What do you all think of these cows??

allenslabs · #1 01/06/12, 09:51 PM

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/grd/2777946076.html

Trolling around craigslist and came across this ad. Texted the guy and he said that he didn't milk them last time and that he just let them raise their calves. I asked if they raised others as well but haven't heard back yet. He said they're not handled much and that he has never milk them. This will be their second calving. He said $800 for the bred cows which are dry and due towards the beginning of March. Not getting too antsy....just trolling around and looking. They do look cute though but man....not handled and never milked.
Just thinkin.....LOL!

willow_girl · #2 01/06/12, 10:17 PM

Wow, that's tough. $800 sounds a little on the high side for a cow of unknown history, not broke to milk. I'd probably go take a look anyway, and see if any make a strong impression.

6e · #3 01/06/12, 10:18 PM

Never handled and never milked.....if you're planning on milking by hand that could be a real fiasco. LOL Good price for bred cows though I suppose. I paid $1300 for mine, but she is harmless as a kitten and I can hand milk her, so I guess that's worth something.

I have learned there are times....especially when you're out of money.....that craigslist can be your worst enemy. LOL

allenslabs · #4 01/06/12, 10:24 PM

LOL! Very true! LOL! After paying the vet bill (and took Christmas Break off as I drive a school bus), I have still been able to hoard away only $700...but...I have a goat for sale LOL! And someone has spoke for a horse I have and I told them to go ahead and take him, just pay when possible (good friend of mine and I was just glad to see him go....he liked to play tag with the calves and he was always the one that was it LOL!). So...I am on my way to gathering enough to buy another cow! LOL!
Seems like the time I really want something....my money is ALWAYS my Achilles heel!! LOL!

Callieslamb · #5 01/06/12, 10:55 PM

I'd probably buy one, let her raise me a heifer that I'd handle a lot and milk the heifer. But if the mom settled down and was able to be milked mores the better.

willow_girl · #6 01/07/12, 01:01 AM

It really helps if you can sorta fall in love with a cow ... it gives you the patience to overlook any flaws she might have. It's hard to describe ... but if I went to look at a cow, and she seemed perfect, but I didn't have a 'feel' for her, I'd probably pass.

But then I trust my instincts a lot ... I fall in love with vehicles, too!

Cindy in KY · #7 01/07/12, 07:52 AM

If it was close enough to you to visit, I guess the test would be to see if you could put them in the barn and check them out. You would have to check the udders, to see if they are working on all 4. If you can not even touch their udders for a check, that wouldn't be too good. Is there a good test for dry cows, and their udders?

I didn't know you could just 'let' a Jersey raise one calf and not milk her without damaging the udders. But I don't know everything either.

There are a lot of cows on Craigslist, I have been scanning all the time too looking for bobby calves. A guy down here by me has a milking Jersey for sale, with a calf, for I think $900, can milk her. I think 5 or 6 years old. He sells a lot of bobby calves, Holstein and Jersey, and grown steers. Probably too far for you to go. 2 week old Jersey heifers are $225 down here, not a very good price.

Cindy in KY · #8 01/07/12, 08:10 AM

Jersey cow

The calf is worth $100, if he kept the bull calf, maybe come down on the price? And then you could save more money for some girl babies.

tinknal · #9 01/07/12, 09:20 AM

If I were to buy a cow like this I would handle her the same as I would an unbroke horse. I would halter and tie her the second she got home and keep her tied. This way you can handle her every day. Between you and the kids, by the time she calves she should be ready to milk.

allenslabs · #10 01/07/12, 09:28 AM

But with her being so close would it hurt the calf to stress her like that? And what are the odds of her udder being ok since she just raised her own calf? How could I tell on a cow I couldn't touch her udder?

allenslabs · #11 01/07/12, 09:32 AM

Here are these ones too....
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/grd/2771131560.html

I like the one on the bottom left.

tinknal · #12 01/07/12, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allenslabs

Here are these ones too....
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/grd/2771131560.html

I like the one on the bottom left.

If I were to buy one of these cows I would buy the youngest one, prices being so similar, unless you wanted the expected increased production of the Holstein/Swiss cross.

allenslabs · #13 01/07/12, 12:57 PM

Well, I found out those last ones were just dried up 2 weeks ago. Also, they are not bred back. He said he could come down some but....man. No milk and no expected baby. Not sure they would be worth it unless you were just wanting a pet for a year I guess.

tinknal · #14 01/07/12, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allenslabs

But with her being so close would it hurt the calf to stress her like that?

I would suppose it would depend on the disposition of the particular cow. If she were naturally a calm sort I wouldn't worry about it. If she is naturally wild you probably don't want her anyway. Even unbroke you could tell a lot about their nature by walking around in the pasture with them.

DaleK · #15 01/07/12, 05:14 PM

Jerseys dry and not bred back are called "culls", and they're barely worth the bullet to shoot them.

Allen W · #16 01/07/12, 06:21 PM

Dried up and not bred back I wouldn't pay much if any over cull cow price. He missed a good opertunity not selling them in milk.

allenslabs · #17 01/07/12, 09:40 PM

I know. Why would you dry them up and not even make sure they were bred back? Crazy.

Well, I went to look at the first ones. They were nice....but one was horned, thin and I would be surprised if bred back. Only because she was thinner and just didn't look bagged up at all. I guess she calved with a bull calf last year and the coyotes got it and she just dried up. The other two, one has horns that look as though there was an effort to get rid of them but the one curves in towards her forehead and the other is very small. She has good teats for milking it looks like. THey each were about 2" long. Cute bag. She was an odd color....almost mousy. She looked long bred. The last bred cow had no horns, had a nice looking bag and teats that looked as though they would be easy enough to milk. She was the a real light color....like a palomino and white horse. She looked long bred too. She was the low gal on totem pole but I couldn't get in with them because of their dang bull! They had them in the barn, which was nice. But he was a rank sucker. They had a water trough in there that he kept tossing around and wouldn't let the cows by the gate. They were nosing around and wanted to check me out but every time they'd try he'd toss em across the barn. So aggravating.
On the other hand...they were first $800 each. When I emailed it was $800 for the small one (the horned one that doesn't look bred) and $1000 for the other two. When I got there it was $800 for the smaller one and $900 for the other two and she said her husband was firm on the price. Oh and the 2 yearling heifers were horned and WILD! LOL! And the main problem...my dear boyfriend thought they were ugly. But he hated the bull which didn't help much of anything. So....gonna think on it. On and I wasn't sure if she was giving me a line or what but when I asked if they were firm on the price she said, "Oh yes. I think he is. I only say that because there is someone who is supposed to come tonight. Not sure if he was going to buy them all or not." Which by the way....they would take $4000 for the whole bunch. But that bull would never step off the trailer on my farm. He'd either go to the butcher straight away or to the stockyards immediately.

And she said they never milked them...they only let them raise their calves. I asked about mastitis and she said no, they never once had an udder problem. Only sickness they saw ever was the bull getting a sinus infection as a calf. And they had a nice place, beautiful really and these animals were well cared for. Cows looked boney in the hip but kinda like an average farm cow around these parts it seems. Not like I like them. LOL!

willow_girl · #18 01/07/12, 09:55 PM

Quote:

And she said they never milked them...they only let them raise their calves. I asked about mastitis and she said no, they never once had an udder problem.

If they weren't milking them, it's very likely they wouldn't know.

allenslabs · #19 01/07/12, 10:14 PM

That is what I was concerned about.

mozarkian · #20 01/08/12, 04:53 PM

You need to be able to feel the bags, I would think the farmer should be willing to separate that bull so that you could take a better look if he wanted to sell and wasn't hiding anything. I have looked at cows before that had a beautiful udder to look at, but when you felt of it, there would be large knots of scar tissue from past injury or mastitis that would have to interfere with production when they are in milk.