jersey cows on craigslist? Look please.

[spurdie]

This will be our first milk cow. Do these look ok, I know you cant really tell much from pics. What are the questions I should ask? Any advice is greatly appreciated. After seeing spring valleys post these dont look like such a great deal. I have been watching the paper and about 1200-1500 for a milk cow seems to be the going rate.

http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/grd/1361513603.html

[Cheryl aka JM]

Hello Neighbor~ Alabama too I see! I hadn't seen the ad you just posted but I've been watching in the area too. I've been watching this fellows ads for a while now (it says "Jerseyville" but thats a gimick.......the area code for the phone number is in Macon Ga about 5 hours from me). This newest ad the prices are much lower than he's had before........and I may just be able to talk hubby into one of these............

http://nashville.craigslist.org/grd/1362143541.html

[spurdie]

Hello neighbor. Havnt seen the one in Macon. Thats a pretty long haul for us. We just bought or homestead and dont have a truck or trailer yet so we will be borrowing our neighbors, so we cant go too far. We lucked out and got the best neighbors in the world btw. Finding advice is difficult at best.

[Cheryl aka JM]

Here is a good place for advice. And a good place to review advice you get from your nieghbors. I'm new at this too~ bought my homestead two years ago this month. I lucked out too and got a few really great neighbors. Really nice people who want to help........but I've been learning over the last two years that while my neighbor is the nicest guy and really wants to give me good advice....not all of his advice IS GOOD. He just doesn't know all that much about some things and now I'm giving HIM advice on pest control and the NEED for minerals for his livestock. Here is a great place to review advice as you get more than one answer (usually)!

Good luck with your Homestead!

[BlackWillowFarm]

Find out if they're bred back. They don't look like they're in milk right now and I would want to know why not, unless they're both dry in preparation for calving in the next month or two.

Find out how much milk per day they are giving at peak and what kind of feed they get when in milk.

Ask about mastitis, ketosis and milk fever histories. Find out if they're vaccinated or tested for diseases in your state.

They look like really nice cows to me, but I would want them to be bred and in milk before I would buy them. I'm pretty new to cows, so I look for the best case scenario's to make my life easier when they come home.

The prices doesn't seem too bad either if they're bred and in milk.

[gone-a-milkin]

Spurdie, they look healthy enough in the pics. What you need to find out first is if they are BRED. Neither one appears to be in milk, from those photos. Cows that age should be either in milk and pregnant or dried up and VERY pregnant. If not, why not?

Cheryl, are you thinking of buying one of these cows in that ad? I didn't think any of those looked like a Guernsey...(be careful).

[spurdie]

http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/grd/1360678832.html

Thanks for your responses, Havent spoken with him yet, left message. I also found this 18 mo heifer. What is the thinking on an unproven heifer? Should I require her to be bred as well? Any other pros or cons to a heifer vs a cow?

[gone-a-milkin]

Heifers need some training to learn how to stand for milking. This has been my specialty lately, though not by hand, thankfully.

At 18 months, she really should be bred, IMO. Another thing to consider is WHY she has not been bred. Do you know about 'freemartins'? Also, if you buy a heifer and have her bred yourself (either AI or taken to a bull) you will be waiting a long time for her to make milk. It just depends on how long you want to wait and how much work you want to do.

If you dont mind waiting, you could consider getting a weaned heifer calf. There are usually more choices and they are generally less expensive.

[Cheryl aka JM]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

Cheryl, are you thinking of buying one of these cows in that ad? I didn't think any of those looked like a Guernsey...(be careful).

I'm always thinking about buying! But I'm currently TRYING to convince myself to just wait and my two little heifers will produce more milk and raise more calves than I'll need in two years. Patience is not a strong point of mine. I didn't think any looked like a guernsey either~ but the dark colored one looked like it could be a jersey/holstein cross so I thought maybe he put up pics of the 3/4 jersey and the jersey instead of the guernsey.

Spurdie~
I've learned in the last two years to ask an annoying amount of questions. Don't expect that the really nice guy who immediately offers you a sweet tea and invites you to his church is the nice honest man he sounds like. In fact~ those are the ones that rip you off first. Ask a LOT of questions. Ask STUPID questions (that way you know if HE knows the answer). Ask the same question a couple of times and see if you get the same answer every time. Ask WHY he's selling them. Then ask again later to see if you get the same answer. Ask all the questions everyone else told you to ask. Ask to see the other cows on his property. Ask how long he's had this cow. Ask if you can see her last calf. Ask what kind of minerals and supplements he uses........just ask everything you can think of and if there is something he's trying to hide he might slip up and let it out while your asking!

Good luck!

[gone-a-milkin]

Originally Posted by Cheryl aka JM

Hello Neighbor~ Alabama too I see! I hadn't seen the ad you just posted but I've been watching in the area too. I've been watching this fellows ads for a while now (it says "Jerseyville" but thats a gimick.......the area code for the phone number is in Macon Ga about 5 hours from me). This newest ad the prices are much lower than he's had before........and I may just be able to talk hubby into one of these............

http://nashville.craigslist.org/grd/1362143541.html

Cheryl,

I came back over here to give you my opinion on this guys ad. It looks to me like he went to the dairy auction and bought himself some cull cows and grafted some dairy bull calves on them. Now he is trying to double his money by reselling them.

Lots of people out here will buy a cull (sometimes shockingly little money) and get those calves for 10-25$ each. If you have the grass to support it, it is cheaper and less work than buying MR and bottlefeeding.

However, the "guernsey" is 2 titted. That is a clue. Do NOT buy a 2 titted cow. I would not hesitate to guess that the jersey and jerseyx both have issues (like chronic staph or breeding troubles).

Another notable clue is their ages. My experience is that what they generally call a "Five year old" only means they are "more than 4 years old". Often they are more like 7,8,9 years old.

Even the longhorn in the background is a clue. Probably was somebodies 'roping calf' that got big and went to the dairy auction where this guy picked it up for rock bottom.

Just my .02.

[Cheryl aka JM]

Thanks.....I NEED the help convincing me to be patient and wait. I really do appreciate your thoughts......cuz I'd bet your right.....he runs a lot of ads for several months now. Be patient Cheryl.....milk your goats and raise your heifers.......

[gone-a-milkin]

Originally Posted by Cheryl aka JM

Thanks.....I NEED the help convincing me to be patient and wait. I really do appreciate your thoughts......cuz I'd bet your right.....he runs a lot of ads for several months now. Be patient Cheryl.....milk your goats and raise your heifers.......

Cheryl, you have your plate pretty full already. Why add pain to punishment?? I mean, REALLY.

Those heifers are like money in the bank. Plus you are training them to be good girls later.

If you buy an older cow there is also a chance that you could bring in some bad bugs with it (not saying you have bad luck...lol.) Then your new little girls could get sick...

Patience is one of the primary teachings that cattle have to offer us.

[wwubben]

I would be very suspicious of these cows.

[Gercarson]

Originally Posted by spurdie

http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/grd/1360678832.html

Thanks for your responses, Havent spoken with him yet, left message. I also found this 18 mo heifer. What is the thinking on an unproven heifer? Should I require her to be bred as well? Any other pros or cons to a heifer vs a cow?

At least this one looks like a Jersey - the first two look like a lot of Brown Swiss in them. Ask a zillion questions.

[topside1]

I'd just like to add that some sellers will post photos of livestock that aren't even their's. They will find internet photos and attach them to their ad, close resemblence but not their livestock. Reponding to a long distant ad is costly so double check that the animal in the ad's photo is the same animal that is for sale...Buyer beware...Topside

[cjb]

I agree on the advice given. A family milk cow is a great find if you can get a good one. I clearly ended up with someone's cull and she has repeatedly contracted mastitis and lost two quarters. Treating her has burned up any savings I would have gotten if she was acquired at a discount (she was not).

If this is your first, find a good milk cow that has been trained to the stand, has freshened at least once or twice and is producing well, but not excessively well (too much strain on the udder).

Never buy a cow with history of mastitis or with any quarters that are non functioning. Don't trust the seller's word - get a vet check. You may end up paying $500 more than you would like to but could easily burn through that same $500 treating illnesses the first year. Also, milk production loss is costly. If my cow was fully functional, I could pay for her sale price in a few month's of milk sales.

[matt_man]

The two in the top of the nashville area add are too thin and the guernsey has a tilted udder and it is not attached well. I would pass on all three of those, especially since the guernsey is also only functioning out of two quarters.

The heifer is in good body condition, not too fat. There could be a lot of reasons why she isn't bred yet. Find out if she is having regular heat cycles and their reasons for not having her bred yet. It could be that they have no access to a bull or AI; or that they had planned on wanting her to calve a certain time of year and now plans have changed and they need to sell. Training a heifer to milk isn't that bad if she is even remotely friendly to begin with. If she if flighty, I would definitely pass.

The other two would be fine if they were bred back. They are in good condition and have nice frames. For their ages, their udders are still nice and high/tight. I agree that they appear to be dry at the moment. If they are dry and not bred back, I would be leary. It is possible that they took the pictures just after milking; but if I were selling, I would want to take a picture of a full udder, personally. If they are bred back and it can be confirmed I think that either would make a fine cow. I personally am in love with the cream colored one.

[spurdie]

It appears that all 3 the 2 cows and the heifer are from the same farm, all were bought 2 mo or so ago. Both people gave me a story about how they just figured they didnt need them or just had another heifer calf, etc. makes me a little leary. Why buy and then sell 2 month later unless for good profit. All were with bull when sold so is there a way to tell if it took after only 2 months? I think im gonna take my neighbor and go look at the heifer tonite.

[bruce2288]

Your vet can do an ultra-sound preg test that early.

[ozark_jewels]

Just a note on the "don't buy a two-teated cow" advice. Usually that would be sound advice but there are exceptions......
I have two two-teated cows that I bought from a related dairy(we have bought back and forth in the past, so our herds have some genetics in common and I know the owners well) last year. I trust the info given to me as to *why* they were two-teated.
The farm had serious fly issues when these girls were baby heifers('06), and due to that, half the heifers came fresh in '08 with 2 or 3 quarters only. In fact, one of their best looking heifers came fresh with all four quarters blind and had to be butchered. None of the heifers had mastitis issues when they freshened, just completely blind quarters. The two I bought had milked well and were bred back to a good bull. I got them for a reduced price due to the two-quarter issue.
They have since calved(both with heifers!), milked very well, bred back and are due to be dried off to calve again at the end of the year. I have 0 complaints with these girls. I am money ahead on them in fact.

So.......not all two-quartered or three-quartered cows are to be avoided.

But no, I would NOT buy a two-quartered cow from a guy I didn't know, advertising over the internet......especially if I was a
newbie at the whole cow thing.

My two two-teated wonders:



This girl has working left rear and right front quarters.



This girl has both working rear quarters.

No mastitis issues at all. And they give enough to keep in the herd. Later when we are freshening more heifers, I may decide to sell the second one as a home milker. But I'm very pleased with them.