| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Phils Ann |
Posted - May 11 2007 : 04:14:14 AM
Can some of you cowgirls tell me what to expect to have to spend for vet costs? I know nothing about innocculations, worming, or anything else needed by a cow.
Thanks!
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
| 21 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Phils Ann |
Posted - May 16 2007 : 06:43:50 AM
A friend is in vet school, so I'll email her and ask for a good title and author. Great suggestion. Of course, if we end up with a cow like Aunt Jenny's Mona, she'll be trouble free. Jersey's just sound better and better. :)
There is a Redeemer. |
| sunshine78 |
Posted - May 15 2007 : 6:35:50 PM
Ann,
Your more than welcome. Glad my input was of value to you. I live in western Nebraska. It's good that you have some experience working with a vet. In my opinion large animals are much easier to give shots to because they are restrained in a chute(most of the time) and they can't turn around and bite you like a dog or cat can. If there is a vet school close by you could probably check out the bookstore for vet students and get a really good book on general large animal medicine with an overview of husbandry. Otherwise do a search for beef quality assurance online to get good directions on proper handling of medications and care of cattle.
Cynthia
www.pinecanyonranch.com |
| Phils Ann |
Posted - May 15 2007 : 3:02:19 PM
Cynthia, thanks so much for your professional input! May I ask in what part of the country you live? Small animal vets here are pricey--roughly the same as my gyno, to my amusement. Nearly all vets ARE small animal, too. I worked for our vet at one time-- a very long time ago, but am comfortable with doing injections and minor things... at least on dogs and cats. I think I need to look into the book Mary Ann earlier wrote about, and maybe some others.
Thanks again,
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
| Horseyrider |
Posted - May 15 2007 : 09:16:12 AM
That's funny that you had her name picked out! I did that, too. Our Jersey was named Marigold. Her first heifer was named Emily.
I wish I knew someone close by with a nice cow and good stewardship. I sure miss that milk. |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - May 14 2007 : 9:05:22 PM
My grandpa used to name all his cows on his dairy in the 50's (he had registered Jerseys) after his sister in laws and aunts and other relatives. We have alot of great old lady names in our family.
I had Mona's name all picked out for years and years. My dream cow just had to be a jersey and just had to be Mona. When I met her I knew she was perfect. And she is.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| Horseyrider |
Posted - May 14 2007 : 7:35:56 PM
Back during the Depression years, my hubby's grandparents had a nice dairy farm in Wisconsin. They named all of the cows after neighbors. We thought it was so cute we named our feeder pigs after people at the office.  |
| sunshine78 |
Posted - May 14 2007 : 1:23:54 PM
It depends on the size of your herd. I am a veterinarian so I think I can give you some insight. This is what I do in my practice. I charge per mile one way if it is more than five miles away from my clinic. The per mile charge is just based on recent gas prices + a little for wear and tear on the vehicle. If it is less than five miles away then there is a stop fee of $5.00. On shots and deworming I charge per hour of work(about $80.00). Some vets may charge per head.
This is added to cost of shots, needles, etc. If you have a small herd it would be more efficient to do these things yourself and a good vet would gladly show you proper techniques to accomplish these tasks. Major surgeries, etc vary greatly in cost across the nation. I only work on beef cattle. Dairy cattle have a whole other set of problems that could mean surgery. Again, it's a per hour charge on the surgeries ($120.00 in house, $150.00 to be called out). I had to make two different charges because facilities at these places are so bad, but if I go to a place with nice useable equipment then I'll charge the 120.00. My advice is to try to learn to do a lot yourself especially if you only have a few head. A busy vet would rather a producer knows how to do minor stuff herself/himself. Hope that helps. |
| Phils Ann |
Posted - May 14 2007 : 1:07:21 PM
Oh, my grandmother was a "Bessie".... and you probably know what name I'd like for my future cow. This grandmother did have a good sense of humor
There is a Redeemer. |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - May 14 2007 : 08:30:13 AM
I LOVE those names!!!!!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| Libbie |
Posted - May 14 2007 : 07:42:31 AM
Oh, I WILL, I WILL!!!!!! I am SO excited - I'm just hoping for a heifer - I hardly dare say it, but I'm already toying around with names . I have some great-aunts on my mother's side who have names I might want to use: Althea or Bethel - I'm leaning toward Bethel, but I'm not sure...
OH, but I am excited!!!
XOXO, Libbie
In honor of Mother's Day, "If it's not one thing, it's your mother... |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - May 14 2007 : 01:11:40 AM
I have had that experience with several people I know with all sorts of farm animals and have learned my lesson before I sell an animal to someone (or even a give away) to go check out where the animal will sleep and what they will be fed and make sure they have shelter. Some people are clueless and don't do any research at all before bringing in livestock. It is heartbreaking alot of the time. I am so glad to hear that cow got a better home. I have had several people ask if I would ever be interested in share milking Mona ...where they take one of the daily milking/feedings and me the other..something like that..no way..wouldn't work for me cuz I would worry about her constantly. I am generally the only one that milks her ..ever..but husband can do it now in a pinch. That helps too. I am so thrilled that this year her calf is going to our LIbbie. I KNOW she will give her (I am hoping it is a her!) great care and love. Cows are such sweethearts.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| Phils Ann |
Posted - May 13 2007 : 1:42:41 PM
Cyndi, I'm so glad she now has a good home. It's awful to see animals not given good care.
There is a Redeemer. |
| MullersLaneFarm |
Posted - May 13 2007 : 05:47:58 AM
Cheap hay and not enough fresh water. They weren't consistant with who milked her either. Sometimes 2 or more of the kids would be milking her at the same time.
I love this family to death but they don't have a great concept of farm animals.
Cyndi
Muller's Lane Farm http://www.mullerslanefarm.com
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| Horseyrider |
Posted - May 13 2007 : 05:04:11 AM
Wow, Cyndi! What were they feeding her? |
| MullersLaneFarm |
Posted - May 12 2007 : 7:59:52 PM
We had that sort of arrangement with friends of ours. They are transplanted city folks and trying to do what they can in the country. We found them a Jersey cow but she didn't give them much milk.
When we had to dry up Dolly, we 'rented' their cow and supplied them with all the milk they needed. We took her from milking 1 gallon a day up to four. When Dolly was able to supply us with milk again, we gave the 'rental' Jersey back. She was back down to producing 1 gallon a day within a week.
We were able to find her another home last month. She's again giving good milk and is in heat (The new owner called us to see who we used for AI).
Cyndi
Muller's Lane Farm http://www.mullerslanefarm.com
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| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - May 12 2007 : 7:58:41 PM
I wish!! I am so picky though..I don't know if it would work for me. I only have to deal with two months of dry cow normally so that isn't so bad..but this year it was 3 months..so we could go on vacation..I wanted to have her dry and be sure to watch her awhile before we left to make sure she was okay.
Won't be long now. We use alot of milk in this family!!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| Phils Ann |
Posted - May 12 2007 : 11:03:43 AM
Thanks, Mary Ann and Jenny. I'm sending out feelers for a vet through some folks who work with horses, hoping one of them will have at least one name. I have Joann Grohman's "Keeping a Family Cow" and will read it again, with more intense concentration.
Josh's (aka cowboy) Mom and I drove forever on Thursday to buy raw milk for four families from an Amish farm... some milk from a Jersey and some from the Holstein. Unfortunately, it turns out mine so far is Holstein. But I made "raw" yogurt yesterday, which is good. There's not enough butterfat to try butter from what I've used--maybe next month mine will be Jersey milk, and I can make butter. I've found Danish raw butter at the store... very pricey.
Jenny, it's great that you haven't needed a vet for Mona! Wow, $100/month for milk is way expensive. Hmmmm, could you talk a friend or neighbor into doing cow shares, meaning when Mona is out of milk, you get theirs, and when theirs is out of milk, Mona supplies them? I speak without knowing whether anyone around you has a Jersey, of course.
There is a Redeemer. |
| Horseyrider |
Posted - May 12 2007 : 06:54:06 AM
You might first call some different vet's offices in your area and see if anyone does large animal work. Some do, some only do dogs and cats. Some do only horses, and some require that you haul in. My vet prefers to do horses over cows, but he does farm calls. He's $58 to come to my farm, and the cost goes from there depending on what's wrong.
You can easily learn to do things like shots and worming yourself. Most stockmen do. You'd only need your vet if you need to stitch a cut or something.
I'd suggest checking out some books on what the basics are for dairy cattle. We relied on "The Family Cow" by Dick van Loon when we had ours. It gave us a good idea of what to expect, and when things were outside the norm.
And Aunt Jenny's right; there is nothing in the whole WORLD like fresh raw Jersey milk!!! Nothing in the stores can touch it. It took a long time after we sold our cows for me to drink store bought milk; it tasted cooked. I've gotten used to the store bought cheese and butter (Land O' Lakes unsalted is closest, IMO) but the ice cream has been simply irreplaceable. Not even the super premium brands like Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Daz are even close. *sniff* |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - May 11 2007 : 8:45:44 PM
I have had no vet bills at all for Mona in the time I have had her...I give her regular shots and worming myself and a friend did her AI breeding for free (nice guy!! You sure couldn't get me to do THAT for free!! ) So far so good. Mona and friends (two small sheep and an angora goat) eat a bale of hay per day all year. We don't have pasture. I sure wish we did. STill, her milk pays for all her upkeep, hay, feed and all so far. We go through alot of milk here..I can hardly wait for her to calve so we won't be paying out $100 or so for just milk per month like right now. Store milk tastes not so hot after having fresh too...not to mention the cream, cheese, butter and ice cream and yogurt!! I would hate to be without my sweet little cow at any price!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| Phils Ann |
Posted - May 11 2007 : 2:42:30 PM
Thanks Cyndi! I hope the vet bills here in Maryland are similar. Large animal vets are very scarce here. So, try to grow alfalfa....:) Good to know. I want a Jersey, and a young friend who loves cows asked about going together and him doing the milking and "work". Sounds awfully good from our perspective.
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
| MullersLaneFarm |
Posted - May 11 2007 : 05:38:29 AM
If all is going well with your cow, vet costs are minimum. You can pick up most things (wormer, mineral blocks, et al) from an Ag store and incurr no vet bills.
Our vet makes farm calls (for $35 a trip) and usually, that cost is more than the treatment costs.
Our Jersey had problems with her 2nd stomach flipping over, the vet came out and performed a surgery to staple it to her side. Cost was under $100.
You'll spend more $$ in feed than vet bills. If it is a milk cow, you'll want good alfalfa hay. For a meat breed, grass hay is fine. How much hay depends on what breed of cow you get. A Dexter will eat a lot less than a Holstein. We have a Jersey for milk. During the winter, she'll get almost a small bale of hay a day (that she shares with 3 goats.
Cyndi
Muller's Lane Farm http://www.mullerslanefarm.com
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