? for goat people about a cow

TennesseeMama23 · #1 02/25/08, 11:25 AM

I am a goat person--I do not like cows and have never milked one. FIL is huge scale farmer that buys and sell lots of mostly dairy breed steers. Well, now he has a holstein heifer that he put with mil's lonely (dry) pg jersey cow. This heifer was supposed to be a non-breeder (that is why he has her) they are both in the field next to our house with our bucks. Well, last week the holstein had a calf. She is a young cow--this is her first calf.

The question is do I want her? I can have her to milk (not to sell) for free if I want to, but do I want to? She is not tame. Her calf is a bull--so he is useless. All my goats are dry now and I won't have kids till the end of next month. I just paid $6 for a gallon of milk from WM. I have never tasted raw cow milk--I don't have a pasterizer and don't want one.

Would you take a free cow in milk?

southridgeacre · #2 02/25/08, 11:36 AM

Hey, if I were you I'd go onto the kfc or keeping a family cow forum and ask there. I don't own a cow, but am looking into it and there is some wonderful information there. From what I've read, it would be interesting and fairly difficult to get her used to milking, you'd prob need a stanction to hold her and maybe something to keep her from kicking. Also, she is going to be making a lot

lot lot

of milk, from what I've read the calf isn't going to be able to empty her, so someone either needs to milk her or see if you can get her to foster some calves, so she doesn't get mastitis! Go to the forum, you'll get good avice. just google "keeping a family cow" .

Sam

CookingPam777 · #3 02/25/08, 12:02 PM

I defiantly would

RiverPines · #4 02/25/08, 12:07 PM

I'm a goat person, not a cow person so I wouldn't want a cow around.
To much feed for a cow.

MayLOC · #5 02/25/08, 12:25 PM

well, not really knowing your specific situation, needs and set-up it is hard to even offer advice. I can say I have had either milk goats or milk cows my entire life. I prefer the goats hands down for my family situation (even though we are cattle ranchers

).
Reasons for preference would be: goats require less room -pens and sheds ect. don't much up their pens, don't muck up the milk room, require less feed, and easily handled by our kids.

This is not to say that I wouldn't take that milk cow for free. free things are hard for me to pass up. Especially if you have a family in need of milk right now. I always drank all my cow/goat milk raw, but that is a personal decision and should only be made after testing.

I will ask are you set up and prepared to milk this cow 2x/day? If she is not tame yet do you have the time and patience to work with her and some way to enclose and milk her? Do you have an outlet for the surplus milk she should offer? What will be your plans with her after your does freshen? Don't know your goat situation, but if you bottle raise, it would be wonderful for you to be able to raise your kids with the fresh cow milk and use the goat milk for your family.

If you like store bought cow milk, I would think you would love fresh cow milk. just take as good care to keep clean and cool as you do your goat milk.

so, just some thoughts for you to think about if you haven't already.

lyceum · #6 02/25/08, 01:07 PM

If it were me, it would be 100% YES! How many times is someone going to just give you a milking cow. Once you got her tamed down she would be perfect.

If you are set up for a cow and can handle her, I would say yes.

Carisa

**mygoat** · #7 02/25/08, 02:16 PM

If I were offered a milking cow and her male calf, I would be ecstatic! The calf isn't worthless.. just butcher it around weaning age and you won't have very much money invested but a bunch of your own home raised meat! Or, raise it a bit longer on just pasture for a heavier butcher weight.
As for the cow, keeping her in a small area and making daily contact with her and her udder daily would tame her down right quick.
I would be excited because after testing for johne's disease, I would be able to use the cow milk unpasteurized right to the kid goats, lol... I HATE pasteurizing my goat milk to feed to my goat kids, lol. Such an involved process... *sigh* LOL

Alice In TX/MO · #8 02/25/08, 02:57 PM

For free? Yeppers!

Do you realize what she will be worth after you get her tamed to milking????

XCricketX · #9 02/25/08, 02:59 PM

Oh.. just give them to me, I'll take them! ^_~

Cricket

jBlaze · #10 02/25/08, 04:00 PM

around here that is close to a two thousand dollar value. Hope you can tame the cow.

Yummy!

jimandpj · #11 02/25/08, 04:20 PM

I had a jersey cow for a couple of months. Never again on this homestead. We're not set up for a cow.

I wouldn't take the cow. You may not have to pay to buy her. But you have to pay to feed her. And you have to take care of her. Plus she's a holstein - which means a LOT of milk. It took two of us 45 minutes to milk the jersey by hand (and we're fairly good at milking).

Taming her to milk might also be a lot of effort.

Do you have children? Is she safe around children?

Nice offer - but I would say thank you, but no. And happily wait for my goats to freshen.

PJ

jimandpj · #12 02/25/08, 04:21 PM

Forgot to add - milking a cow (for me) was gross - so dirty compared to my goats. I never felt fully safe drinking the milk raw with cow manure splattering everywhere. Yuck!

PJ

TennesseeMama23 · #13 02/25/08, 04:25 PM

That is what dh is saying. It would be neat to try, but I really don't think I'll like it. And DH REALLY hates cattle. He has worked with them his whole life and really appreciated our goats. I don't know what will happen with the cow.