Cow questions

[Pasohorsegal]

I would like to know the temperment of a Holstein cow and how long are they productive on a family farm situation?

[myersfarm]

ONLY CAN SAY ABOUT MY HOLSTEIN COWS...yours might be different...but they are gentle giants......will never push up against you like a jersey will....my jerseys are to gentle....they want to be rubbed and sometimes will step on your toes or just push you around with there neck wanting rubbed or a treat.....a holstien will just stand there looking for a treat.......my Holstiens are 7 years old still going great

[myersfarm]

now for the bad part my Holstiens give 15 gallons a day when first freshing.....and they stand at the feed bin all day long...were the jersey will eat and go lay down......the holstiens just seem to never get full....if you need that much milk and can afford the feed they are great.......but if you cut back on the feed they REALLY CUT BACK ON THE MILK

[sammyd]

as grass fed animals they do quite well. Had some better than 14 years old that still looked fine when they were sold to another farmer.
Didn't get 15 gallons a day from them but 8 or 9 was easy when fresh.

[Ronney]

Paso, I think Myers summed it up pretty well.

I've milked both Jersey and Friesian and I would go for the Jersey every time for the easy to handle, come when called house cow. But you want to know about Friesian. Yes, they make a good house cow but they are just, well, "there" for the most part. While there are exceptions to every rule, they are not overly endowed with personality. And yes, as Myers said, they produce the milk but they will eat you out of house and home to do so. You cut back on the feed and you cut back on production and often condition too.

As to productive life, all being well there is no reason as to why you shouldn't get 14, 15 even 16 years out of her. Unlike commercial dairy cows, the house cow shouldn't be doing the hard yards and would normally be on excellent grass or supplementary feed with a one-on-one daily interaction with her owner. Also most people with a house cow they care about tend to use vets more frequently therefore helping to keep their cow in good order.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[Pasohorsegal]

That is good news Guys, I read on the net they are only productive 4 or 5 years and I thought that is not worth the investment . They must have been talking about dairy cows . Couldent find much at all about temperment so thought I'd ask here! Thanks so much !

[VaFarmer]

And I thaught I had my jerseys overlly spoiled and you come along and say there all like that. Have 12 jersey steers and my best buddy does that all the time, the other day I was working on some fence and talking to the neighbor and butterscotch walked up behind my and plopped his forhead against my backside and peeked around me and waited for me to scratch behind his ears, then the other 11 thaught this looked good and moved in, the neighbor couldn't believe the groub was so tame, said he can bearly get a hand on his holstiens, and I pointed to my 3 holsteins standing 15 ft back and watching. Now he wants to buy a couple of the jerseys so the kids will have better pets The only regret is the big guy is going to the steak house, then our freezer in Jan, wanted to slaughter his buddy but he's just not putting on the weight like butterscotch.

Originally Posted by myersfarm

ONLY CAN SAY ABOUT MY HOLSTEIN COWS...yours might be different...but they are gentle giants......will never push up against you like a jersey will....my jerseys are to gentle....they want to be rubbed and sometimes will step on your toes or just push you around with there neck wanting rubbed or a treat.....a holstien will just stand there looking for a treat.......my Holstiens are 7 years old still going great

[Tad]

Every cow is differt but as a breed I would say a holstien was more even tempered than the jersey. Our jerseys aren't mean by any stretch but seem to want to squeeze you on every post and like to brush your hands away with there feet. My dad gets a chuckle when 6'3" of me is trying to put a machine on a little jersey and she is leaning at a 45' angle just so I have to stretch to reach the other side. As far as productive life that ranges too, some last a lactation or two, and we have one who will be 18 next aug and is on her 14th lactation.

[Pasohorsegal]

Wow this is the info and insite I was looking for, keep it comming ! Thanks Much

[willow_girl]

Personality-wise, Holsteins are all over the map. I would say about one cow in maybe 30 has a very outgoing personality and actually craves interaction with humans. (My Bitey is one; she will lick you to death! Even strangers!) The majority will be tolerant of human handling. A small percentage really don't like people and would prefer not to be messed with (unfortunately I have one of those, too!).

Herd dynamics are another issue; some cows seek to be dominant and can be bullies toward other members of the herd (got one of those, sigh), while others will hang in the back of the pen and wait their turn.

If possible, spend a little time getting to know the cow you're thinking about buying. It is normal for her to be wary of strangers.

The good news is that cows are creatures of habit, and most will adjust to their work and fall into a routine quickly. The same heifers that we fight like heck to get into the parlor for their first milking will be the first ones in line to go in 10 days later.

[Karin L]

Originally Posted by Pasohorsegal

That is good news Guys, I read on the net they are only productive 4 or 5 years and I thought that is not worth the investment . They must have been talking about dairy cows . Couldent find much at all about temperment so thought I'd ask here! Thanks so much !

Well that's a load of crap. The dairy farmer that we rent land to had a number of Holstein cows that were MUCH older than that. The oldest one he had put out to graze in our pastures was probably around 15 years old or more. Admittedly there were a few that were 4 to 5 years old that were put in the "cull pile" but they were still producing milk for the bull calves that were in with the cows. Heck I seen one cow that didn't look like she was producing much had FOUR calves on her suckling away.

From what I know about Holstein temperament, they can be all over the map, like someone said. I find some (if not most that I've come across) have a nervous temperament, and the heifers can be nervous to the point where they could take off running for the hills if something unfamiliar--sound, sight or otherwise--comes around to their neck of the woods. The cows are a bit more placid, but they still retain that nervousness.

[mozarkian]

Back in the early eighties, my first cow was a huge Holstien, aptly named Bossy. And she had a dark sense of humor-- everytime we would set down to milk her, she would look back to see who it was. If it was me, all was well and she would start eating and stand like a statue. If it was my husband she would stand perfectly still until he had about half a bucket of milk then she would pick up her foot and quickly step into the milk bucket. (Looking back, I think they were working together on this so that he got out of milking...)
Other than that she was an easy cow to keep, held her weight good, sound udder, good feet, reliable 7-8 gallons of milk a day. Her only other quirk was calving. She calved 7 times for us while we owned her and each time, once the feet were showing, she would come up to fence by the house and bawl until we went out and assisted her with her calf. I loved her like a child and if I had lots of land,I would have some more Holstiens, but in my situation Jerseys fit better.
What you read on the web was probably regarding the really large high production dairies that wear thier cows out in 3 or 4 lactations.

[scholtefamily]

Our holstein is very nervous. She is not overly friendly but will come when called especially if is she thinks you have something for her. She is also our bossiest cow. If we forget to open a new pasture, she will follow me all the way up to the house and moo at me until she gets what she wants. Our jersey's are very friendly, and very nosey, they have to check out everything and will push you around to be scratch.