the cow off for calving, so the goats keep us in milk for a while. We are never without milk.

She gives us a calf every year to sell or butcher. She gives us the most wonderful cream you could ever hope for. Its so much easier to just skim the cream off cows milk rather than having to use the separator for the goats milk. We freeze lots and lots of butter for use while the cow is dry. She keeps us in cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, ice cream, and any other dairy product you can imagine. She is the heart of the homestead and a member of the family.

Having said all that about my wonderful cow, I wouldn't be without a dairy goat or two either.


HomerGoatLady

[copperhead46]

I have both, in fact, I just bought myself a beautifull Jersey cow. I think cows win hands down in the ease of keeping area. I also like the milk a lot better, plus all the extras that come with it. I have goats now, but I just keep them for containing some of the brush around here. they go through my fence like it wasn't even there, luckily the surrounding land is open for them so they browse it. My cows, (Dexters) are so easy on fences, they will stay behind any kind of fence. If I could only have one, it would have to be the cow, but I love my goats too.
P.J.

[LamiPub]

I am going to ask a dumb question here...please go easy on me. Can you keep a milk cow with a gelding horse or would that be a problem? I was thinking goats would make a good companion for the horse but don't know if cows and horses can go together.