Guernseys?

[Cheribelle]

Partner thinks we need a Guernsey milk cow..... Not very many around here, and I've never been around them. Any practical experience?

[birdman1]

Guenseys are a good family cow they produce richer milk than a hosteen but less than a jersey they are about the same size as a jersey or a little bigger they supposedly produce a whiteer cream thus a less yellow butter .I personly like the color patern the main thing that gurnseys usally have good utter and hand sized teat for milking .always check for this option on any home milker to small and they are a slow pain to hand milk.don't buy a car for the paint job . Make sure any home milker has a calm kind personality and is safe to milk . the gernsy has a dairy type of body some dairy breeds produce a beefer type calf ie.brown swis or milking shorthorn . Agian for a home milk cow the main thing is safety they are all big make sure they are broke and calm

[CarolT]

I would have thought with the beta carotene binding to the fat and making the milk more golden, the butter would be more yellow?

Regardless, they are supposed to be good milk cows and their milk better for you due to the beta carotene. If you can find one to raise from a calf and train to your liking, you'll be better able to judge her temperament

[loislanefl]

Originally Posted by birdman1

Guenseys are a good family cow they produce richer milk than a hosteen but less than a jersey they are about the same size as a jersey or a little bigger they supposedly produce a whiteer cream thus a less yellow butter .I personly like the color patern the main thing that gurnseys usally have good utter and hand sized teat for milking .always check for this option on any home milker to small and they are a slow pain to hand milk.don't buy a car for the paint job . Make sure any home milker has a calm kind personality and is safe to milk . the gernsy has a dairy type of body some dairy breeds produce a beefer type calf ie.brown swis or milking shorthorn . Agian for a home milk cow the main thing is safety they are all big make sure they are broke and calm

Guernseys actually produce the most yellow cream of any of the dairy breeds due to the fact that they do not utilize the beta carotene and it goes into the milk. This gives the milk the famous "Golden Guernsey" color. The more green grass they eat (thus the more beta carotene), the more golden the cream/milk/butter. In the winter it is pretty similar to my Jersey since they are all just eating hay.

Our Guernseys are docile and have sweet delicious milk with similar cream to our Jersey, not quite as thick but more of it. We do not have a huge Guernsey but she is much bigger than our Jersey, actually about the same size as our Ayrshire (although the Ayrshire is a bit on the smaller than usual size). Certainly she is way smaller than our Brown Swiss was though.

They are awesome cows if you can find one! Well worth looking for.

[Cindy in KY]

We used to have a Guernsey that came off a Dairy. She gave 7 gallons a day. She was huge, tall. And I guess because of the way the Dairy worked, she never was halter broke and did not want the halter on her. We could not get one on her. She ate a ton of food because she was so big, and she pooped a very large amount all the time too. Every time she came in to be milked, she would poop and poop and poop. Gah. I used to say "I never worked so hard for a glass of milk in my life"

She would stand to be milked as long as she was eating. So we had to milk her in a milk stall. She raised calves good.

I wanted the Jersey because of the much smaller size. Smaller eats less and it's so much easier to be around and clean up after. Our Jersey's stall is easy to clean now. Our Jersey was halter broke before she came here and was tame. Makes a BIG difference.

Guernseys are beautiful and the milk and cream is fantastic. A smaller, compact version for the family cow would be wonderful. Remember, very large cows make very large cow piles.

[Karen in Alabam]

I just started milking Sissy-- she is a Jersey/Guernsey--not sure of the percentages.

She is my largest cow. Her milk is definitely more yellow.

She likes to poop too. My Yo (Jersey) never poops in the barn--but Sissy pooped twice today. Its a good day when I get her out before she poops.

[southerngurl]

The pooping in the barn drives me nuts. Elsie and I finally have it worked out. If I make sure everything goes smooth and quiet and I put her out just as soon as she is done eating, she won't poo. The other day the barn door got opened a little and the horse put his head in. I made that "ank" noise and went and shut the door. That was all it took..

[piglady]

We have a guernsey and love her. Will never have anything else. We bought her as a bred heifer. She had her first calf 5 months ago (a precious cute little heifer) and we started teaching her to milk. We use an electric milker. It only took about a week for her to get the hang of it. She was halter trained but we haven't used it in forever because there is no need. She has an internal clock. She waits at the door of the barn, steps up into the stanchion, stands still and never kicks, stomps, etc. and when finished, she waits until she is given the order to back out. She stays in the barn to eat hay until we let her out. The husband has taught her not to pee or poop in the barn. If she forgets and starts, all he has to do is say something and she cuts it off and waits until she is out. We have plenty of grass so we feed her very little grain or hay so don't know if she eats more than other cows or not. I do know that she gives us 5 gallons of rich milk a day on grass and a small coffee can of feed each milking. I'm sure she would give more if we fed her but don't see the need. We have more milk than we need now. She is holding her condition good on grass too (we are in south texas where we have grass nearly all year). She is so loving and comes when called, has great ground manners, and gentle as a pup. I can't imagine what more a person would want in a milk cow. Plus I think they are beautiful!

[DJ in WA]

I was bothered by the pooping problem while milking until I got a 33 gal garbage can and put it back there after tying up the tail (make sure it can break away). Hard for the cowpies to splat up out of a tall garbage can. And then I'd just dump it out in a wheelbarrow to go to the compost.

I also kept her eating hay the whole time - if just grain and she finished, she'd dump her load. But she's going to dump, especially if she was laying down when I went to milk.

[Cindy in KY]

Oh that is funny DJ. And exactly how do you teach a cow not to pee or poop in the barn? That would be good to know for spring and summer time.

Jersey and her calf are locked in their big stall at night, and also when the days are just cold or rainy. The calf has already learned to go into his stall at night and we just have to shut his little door.

[Tad]

You guys make me smile, you hate it when they poop in the barn....I take two 250 bushel spreaders per day out of our barn!

[greengrow]

Originally Posted by Tad

You guys make me smile, you hate it when they poop in the barn....I take two 250 bushel spreaders per day out of our barn!

i was smiling too, when milking in a palour, you are Ok until the first one goes, then that tends to be it, the rest join in most of milking time.

[Tad]

Usually thats with "piddleing" as soon as liquid hits concrete every cow remembers she has a bladder too!