Found our family milk cow, but...

Oatbran · #1 02/13/10, 05:50 PM

she's 10 years old. Is it still worth it?

We've been looking for a family milk cow for some time. Our criteria were: polled/no horns, good-natured, small sized, in milk now or soon, and trained to milk. As you may expect, it hasn't been easy to find one that meets our desires. Most folks have bred heifers for sale; rarely do they have trained milkers - we certainly haven't found many.

The one that we have found is a 10 years old Dexter. She has a 5 month old bull calf that would come with her. And she is due to be bred again in the next few weeks. The price has come down from $2000, to $1200, to finally $1000.

I figure we'll have maybe 2-3 chances to get a heifer from her as her replacement. And $1000 for a milker with a calf seems like a tempting deal. What do you think?

cowkeeper · #2 02/13/10, 06:15 PM

Why is she being sold? She may have many good years in her, but I would ask why, if her calf is already 5 months old, she has not been bred back sooner. Has she been running with a bull since calving? She may be becoming a problem breeder.ck

topside1 · #3 02/13/10, 06:36 PM

I think you need to buy two quality goats in milk or bred...If milk is your goal well buying two goats would be economically quicker...I'd sell a stand ready young milk goat in milk for $200-250 each....No waiting or wondering...I have cows too, but if milk is your goal this makes more sense to me. 10 years old? sounds to old to me......Topside.

Oatbran · #4 02/13/10, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowkeeper

Why is she being sold? She may have many good years in her, but I would ask why, if her calf is already 5 months old, she has not been bred back sooner. Has she been running with a bull since calving? She may be becoming a problem breeder.ck

She hasn't been running with a bull. They don't currently have a bull but have one brought in for breeding. They are buying a bull soon, and my impression from talking with them was that they were selling her to test the market for trained milkers and to make room for the bull. But you're right, I should ask them directly.

DJ in WA · #5 02/13/10, 09:04 PM

Personally, I think a bred heifer would be less risk. More problems like mastitis with increasing age. I was hoping to get ten years out of my cow, since they only last to age 5 or 6 on many dairies.

Like cowkeeper said, lack of pregnancy sounds fishy. Why haven't they gotten a bull before now? Most want to have a calf yearly, meaning getting bred by 3 months after calving.

I guess sometimes you just have to jump in and do something. Good luck.

darbyfamily · #6 02/13/10, 09:18 PM

Has she been milked before? you mentioned that was one of your requirements but not whether or not she's being milked now. We bought a Dexter with a calf that was in milk and bred back... we tried to milk her but never did have much luck and after she freshened her udder was so full she wouldn't let us near her.

10 yrs isn't ridiculously old for a Dexter.

Also, we just bought a registered Dexter cow, bred to a jersey bull, 2 yrs old, for $500 today, so maybe its your part of the country? or maybe we just found a really good deal? but $1000 seems high to me.

springvalley · #7 02/13/10, 09:32 PM

The age of the cow doesn`t bother me near as much as her not bred back yet. Is she still milking? I hope so, does she have mastitis? check her udder, is it soft and normal. Or is it hard ,full of lumps, hot? How does she look? Thin, lots of ribs? Or is she good with flesh and bright eyed. I have a few older cows and they are fine if healthy, I have three generations from one cow. And she is a fantastic mother, can`t wait for her to calve next month. And cows on the mega dairies only last about two to three years on a whole. What a shame isn`t it? I hate to get rid of cows, they become much like family around here. So it`s kinda like getting rid of family. So my opinion would be look her over, check her udder, see if she gets bred, see if she likes you, then offer them 800 if she breeds. Thanks marc

Oatbran · #8 02/13/10, 09:49 PM

I think she looks really good - a bit fat, if anything, to my untrained eye. She doesn't have mastitis, and we watched her being milked and drank some of her milk when we visited their farm. They said last year or the year before she did have a swollen quarter, but that it wasn't hot to the touch. Her calf was on her and it cleared up on its own.

I know very little about cow prices or buying cows for that matter - this is our first time. In the looking we've done, the majority of the bred Dexter heifers seemed to be priced at $1400 and up, so $1000 seemed like an OK deal.

Laura · #9 02/14/10, 02:58 AM

Oatbran, the prices you're quoting is what we're seeing in our part of the state, too, so I think it's a fair price if you like the cow. A couple of years ago, the cheapest decent dairy cow you could find was $1,200.

We're getting a 6 year old jersey for $1,000, she comes home Wednesday. Her current owners are keeping her heifer. We're giving them milk until the heifer calves in a few months in exchange for the milking machine.

You could maybe find cheaper at the sale barn, but you don't know what problems you're getting.

haypoint · #10 02/14/10, 04:56 AM

I think the price is right. A couple things to ponder.

A cow that after 5 months milking that is fat, might not be giving much milk. Can you watch a milking and see how much she's putting out?

Can you agree to buy,pending a pregnacy test? They can get her bred, Vet check to be sure she's bred. If she won't produce a calf, this is her last milking and you are out of the milk business.

Laura, are you saying that you'll be milking a Jersey that has been milked steady for a year and a half? If she started milking when her calf was born, which is normal, and her heifer is now grown, bred and due in a few months, then this lactation has been nearly double the normal 305 days.

If what I'm getting from what you wrote is correct, you are in risk of the same problem I just cautioned Oatbran about. If your cow can't conceive, that explains the long lactation, but spells doom for your milking plans.

Cliff · #11 02/14/10, 07:41 AM

A dexter cow can reproduce and give you milk into her 20's if healthy.

linn · #12 02/14/10, 07:59 AM

I think that is a lot of money for a ten-year-old unbred cow. I would look around a bit longer until you can find a younger cow that is in calf.

sammyd · #13 02/14/10, 08:14 AM

you're basically getting a 400 dollar cow. An old one that isn't bred back would be considered a cull. Offer 50 cent a pound or look elsewhere. They wouldn't keep dropping the price if it was a decent cow.

cathleenc · #14 02/14/10, 08:45 AM

I was quoted the exact same price for a 10 yr old registered polled dexter from milk lines. Cow was located in central minnesota, accustomed to hand milking, and suitable temperment for a family cow. I was also quoted the 18-20 yr productive lifespan for a dexter cow.

We ended up going with a naturally small jersey-guernsey in milk - but that dexter cow was the only dex from milking lines for under $1200 that I was able to find hereabouts. Dexters seem to be priced quite differently than traditional dairy cows.

tinknal · #15 02/14/10, 10:30 AM

I would wait until you get confirmation that she is bred back. You might even offer to pay the price for AI and then wait a month to make sure she doesn't cycle again.

Laura · #16 02/14/10, 03:32 PM

Our jersey is bred to a highland and due to calve around June.

Oatbran · #17 02/22/10, 04:50 PM

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

When I asked, they said they are selling her to make room for a bull that they want to bring on full time. They are currently at the capacity of their land. They are also considering selling an additional heifer as well for the same reason.

They brought in a bull this weekend, so we put a deposit down and arranged for her to stay there for 2 months to be bred. Hopefully, it's successful. Anybody know of an easy way to see if she takes? I guess that makes for a Dec. or Jan. calf -- not ideal, but not the end of the world.

I hope I haven't hung ourselves out to dry if she doesn't breed back. I suppose worst case scenario, we'll take milk while we can, and then use her and her calf for meat.

Wish us luck!

francismilker · #18 02/22/10, 05:47 PM

If she doesn't breed back maybe you can get your deposit back. I'm not familiar with Dexter pricing so I'd not want to jump out on a limb and discount anyone's cattle. However, if she was a conventional dairy cow I'd say that's a little on the steep side.

If she's healthy with good teeth she ought to live in to her teens producing milk and calves. Good luck on your new venture.

DJ in WA · #19 02/22/10, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cliff

A dexter cow can reproduce and give you milk into her 20's if healthy.

I would emphasize the "if".

The odds of health problems increase with age.

I thought I was foolish for paying $1500 for a heifer I liked, but when compared to a ten year old cow for $1000, it seems pretty good. Essentially getting eight years of the most trouble-free production for an extra $500, or about $60+ dollars a year, or $5 per month.

So I'd rather pay more up front, though nothing is guaranteed.

On the other hand, if you pay $1000 and before she dies on you, get a couple heifers out of her worth $1500 a piece, plus milk, you're doing okay.

Sometimes you don't have all the options as others, so do what you like. Only you know your situation. And I generally learn the most by doing it wrong.