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A Farm of My Own:  dairy cow  |
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faithymom
True Blue Farmgirl
360 Posts
Faith
Sandpoint
ID
USA
360 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 21 2006 : 11:26:52 AM
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I was wondering if anyone knows how much milk the average home dairy cow gives.
WHEN I get my farm, I want to have a Jersey cow (but a dual-purpose breed would be OK, too) and was wondering how much milk they give per day.
I would want enough that I could make cheese and yogurt in addition to milk for daily use.
Thanks for you insights!
Faith |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2006 : 11:46:35 AM
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My wonderful beloved jersey cow Mona gave 6 1/2 gallons at peak this year..in her first lactation. I think that is pretty normal. She is still giving a little over 3 gallons a day even though it has been nearly a year of milking (later breeding this year) and I have her down to once a day milking now. Hope this helps...cows are great!!
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 |
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faithymom
True Blue Farmgirl
360 Posts
Faith
Sandpoint
ID
USA
360 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2006 : 10:20:44 PM
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Thank you so much!
That's a lot of milk!!! |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4181 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4181 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2006 : 5:02:32 PM
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| I have had my Jersey, Summer, since Nov. 1. You should have plenty of milk to use and share. My mom, and dad, and sister and her son get milk from us too. Plus lots of cream for butter, and ice cream. Good luck. Michele |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Dec 26 2006 : 4:24:39 PM
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Hi, Michele - I have a Dexter (a dual-purpose breed, actually an all-purpose breed - they can be trained as oxen, too). She is supposed to give between 3-4 gallons per day - although I haven't milked her yet. How exciting to be planning your farm. Don't you love doing that?!?!?!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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mellaisbella
True Blue Farmgirl
1862 Posts
melanie
living on Anne of Green
Gables land
Canada
1862 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2006 : 08:02:02 AM
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Greetings from Canada Faith
I am (well, my husband too!) a dairy farmer. We have Holsteins, Jerseys and Jersey Holstien mix. Jersey give/ have a high butter fat which is great for cheese, ice cream making. Holsteins don't have a very high butter fat, but they give a lot more milk. Hope that helps. Good luck
mellaisbella "I wanna touch the earth, I want to break it in my hands, I want to grow something wild and unruly" |
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faithymom
True Blue Farmgirl
360 Posts
Faith
Sandpoint
ID
USA
360 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2007 : 11:41:59 AM
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Thanks for the info everyone.
My next question...approximately (like in your area) how much would a decent Jersey cow cost me?
"All television is educational television. The only question is, what is it teaching?"-Fmr. FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2007 : 2:56:58 PM
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My Mona, as a bred heifer was $1,500. (a little over a year ago) that was considered a good deal..and I havn't seen one as cheap since. Yikes, huh??
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 |
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faithymom
True Blue Farmgirl
360 Posts
Faith
Sandpoint
ID
USA
360 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2007 : 2:58:03 PM
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uuhhh...yeah, yikes... lol, I guess I can be thankful that I'm not ready for her yet!
"All television is educational television. The only question is, what is it teaching?"-Fmr. FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson |
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psouper
True Blue Farmgirl
50 Posts
50 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2007 : 4:42:59 PM
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We keep a calf with our jersey, and milk once a day. It's been a great arrangement. In the past year my cow raised 3 calves, and now she's 18 mos into her lactation and I'm still milking twice a day ( cause the calves are off her) and getting about 2.5 gallons.
Polly
www.favoriteapron.blogspot.com |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2007 : 9:35:39 PM
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I wish we had space to raise a calf..but we don't (not and keep my ewes too!!) and so I only kept Mona's bull calf for two weeks and milked her twice a day until about 2 months ago when I went to once a day (whew!) and still get 3 gallons or so a day..I plan to milk her until about the first of March and then start gradually drying her up. She is due to calve on May 25. Since she calved on March 2nd that will be 12 full months. Is your cow bred now Polly? I have heard of people milking a cow for two full years..how cool is not dealing with the whole calf thing..but then..I love the adventure too!!
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 |
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mellaisbella
True Blue Farmgirl
1862 Posts
melanie
living on Anne of Green
Gables land
Canada
1862 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2007 : 10:18:53 AM
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Hi ladies....Aunt Jenny, I reas your posting and I am not understanding something (my brain has been in a fog since the flu I had) Mona couldn't possible be pregnant for 12 months???? Or is that the last time she calved? I have a shocking thing to tell you ladies (I think I told you this already Aunt Jenny) Jersey cows aren't worth much here....even if they are pregnant. We had a buyer here the other day and he was only willing to pay $500.00 for a pregnant Jersey....Any of you ladies planning on coming to PEI? I'd sell you one for $600.00!!! crazy how things are eh?
mellaisbella "I wanna touch the earth, I want to break it in my hands, I want to grow something wild and unruly" |
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faithymom
True Blue Farmgirl
360 Posts
Faith
Sandpoint
ID
USA
360 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2007 : 10:51:33 AM
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ooo...a trip to PEI AND a cow for half price...sold!!!
Just kidding...I live in town right now and don't think my neighbors would appreciate the noise...no matter how LOW the price was...lol...
Mella...it reminds of the scene where Anne sells Rachel's cow...lol
"All television is educational television. The only question is, what is it teaching?"-Fmr. FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2007 : 12:25:49 PM
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NO...I will have been MILKING her for 12 months. She is due to calve later this year..I bred her for May 25th so it wouldn't be so cold like last spring when she calved. I did word that weird didn't I. Nope..she is an ordinary cow..pregnant for only 9 months like all the others. haha.
Wow..I wish cows were so cheap here. It would be fun to spend the extra money just for the trip to see PEI!!! (and Mella!!)
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 |
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psouper
True Blue Farmgirl
50 Posts
50 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2007 : 4:10:03 PM
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Jenny - I'm HOPING she's bred. We had her AI'd 3 times last summer. The tech seemed to think the 3rd time was the best - lots of signs of being "ripe." I can't get a vet to come here and palpate. Vet shortage and nobody wants to bother with a family cow. I missed the deadline to send blood to the lab for a pregnancy test, so -- we'll just wait. She'll be due at the end of April if she is indeed bred. Her stomach seems huge and lopsided - I don't know . . . . .
I admire you for being able to say goodbye to a 2 week calf. It's much easier to butcher a steer. We add a foster calf too, so she nurses two. She has raised 3 calves for us in a year.
Polly
www.favoriteapron.blogspot.com |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2007 : 5:06:21 PM
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It was easier to say goodbye to Norman knowing I could go visit (he went to my Nephew's house just about 1/2 mile away and I did go see him for awhile. He isn't so cute and cuddly now but I still check on him. He is 10 months old now!!! Next year's calf will hopefully go down to Libbie..much easier to say goodbye when you know who they are going to..BUT I hold out hope for this one to be a heifer calf so I can visit for years to come. I do know that Norman's time is short.
I am tempted to call a vet out to make sure Mona is indeed pregnant before drying her up. I just would die if I dried her up and then found out she WASN'T!! Mona is starting to show now too..and just has a clumsier attitude..although she still has a little feisty heifer in her. She fairly DANCED around a flake of hay I thew out for the ewes the other night. It was hilarious!
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 |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Jan 09 2007 : 08:58:47 AM
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Oooohhhhhh...I'm hoping for Mona's calf to be a heifer, too!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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faithymom
True Blue Farmgirl
360 Posts
Faith
Sandpoint
ID
USA
360 Posts |
Posted - Feb 10 2007 : 12:04:43 AM
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OK, I just got the book, "Keeping a Family Cow" and now I would like to know how whether you bottle feed your calves or leave them with mom and share the milk supply with the calf?
I have read the pros and cons given in the book and would just like to hear how it works at your place?
Faith
"All television is educational television. The only question is, what is it teaching?"-Fmr. FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson |
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herbquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
891 Posts
Kristine
Bonney Lake
Wa
USA
891 Posts |
Posted - Feb 10 2007 : 12:42:02 PM
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I have to tell you ladies that the cow talk is awesome. I love to hear about the "dancing cow".
We aren't to the point to have a cow yet, but are aiming for that this fall.
There's a opportunity to share milking a cow locally. That may work out really well for our family.
Please keep up the cow talk.
Blessings,
Kristine ~ Mother of Many & Herbalist
www.herbalmomma.com
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Feb 10 2007 : 12:49:02 PM
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We only kept Mona's bull calf last year for a short time. I left him with her for that time. If she has a heifer calf and we keep that calf longer I will probably separate them after a few weeks and put the calf (with a sheep buddy) in an adjoining smaller pen where mom and her could touch noses through the fence and bottle feed..since we do rely on the milk. I would keep a heifer calf on mom's milk longer I think unless there was a source of fresh milk for her. I hate to see a heifer put on milk replacer.
I have Mona down to every other night milking now and we are getting about 3 gallons a milking..enough to barely get by (for our family)without buying milk. The end is near for the year and we will be without fresh milk for about 2 1/2 months..yikes! She is due to calf May 25th. I have been freezing butter like crazy and have ricotta and cottage cheese frozen too..but it is the daily milk and cream that will be hard to not have. I LOVE having a cow!!
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 |
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faithymom
True Blue Farmgirl
360 Posts
Faith
Sandpoint
ID
USA
360 Posts |
Posted - Feb 10 2007 : 12:58:59 PM
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Do you pasteurize or use it raw?
Have you had mastitis problems from the milking machine?
This talk of cows, and the chicken discussion, is giving me 'farm-itch'...It's so hard to wait for something I want so badly...
"All television is educational television. The only question is, what is it teaching?"-Fmr. FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Feb 10 2007 : 3:27:44 PM
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We have always used it raw. I honestly wouldn't think of any other way. We had goats before the cow and did the same with their milk.
We had one very slight case of mastitis in one quarter with Mona about 4 months or so ago..quickly taken care of. It was during a really muddy spell and I think that was the problem. I am very very careful. She never got real sick..I caught it at the very onset.
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 |
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mellaisbella
True Blue Farmgirl
1862 Posts
melanie
living on Anne of Green
Gables land
Canada
1862 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2007 : 09:29:35 AM
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Aunt Jenny do you make your own ricotta cheese? I keep saying that I am going to make my own cheese, butter and yogurt but haven't yet
independent consultant with Epicure Selections www.epicureselections.com "Everyday gourmet simply by opening a jar!" |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2007 : 12:45:34 PM
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Oh yes..ricotta is an easy one to make!! I use the whey from making mozzarella (another easy one) and it is really quick..and good! You should try it Mel..you would have fun and it is so fresh tasting and yummy.
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 |
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katiedid
True Blue Farmgirl
601 Posts
Kate
West Jordan
Utah
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2007 : 2:25:10 PM
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Jenny, have you even made any cheddar or other aged cheeses?
How about you Libbie, are you milking you dexter?
Are dexters really a tiny cow?
Love the cow talk!!
Kate
my new blog http/www.theknifemakerswife.wordpress.com |
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MullersLaneFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
596 Posts
Rock Falls
IL
596 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2007 : 2:33:03 PM
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Our Dolly (a jersey) is milked once a day in the winter and is currently giving 3-4 gallons. When she is milked twice a day, she gives about 7 gallons.
How much milk will depend on what she is fed and her access to clean water too.
Every cow is an 'all-purpose' cow and can be used for milk, meat or draft. Some breeds excel in different areas. Jersey meat is better than angus for taste - you have to get past the yellow marbeling though. Jersey oxen are one of the calmer breeds for draft and you can hardly beat jersey milk for cream content!!
Cyndi
Muller's Lane Farm http://www.mullerslanefarm.com
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A Farm of My Own: dairy cow |
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dairy cow
