Dairy cow breed preference?

[adadriga]

I'm going to be getting my first dairy cow in the near future. I think I would prefer Jersey or Guernsey. What else should I consider for a family cow?

Thanks,
Mark

[tyusclan]

Either is fine for a family cow.

Ayrshires or Dexters can also make good family cows. The Dexters are a "dual-purpose" breed, and many people like them for family cows.

A dairy can be a good source for a family cow. Many cows will be perfectly healthy, with good udders and teats, but have production too low to be profitable for the dairy. Most will give around 1-2 gallons a day, and they're perfect cows for a family.

You want a cow with a healthy coat, clear eyes, a cool moist nose, and a nice tight udder with good-sized, evenly-spaced teats. You want a little rib and hip bone showing, but you don't want her to look frail and weak.

[Callieslamb]

A cross of jersey/holstein or jersey anything would most likely be a good cow.

[DJ in WA]

How much milk do you need? Milk comes at a cost. Not only more feed to make it, but there are problems associated with higher production - mastitis, milk fever, ketosis, etc.

I prefer a jersey/beef cross to avoid high production, then breed to a beef bull for a beefy calf.

[francismilker]

If it's solely for home milk, I'd second DJ's motion of jersey crossed with beef. Unless you're at home a lot and are very energetic, it's a pain to deal with all that milk unless you can find someone to share with.

Someone above mentioned ayrshire. I'd second that motion as well. You can breed her to a beef bull and get a calf that's getting lots of milk. He/SHe would make great freezer beef every year.

[adadriga]

Thanks for the comments. I hope to get a cow with great butterfat content and be able to give a good amount of milk that would be a blessing. I want the products that milk can provide like butter, cheese, cream etc. I have people who want whatever they can get, so a lot of milk wouldn't be a problem. I plan on the land supporting me. I will be having chickens, vegetables, berries, grapes and whatever else I can come up with. Should be a great journey and education. It's good I like to read and learn. Being able to ask questions here and learn from the people who are doing what I want is great and inspiring.

Thanks,
Mark

[cathleenc]

I love that our jersey/guernsey has a super high butter fat, is 30% smaller than normal, and produces 3.5 gallons/day. She has a low somatic cell count (scc), breeds back easily, is from a tested closed disease-free organic herd, and even while being small (42" at hip) has successfully calved when bred to standard dairy breed bulls. She is gentle, curious, and has longer than average teats for hand milking.

when we were looking in early fall our criteria were:
health
size
cost
production
butterfat

as for the getting a cow with low production or a blind teat - it costs the same to feed and house one with limited production as it does one with full capabilities. If lots of milk is not a problem then get the production you can handle.

Size was really important to us - we tried out a jersey/holstein earlier this year, on loan from our dairy neighbor, and she was TOO big. Too much poo and urine, too much hand hauling of water, ... Reducing the height/weight by close to 40% in this example brought us a cow that fit our time/needs much better.

[adadriga]

Good points Cathleenc, I would like a good producer that fits the criteria you listed. On another note, I just started getting milk and cream from a Amish farm. They have beautiful guernsey girls. I'm enjoying a tall glass of milk as I type.

Thanks,
Mark

[Callieslamb]

You might also just look around and see what is available in your immediate area. There are some nice cows out there and they aren't as expensive as they were last year.

[DJ in WA]

CathleenC, I'm curious why your cow is only 42' tall. Is she bred from miniatures?

Yes, a high producer is most efficient, if you can use the milk. You just have to know more what you are doing to overcome the predisposition of high producers to problems. Read up on nutrition, milk fever, ketosis, mastitis. I was just reading the other day the correlation between high production and mastitis.

http://www.organic-vet.reading.ac.uk...st/control.htm

Milk yield

There is substantial evidence to suggest that high yields are linked to high mastitis levels (Grohn et al., 1990; Chassagne et al.,1998; Rajala and Grohn, 1998).

http://www.wcds.afns.ualberta.ca/Pro...s/Duffield.pdf

Ketosis occurs when more calories go into the milk than are being consumed.

Subclinical ketosis as a risk factor for subsequent disease occurrence has been linked with clinical ketosis, abomasal displacement, metritis, mastitis, and cystic ovarian disease…….
Impaired immune function either through reduced energy or by direct effects of ketones on white blood cells, are likely the reason for effects on infectious disease such as metritis and mastitis.

The risk for problems increases with age - higher risk of milk fever and mastitis as they get older.

[deineria]

I love our Jersey. Either would give enough and more than enough milk for your family, and the Jersey is smaller. They are just gorgeous! I am hooked

[adadriga]

I like both the jersey and guernsey. I've had milk products from both and there great. I just started getting milk from a Amish herd of guernsey's this past week. Both are gorgeous cows and I would be thrilled with either. I know very little about the other breeds, except what I've read. In time I'll ask the farmer I'm getting milk from right now. I've found out that there are several amish farms within easy driving distance, so I have high hopes of getting from one of them.

Mark

Mark

[Up North]

Since you have some nearby, a Guernsey would be a good cow to start off with. They are known to be extremely docile and easy to work with. DH's aunt milked a herd of Guernsey's. She was a tiny woman and had had polio when she was a child but was still able to handle her Guernsey's by herself.

[cathleenc]

Originally Posted by DJ in WA

CathleenC, I'm curious why your cow is only 42' tall. Is she bred from miniatures?

no, she is not. Her dam threw small calves that stayed small. Our cows sisters are all about the same size, no matter what bull/semen the original farmer used. Our cow's calves looked to be staying small too, the farmer who sold her said. She was sold off because she was sooooo much smaller than the holstein crosses he currently milks. She was strikingly short when in the milk line with the others!

[genebo]

The problem with crossing a dairy breed with a beef breed is that you never know whether you'll get a calf that's mostly dairy, mostly beef or halfway in between. A dual purpose breed will be much more reliable as to what you'll get.

I raise Dexters and have satisfied customers who brag on the quality of milk they get and the great beef they get, also.

I just sold three Dexter steers and got rave reviews on the beef.

Almost any Dexter cow can give you a gallon a day at a single milking and still have enough left to raise a nice beef calf for you. She won't eat you out of house and home, either. Her feed conversion rate is right up there at the top.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

[springvalley]

Well as you can guess I would vote for the Jersey. I realy love my Jersey`s, I have very little problems with them . And they respond well to good care. They are small, graze well, high butterfat,and just an all around good cow. Any good cow will work, I use to milk a holstein/ hereford cross and she would produce three gallons a day. So get what you want, just make sure she is a good cow, take someone with you that knows cows when you go looking. May cost you a pie as good will gesture to an old dairy cow neighbor if you have one. Thanks Marc

[Mark T]

I have an Ayrshire and am very pleased. She produces milk for the table and raises monstrous calves.

If I had to do it over again, I would get a Holstein. Here's why:

1) They don't have to be high producers - don't feed them grain and don't milk for eighty pounds a day and production will go down.

2) Holsteins generally have a lower butterfat %, but that is due to the high production watering down the percentage. If you keep their production low on just grass, they will have a higher percent (though never as high as a Jersey if that matters to you).

3) Calves will be bigger, which means you get more beef. If you don't need that much, sell half and use the price to pay for winter hay.

4) Greater milk production means you can leave the calf on all the time and still get a gallon of milk a day for the house.

5) Heifer calves have a ready market at dairies. The grain-fed dairies have such a quick turnover that people are always buying calves. Selling Guernsey or Jersey calves requires a bit more effort.

6) Availability of semen - you won't have to special order semen for your AI tech - he'll have Holstein in the tank.

7) If you decide to take a season off from daily milking, you can buy a couple Holstein bull calves and graft them on - your girl will raise three calves with her milk. That might unduly stress a smaller cow (My Ayrshire Bonnie raised 3 700 pounders at weaning last year but she got pretty thin doing it without grain).

As to the other breeds, I am only directly familiar with the Ayrshire. Some folks worry about temperment, and Ayrshires have a reputation for being, shall we say "active," but mine is a big calm puppy dog. I think the way you handle them has a huge impact on how they act - and a family milk cow is going to get a lot of attention.

Jersey and Guernsey owners are very pleased with their animals and many family milkers are devotees of those breeds. If you plan to sell meat, the Jerseys have yellow fat, so you will have to explain that to your customer (the meat still tastes the same).

I think Dexters are overhyped - most advocates seem to have Dexters for sale and their selling points seem weak to me. I'm not sure that there is anybody on the board who actually milks their own Dexter (please jump in if you do) - it's always "we don't milk but we know people who love to milk." The cost per pound of milk and beef produced is higher.

[danielsumner]

I'm considering getting a Braunvieh or Simmental cow. In the US they are considered beef breeds. In Europe they are a Dual Purpose cow. They give high butterfat, but with much lower production. I don't want a whole lot of milk like a Jersey gives. Its too much to deal with. Any calves can be marketed easily. Any time I have brought this topic up on the forums, I get slammed by some people. You should see some of the responses, but mainly the PM's they were wild. It was as if I cut some Jersey People to the core. They couldn't understand why I only want a couple of gallons or less milk a day. The responses ranged from ME just wanting to waste money feeding a Beef cow for milk, to get a G**D** Goat. You wouldn't think that asking a simple question on a open forum would cause some to flame out on you. Homesteaders have been milking whatever cow that is available for hundreds of years.

Daniel

[adadriga]

I've read that guernsey's tend to have a higher price tag, because of availability. I do see a lot more jersey, dexter, holstein , and crosses of different breeds for sale. What would be a good price for a good guernsey.

Mark

[Cliff]

Originally Posted by danielsumner

I'm considering getting a Braunvieh or Simmental cow. In the US they are considered beef breeds. In Europe they are a Dual Purpose cow. They give high butterfat, but with much lower production. I don't want a whole lot of milk like a Jersey gives. Its too much to deal with. Any calves can be marketed easily. Any time I have brought this topic up on the forums, I get slammed by some people. You should see some of the responses, but mainly the PM's they were wild. It was as if I cut some Jersey People to the core. They couldn't understand why I only want a couple of gallons or less milk a day. The responses ranged from ME just wanting to waste money feeding a Beef cow for milk, to get a G**D** Goat. You wouldn't think that asking a simple question on a open forum would cause some to flame out on you. Homesteaders have been milking whatever cow that is available for hundreds of years.

Daniel

Yep people sure are funny. Anything they have has got to be the best.
For your situation I'd consider a Dexter. Way less feed than the big guys, high butterfat wonderful milk in moderate amounts and some of the best beef you can get.