| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 4:30:47 PM
Can any one tell me what is the up keep with cows for a yr.?? Feed, hay, vet., etc.?? Hubby is asking me to ask ya'll...
Thanks
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Nov 10 2009 : 12:56:33 PM
It IS hard to say exactly since it does depend on your area, type of cow and other factors. I figure that Mona (my Jersey milk cow) pays for herself and our our milk (we use at least 7 gallons a week) and other dairy products since I have people who provide feed and hay in exchange for fresh whole milk. I also sell her calf each year and use that money toward hay too. We don't have pasture..I sure wish we did..but it still is a good deal for us. Beef cattle I know nothing about but I feel like a family Jersey cow is well worth it...sorry I don't have exact money figures. Hay was only $85 a ton here for grass/alfalfa. Last year it was $150!
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 |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Nov 10 2009 : 04:44:37 AM
Deborah, I raised my 2 calves on goats milk. I never had to buy milk replacer. That's expensive. I just happened to have lots of milk so that's what they got. I bought one bag of calf feed for when I was weaning them. Then they were on pasture after that. I never even gave them hay til late summer. Then just a few flakes in the morning. So I did not have much money in them at all. Plus they were both FREE! I had the steer butchered and he was just $185. for over 300 lbs.
Now Mazie Mae the heifer is a hay pig. I think right now she gets about a 1/4 of a bale every day. I may have to get a round bale for her. She likes hay. And she will eat every bit of it, too. I can't even see where it was.
So I think it depends on where you keep them and if you grain feed. Grass fed is way cheaper. And if you can section off a pasture that's even better. And have good grasses, too. Of course a good mineral salt block. And I only gave mine antibiotic when I first got them because they came off a cattle truck and were covered in poop. So just to be safe they got shots for a few days after I got them. I didn't do that with the first calf I got and she died.
That's a good idea to apprentice with someone who does this. That way you can see if it's what you really want to do.
Good luck! Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 7:10:36 PM
Teresa, Thanks for the info. Well I know that our neighbors horses has been on our pasture,(we keep the gate open so they can)most of this week. We have more green than he does now. And our smaller pasture is still full of good grass. I am sure we will use the cows for beef. I am going to be doing an apprenticeship after the 1st of the yr. It will be for just a weekend and then I will do another when they start doing more on there farm. They lady I am doing this with said they are slower in the fall and winter. This will help me do decide what I want to do with our land. In our other emails I mention that my husband said he didnt want to help me in this venture. But now he has made a commitment to me to help out. But I think we will have at least 4 cows. I do have 3 fenced pastures...One is smaller and then the other 2 are good size.
Thanks
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Nov 09 2009 : 5:21:49 PM
It would depend on wether or not you have good pasture, if you do, and all you are doing is suplimenting, not much. Now are you talking about beef or dairy? That will make a difference also. You can buy all the vaccines and do them yourself, worming also, so unless your cow gets sick, or he is a she, and she is bred and has trouble calfing, you won't need a vet. I don't know what a bale of cow hay goes for there, here it is $12.00 a bale (all types of hay are really expensive here), if you have several cattle, then you should go to round bales, large or small depending on herd size. More info is needed to give you a true "ballpark" estimate.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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