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Barnyard Buddies:  Thinking about a Jersey cow in the future  |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 14 2011 : 2:42:50 PM
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After spending a dozen years dealing with my landlady's wild and unruly herd of goats, I am pretty soured on keeping my own herd or even a few! So I've turned my attentions to considering a small milk cow. Extra milk can be shared with family and friends and I want to try my hand here eventually to cheese making. I simply adore looking at Jersies with their big soft eyes and sweet faces, but how difficult would a cow be for me to keep? How much acreage does a small cow require? If I managed to persuade hubby into adding a cow to our menagerie in the some time future, I just was curious from other milk cow owners as to how hard they are to deal with.
Thankies! 
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Sep 14 2011 : 2:48:04 PM
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I've looked into it before. You could do a mini jersey or a dexter comfortably on a half to a full acre. She'll need a lot of dairy grade hay though.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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Lieberkim
True Blue Farmgirl
839 Posts
Kimberly
Sunnyside
WASHINGTON
USA
839 Posts |
Posted - Sep 14 2011 : 3:07:22 PM
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Swiss Brown is also a good choice. Don't know if they have mini versions of them though. I just learned that you want to look for an A-2 cow because their milk is easier to digest etc.
Sorry you've had such a bad experience with goats. I love mine.
I think the Jersey's and the Swiss Browns usually have a sweet temperment too. So nice to work with. My friend had one and we were one on each side milking her. So first she was putting up with being milked by two people at the same time. Then the dogs decided to have a fight right under her and she waited patiently for us to grab the milk pail and get out of the way before she put the dogs in their place. So GOOD cow!!!
Good luck!
Excuse the mess & the noise, my children are making happy memories |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2011 : 07:21:48 AM
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well i had a post going and it would not post. i am very opinionated. i think anyone buying a cow needs to buy A-2 only. if i am buying a cow for milk. i am going to go to a lot of effort for my milk. knowing that A-1 cows have a broken casein protein molecule is important. as kimberly mentioned. the A-1 milk molecule is believed to pass through the walls of our stomach and bowel tract. it creates havoc. the thought is it can cause real issues with autistic children who many times crave milk. i know one who is ocd on milk. children prone to type 1 diabetes are challenged by the broken milk. the article on this is called. the devil in the milk. knowing what i do now about milk i want only A-2 mini or small cows. i just bred 3 little girls this week. i used registered mini jersey semen. at this time i can only get A-1 A-2 semen for them. it is believed this is better also than an A-1 A-1 dna cow. it is very cost effective to test them. only tail hairs and $25.00 to u. co davis. i am going to see if this posts bfore i go on. last one did not post for me.
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2011 : 07:25:18 AM
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well it posted good. if your ever in oregon or want to come for a visit you are welcome. you can meet my girls. i am in breeding season now. for small acreage i love dexter /jersey crosses. they give you beef and perfect milk and need a small space. i wanted some A-2 A-2 jerseys girls too. i am using a reg. sexed A-2 semen from a danish jersey bull. hope my thoughts help. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2011 : 1:52:15 PM
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I adore my jersey cow Mona. I have had her for 5 years..since she was preg with her first calf. She is sweet tempered, an easy calver, and easy to milk. She gives 7 gallons or so a day at peak but I keep her at 4 ot 5 gallons as long as I want. She is dry and bred right now and I am anxiously waiting her calving next spring.
I totally recomend Jersey cows!
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 |
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MEWolf
True Blue Farmgirl
358 Posts
Margaret
Byers
Colorado
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2011 : 6:18:53 PM
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The dairy we get our raw milk and cream from has a herd of mostly Jerseys. The fat content in milk from these completely grass fed cows is amazing! The milk and cream are superb. The butter I make from the cream is the most gorgeous color! I am looking forward to trying my hand at cheese making this winter. Love me them Jersey girls!!! <3
Margaret
“Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds, fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1808-1882)
Farmgirl #3020
www.grey-wolf-farm.com |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2011 : 5:43:30 PM
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Well, after being reasonable with myself, I know that I couldn't use up all of the milk a day from a full sized jersey and am hoping to get a sweet little mini jersey sometime soon ! They are about the right size for me to handle anyway.And they are just adorable !
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
http://thegimpyfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
http://pinterest.com/annikaloveshats/
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2011 : 10:41:14 AM
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I think as the economy fails more deeply we're going to see a backlash of more widespread backyard farming. Mini Jerseys are a solid investment not only for yourself, but for good resale value. I still think Dexters are a great way to go dual purpose too as the beef is highly reguarded.
I want one of each! :D
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2011 : 11:03:23 AM
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Ya know Jen, there is no telling how long the economy is going to be bad or if its going to get even worse! Now is the time to consolidate and make super wise investments in land that you can afford easily and livestock. You are so right, I am seeing more and more people trying to become self sufficient or at least relying on old fashioned gardening and farming to support their families while working at a job as well. I'm hoping to get 5 to 10 acres to plop my home on in the next few years, but until then, I live on a friends farm and I'm sure that she will be ok with a little ol cow and some chickens. We all need to do the best that we can and provide as much of our own food as is possible.
I don't eat a lot of beef anymore cuz it's hard on my tummy, but if I can get up and running with the milk, eggs and chickens, I'll happily buy grass fed beef and bison for my hubby and I'll even have an occasional steak. But if you have a meat eating family to feed, I can seriously see the value of raising Dexters! They are solid little critters to invest in, to be certain.
Happy Autumn 
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
http://thegimpyfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
http://pinterest.com/annikaloveshats/
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2011 : 3:54:22 PM
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It's funny how the economy has gone. When I was young it was only our grandparents who lived through the depression who thought that way, and then it was only the religious crack pots who were convinced Chinese communists were going to send us poison rice etc.
Now providing your own food and organic gardening is starting to get major traction. I've heard from homesteaders and backyard farmers in Australia that they never have anything that lays steady eggs or gives milk for sale long. Everybody is getting on the wagon.
Hubby and I are working on jacking up our credit to pull off a mortgage and he's getting a nursing degree asap. Then it's a cross country move to sustainable farming country for us.
The idea of being stuck in Arizona if we can't get grid power, or we can't buy hay or gasoline is terrifying. That would mean no AC in 115 degrees (no sleep), no water (you need power to pump it out of the ground)- no garden, and we couldn't feed any livestock. We are way to dependent on the system here.
Give me live water, a pasture, a forest and a woodstove and I can feed and warm a family indefinatly.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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Lieberkim
True Blue Farmgirl
839 Posts
Kimberly
Sunnyside
WASHINGTON
USA
839 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2011 : 4:06:27 PM
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Jen, you understand why I'm often homesick for my Northern Canada. There's wild game, lots of water (just dig a hole in the right place and you've got a dugout after run off), and tons of trees for firewood. No we can't grow all the fruit and such that the warmer climates can but we have berries and other hardy fruit. I always figure a good garden, some trips to the fruit truck and raise my own livestock and I'm good. I understand cold where as I don't get tornadoes, hurricanes, and extreme heat, so I know how to prepare for it. Sometimes I want to head tail home and get tucked in for what's probably coming but it would seem that I'm supposed to be here so I'll just prepare here!!! :)
Excuse the mess & the noise, my children are making happy memories |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2011 : 4:54:42 PM
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Washington isn't a bad place, There's game in some places, fishing in others, water, stuff will grow. I would be going to Oregon or Washington if the land wasn't so expensive there.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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homsteddinmom
True Blue Farmgirl
441 Posts
Brandee
bullard
tx
USA
441 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2011 : 06:47:41 AM
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Not all goats are unruley, it is all depends on how they are raised! Mine were all bottle babies and follow me around like little puppies. They never get out either. We really didnt want the expense of a milk cow so we did go with milk goats. I think for us we made the right choice!
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2011 : 06:56:04 AM
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you girls are talking about my favorite cows. i cross breed the dexters with jersey. then you have half beef half milker. small easy to manage not tooooo much milk sweet cows. i have some for sale now. i have a soft spot in my heart for jerseys we love oregon to live. prices have fallen so far down land is very cheap now. we have lost over 150,000.00 dollars of equity on this place. i want to be somewhere a little warmer than this high desert. happy where i am now but may have to move on just to survive. where is the work in america? so sad this economy deal. hard on all folks. well if you come this way shopping for land stop by for a chat. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Oct 18 2011 : 11:24:53 AM
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East of the cascades it just not for me Sherry :( I love those big leafy trees and rolling hills around the Willamette Valley.
It's a bit more humid in Missouri but at least it says "home" to me, and its cheap enough we can afford a nice chunk of land on a paramedic's salary and I'll be able to stay home and develop the farm.
Winter isn't supposed to be too bad either. The politics are a lot more conservative than Oregon (which I like) and I used to be a huge history buff and all that Civil War and frontier history thrills me to the bone.
It seems like if you want work, you have to put in the effort to find it. There's a whole lot in North Dakota right now, some companies still hire for darn good paying jobs if you're willing to go where they put you and there are still huge pell grants to get low income people through school. Grants pay for my hubby's full ride and any student loans we get are going straight to the debts with the worst terms, and there are several careers that even qualify student loans to be forgiven completely upon graduation.
I think the problem is people don't want to leave where they are and it's easier to "Occupy Wallstreet" and demand the jobs come to you.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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Barnyard Buddies: Thinking about a Jersey cow in the future |
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Thinking about a Jersey cow in the future
