Do dairy cows HAVE to be bred?

Reena10589 · #1 04/11/14, 07:55 AM

Good afternoon!

I am looking to borrow some of your personal experience and knowledge! Now, I know this might seem like a silly question, but after a dairy cow has had her first calf and is then lactating, does she HAVE to be bred every year after that?

My family is slowly starting our own self sufficient homestead, and we are contemplating adding a small family dairy cow. Now, based off of my knowledge of mammals and lactation, it is 'supply and demand' that determines milk flow - a 'use it or lose it' principle. So, if we obtained a middle aged dairy cow that was lactating, wouldn't she continue to produce milk so long as we were consistent in milking her? Would she have to calve every year in order to produce?

I am also aware that milk changes over time. That, in theory, if this approach was taken, the milk would change to meet the needs of an 'older calf'. That is the only logical conclusion that I can come to as to why you would want to breed her annually; that it would be a preference in the type of milk that is produced.

How far off is my thought process here?

Thank you!

kycrawler · #2 04/11/14, 09:29 AM

Some will milk through a little longer. But most. Owns will need to be bred and freshen every year

Patchouli · #3 04/11/14, 10:35 AM

Most cows won't keep producing for more than a year. The quality and quantity of the milk will drop too. There are a few rare ones that do keep producing but they are the exception not the rule.

Oakshire_Farm · #4 04/11/14, 03:03 PM

The other problem is the longer you wait to rebreed the harder it can be to get the cow to settle.

I have friend that bought a Jersey last year, she is due to calf next week, she was dried off 2 months ago..... She had been milking for close to 3 years! It was VERY hard to get her to settle. They tried to AI for 5 or 6 cycles, then tossed her out with a bull.

barnbilder · #5 04/11/14, 09:20 PM

We have milked goats for over three years, several for two years. I have heard of people doing it with cows. If you freshen them in the spring they will cut back in late winter. When the grass gets green and the days lengthen out they will pick back up. We test, so the records show that they come right back up near the original peak. Not every one of them will do this. If you breed them while they are still milking, you will have better luck. If you dry them off and let them get fat, you'll have trouble breeding. No matter how long they have been milking. I suspect you would have to do some research to get something bred for long lactations.

Reena10589 · #6 04/12/14, 09:33 AM

Thank you for all of the input and advice! While I would not mind caring for a calf, I would prefer if it wasn't mandatory.

It seems like the general consensus here is that it is in the cow's best interest to breed her...

Thank you for your time!

mrs whodunit · #7 04/12/14, 11:32 AM

I think goats are easier to keep milking for years than cows. We had a cow who had been milked for years. We got her bred and she gave us a lovely heifer. But since then has not been able to maintain a pregnancy.

I have a doe who was milked for 3 years. I got her milked her for awhile and then bred her. She gave a quints... which meant no milk for us LOL

Another doe we have was milked, dried up and then brought back into milk. Guess she likes to produce milk LOL

So if you want to try milking for years with no freshening I suggest trying it with a goat.