| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| NatureNymph |
Posted - Oct 02 2008 : 12:53:36 PM
Any one keep a diary cow? How big is your pasture?
What things do I need to keep in mind...not sure if I want to definitely do this...but I'd like one cow to supply us our milk needs.
Any opinions are appreciated,
Tracy
"Everybody likes to go their own way--to choose their own time and manner of devotion." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Oct 10 2008 : 7:33:04 PM
2 years is the normal time most people (at least the ones I know) butcher steers.
Mona is dry longer this year since she had such a hard time (3 tries) getting bred this year.( I dried her up after a year straight of lactation..she was getting too thin for me and I felt like she needed a rest. She is fat and sassy now!!) USUALLY cows are only dry about 2 months. You breed them 9 months before you want the calf and then dry them up 2 months before calving time. I take Mona down to once a day milking after about 3 or 4 months...much easier for me and still plenty of milk for us and a couple other families each day!
I love the book Jessi Lyn suggested... I read it first..but my favorite is Keeping a Family cow By Joanne Grohman. She is the one with the website too. Awesome book...with details really oriented to a WOMAN being the one who keeps the cow. Nice.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
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 |
| NatureNymph |
Posted - Oct 10 2008 : 4:15:42 PM
How long does it take for a calf to grow to maturity...for meat?
How long are cows dry? Do you breed every year or every 18 months etc?
I will obviously get a book, that suggested ones sounds good, but these answers will help me figure out if I really want to do this.
Tracy
"Everybody likes to go their own way--to choose their own time and manner of devotion." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
http://blessewefarm.blogspot.com/ |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Oct 09 2008 : 9:40:41 PM
I love that book.
I always breed Mona by AI. There is a local guy who comes and does it for us...any kind of weather or time of day ..he is awesome! Not a job I would personally want for sure!!! (if you have ever seen it done I bet you would feel the same) there just arn't any local Jersey cows and I always breed her Jersey. I know alot of people breed to Angus for a meatier bull calf, but I would be so mad at myself if she had a 1/2 angus heifer calf when I love Jerseys so. So I don't. Besides...Jersey calves still make beef..and they look cute doing it.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
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 |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Oct 09 2008 : 6:11:33 PM
Tracy, I never thought about renting a bull. Sounds like a good idea. There is a Devon Breeder in N.C....I have chatted with him for awhile. We are hoping this will work out. As everyone else does with there first livestock.
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| Jessi Lynn |
Posted - Oct 09 2008 : 12:56:54 PM
I'm also thinking about buying a cow and the Jersey would be my top pick becasue I've heard you get more milk out of this breed than others and it makes a great cheese.
Reading everything you can and talking and visiting lots of people who raise or produce what ever your researching is key.
The Family Cow by Dirk Van Loon would be a good book to read. It tells you everything from buying to milking to feeding a cow.
Jessi Lynn |
| NatureNymph |
Posted - Oct 09 2008 : 09:42:11 AM
personally I am not going to have a bull as I know controlling them will be an issue. Plus I don't want to feed, shelter and work for something that would only be required one day a year. I'd rather inseminate or 'rent' a bull for a week from someone more expereinced with bulls.
My breed of cow will depend on what other farmers have in the area, that way I am sure to find the right bull for the breed.
Of course this ii IF I get a cow.
"Everybody likes to go their own way--to choose their own time and manner of devotion." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
http://blessewefarm.blogspot.com/ |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Oct 07 2008 : 4:33:28 PM
Jenny, Well We do have 3 pastures. 1 is large, then a medium one and the other is small. We are letting our neighbor put his 2 horses in the large on and sometimes he moves them to the small one for about a week. They seem to do well...The medium one is where we want to put a barn. it has a natural spring. The large pasture is nice. All have good grass. My husband is good about mowing every 2 weeks. I was hoping that this would be enough for a bull and a hefer. we also want to breed her with him and have a calf to grow for the freezer. Not sure how much milk we would get from her. We are going to get some chickens to...All this will hopefully happen in the next 5 yrs. It is a plan waiting to happen. All the information I get is very helpful.
Thanks
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Oct 07 2008 : 12:23:58 PM
I think you could get by with less acreage for sure. I don't know much about Devon cattle..but plan to look them up. I HAVE heard about them being great on grass. I imagine that how much pasture you would need depends on the quality of that pasture. I would cross fence it and put her in one side to graze and then switch off as the pasture is depleted more on the other side. I sure wish we had pasture.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
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 |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Oct 07 2008 : 05:10:05 AM
Jenny, we have chatted before on another page. I was just checking out other pages that I usually dont look at. We are thinkg about a Devon Cow for milking. I have done some research and I have found out that they are good for milk and beef. And I also found out that they are good on just beining grass fed. I have about 8 acres of pasture. Do you think they would do good on that less of acreage? Your knowledge and expertise is greatly needed.
Thanks
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| McKenzie Mist |
Posted - Oct 06 2008 : 9:51:44 PM
Our 17 yo daughter has a Jersey cow named Lily May that she and my husband take turns milking by hand twice a day. Lily is Kara's 4-H project and she has raised her since she was 2 months old (she is now three years old). She makes the sweetest milk I've ever tasted. Prior to Lily, we had two different Holstein cows that we milked and we enjoyed that milk but after tasting the Jersey milk, I'll always buy a Jersey from now on.
Lily is kept on pasture, probably 4 or 5 acres, and this time of year is given a high quality grass hay to supplement. She also receives a grain ration during milking time twice a day (a dairy mix), and has free choice water from a trough in her pasture. With her being on pasture year-round, we really don't notice how much manure she generates unless she "deposits" it while in the barn. They put that in a compost pile in our garden, just over the fence from the barn.
During her peak production this past year, Lilly consistently gave 5-6 gallons per day. She is two to three months away from drying up and we're getting about three gallons a day. We share her milk with others, make cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and raise a few pigs throughout the year. Our chickens also enjoy any extra milk or cream we send their way. Nothing goes to waste.
Milking is a huge commitment. We milk approx. every 12 hours, give or take an hour here and there, but we don't go on overnight trips as a family while the cow is in milk.
I don't have personal knowledge of the Jersey/Dexter cross but have read about it. Seems like they would produce a perfect amount of milk for a family or two, but you would still have that time commitment.
I'm excited to check out the Keeping a Family Cow page. Thanks for the referral!
Bev in Oregon |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Oct 04 2008 : 10:27:13 AM
The 8 tons of manure a year MUST be for the larger dairy breeds. There is no way my little Jersey gal puts out that much poop...maybe half. She is a wonderful small cow. I don't know much about Dexters really..but I do know they don't give nearly as much milk as a Jersey or for nearly as long a lactation..so if selling the extra milk is one of the ways you would pay for hay and grain that would be a consideration. But then my dream cow was always a Jersey and I had the name Mona picked out forever. It IS alot of time and commitment, and if you are someone who likes to travel..then sheep are sure better to have..but I just love having a cow!
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
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 |
| shepherdgirl |
Posted - Oct 03 2008 : 11:14:06 PM
ughh! Makes me rething my idea of getting a milk cow. Too much work and waaaaay too much poop! I'm practically up to my EYEBALLS in THAT as it is with 26 sheep, 19 goats (and more to come since one of the randy bucks got out-- 3x now!!! I just hope he didn't do TOO much damage!!) 4 horses, and gobs of featherd things!!! Adding a cow at this point in my life is insane. But, maybe SOME-day. I would like to have Dexters though -- they are much smaller than most breeds and good dual purpose critters. But they still POOP like the BIG ones!!! (LOL)
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Oct 02 2008 : 11:24:50 PM
WEll...no. I do have a sizeable garden for us..and room for more...but I don't want them penned in less space. We do bring in a tractor and scrape up all the manure down to the bare ground twice year and have the compost pile we are working on and the one for next year at all times.
I wish the pasture thing would work. I did try it once but Mona likes to walk this big circle around the edge of the fence and she was just so annoyed at having a fence in the middle. Maybe someday. I would love to enlarge the pen more, and put the garden in the front yard instead of the back..we have a very big front yard to the right side of our house..big enough for a nice garden...husband isn't as on board with that though...but maybe some day. We buy our hay locally from a friend and he does give us a great price and grows good hay..so it works out. I just want her to be able to get all the exercise she can every day. Alot of the year the sheep (only two small ones) are in with her and the goat too...they are in the small "side pen" that I keep for when we need to separate someone. They will be sheared this weekend, hopefully if it dosn't rain. I wish I could say a nice shearer is coming in..but it will be me and my hand shears. Good idea though, Alee...I wish it would work.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
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 |
| Alee |
Posted - Oct 02 2008 : 6:25:25 PM
Jenny-
With all the manure and such that Mona and the goat put down, could you rototiller their pen and plant grass to make at least a little pasture? It would probably require sectioning off their pen for a few weeks.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Oct 02 2008 : 6:08:01 PM
www.keepingafamilycow.com is an awesome place to visit for family cow info.
I have had my perfect Jersey cow Mona for 3 years now. We don't have pasture..yep NO pasture. She has a 1/4 acre pen that is shared with her best friend Pearl the angora goat. So our hay expense is more than it would be if we had pasture. I had goats for years...same area and on pasture before that..and since my dream was always to have a cow of my own...I decided to go for it (with my mom's help financially for my birthday/christmas gift that year) got Mona. She is been more that a delight...and although there is a huge commitment in time, I don't think I honestly spend more than I did on the goats when I had 4. I have several friend who want milk each day...they give me "hay money" and "grain money" so that part is covered. I make some of my own cheese, all of our butter and cream and of course milk when she is in milk (she is dry and due to calf about Halloween right now) we go through alot of milk (4 kids at home) and spend at least 25 to 30 dollars a week on it!!
Mona gets alfalfa/ grass hay and has a large old bath tub watering trough. When she is in milk she also gets alfalfa pellets, barley corn, dried mollases and calf manna as supplements. At peak last year she gave 8 gallons of milk a day. There is also the by-product of a calf to sell. We don't have space for two cows so I use the money from selling her calf to buy local beef. Last year her heifer calf went to our own Libbie. A heifer calf is a real bonus..a bull calf..not so much..but still worth enough to buy the months worth of grain and supplements, or alot of hamburger for the family for the freezer.
I bought a reconditioned surge milker the first year after 3 months of hand milking. ( a cow is ALOT of milking!!!) and love it. It was about $800 to get set up with that completely and the only yearly cost has been new rubber parts..about $20 a year. I strain the warm milk into gallon glass jars and store in our extra fridge in the garage...where my friends who have helped pay for grain and hay can pick up their portion...works out great!
They way I figure, I come out ahead each year and have fresh wholesome milk and dairy products to boot. Of course Mona is perfect and not all cows are... but I have never once been sorry for getting her. Ever.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
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 |
| windypines |
Posted - Oct 02 2008 : 5:13:27 PM
I am not aunt jenny, but I have a jersey cow. Most wonderful cow as well. I grew up on a dairy farm. Love the milk and all the products I make. But it is alot of work, and for me, a twice a day commitment. I have maybe 10 acres of pasture. we have 10 acres of hay ground and 60 in woods. We also have 30 beefers, and we use my dads place to pasture, for hay ground. I do use a milker, and my husband, or dad will fill in for me if I have to be gone. The family cow forum is a very good starting place for you. Best wishes in what ever you decide to do.
Michele |
| Alee |
Posted - Oct 02 2008 : 3:43:13 PM
Aunt Jenny has the famous Miss Mona. I bet she will have lots of information and helpful links for you!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Farmtopia |
Posted - Oct 02 2008 : 2:05:56 PM
Haha, this is definitely one for Aunt Jenny :)
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| Kris Sherrill |
Posted - Oct 02 2008 : 1:57:54 PM
Hey, Tracy and Rhonda, ya'll should go to Keeping a family Cow website. Just about everyone has a dairy cow. Very good info there.
I've got 2 friends with Jersey's. They need LOTS of room and LOTS of hay and grain to produce milk. Some people do it on just grass but not much milk. They also produce LOTS of manure, too! I heard back when I was looking into getting one, that they make about 80 lbs. of it a day. Lots of shoveling, but great for the garden or to sell.
This is why I started with goats Much smaller and a whole lot less mess! But I can't make much butter and I have to milk 5 goats to get as much as 1 cow.
So there are a lot of things to think about. How much time do you have to put into a cow? Do you ever want to go on a vacation again? You need people to step up and help out if you do.
Do lots of research before you jump into this adventure!! And good luck, ya'll!
Kris
PS I think Aunt Jenny has a cow? But check out the family cow website, too. |
| rhondacate |
Posted - Oct 02 2008 : 1:25:04 PM
My husband is very interested in a dairy cow also. I'm a little unsure about the full time daily commitment. I'd love to hear opinions and experiences as well.
~Rhonda |
