Cows for good butter making

[Kev]

Just wanted to know which breed is better for making butter, with such high butter prices my wife and i have talked about making our own butter. We've started to research this so i thought i would ask some of you. Hope this doesn't sound to strange.

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

Of the traditional breeds, Jerseys will give you the most butterfat (5-6%), with Guernseys running a reasonable second (4%).

If you are willing to deal with non-traditional breeds, the Scottish Highland actually gives the highest butterfat (10%).

Ann B

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Don't mean to be sarcastic; however, unless you're using 25 to 50 lbs of butter a month, probably cheaper to buy it ($3.00 lb?) than to buy all the processing equipment to make butter. Not to mention the mess and cleaning up.... :cboy:

 

[la4angus]

Just go to the grocery store and buy a half gal of heavy cream, pour it in your mixer and beat until it turns to butter. Or just put ot into a large jar and shake the h*ll out of it until it turns to butter. If that is not enough buy more heavy cream.
Do this a few times before you decide to invest in a cow only for that purpose.

 

[CattleAnnie]

Tend to agree with LA on this one.

On my first job out of highschool (before the fun of college), I worked on a ranch way up and gone in the boonies. One of the chores that I was assigned was the milking of the family jersey. Seven a.m. and seven p.m., you'd find me hunched over the milk pail. However, it was a pretty good education on the responsibilities of having a milk cow, as nearly twenty years later (with six kids between the two of us) I still recall it with a clarity that has me buying my butter, milk, and cream at the grocers (and money is pretty tight up here for ranching families).

Not saying that you shouldn't...just saying that if you do, you won't be taking off for the weekend to go to the lake or family reunion unless you can find someone willing to milk her for you.

Best luck with your decision. Take care.

 

[Kev]

Thanks everyone gor your replys i'm going to do some serious reconsidering thanks again

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

In response to everyone who advocates buying butter from the store -- some of us refuse to use not only the store butter, but also the store milk, due to the conditions it is produced under and the addititives/hormones that the FDA has decided shouldn't be labelled!
(milk produced with Bovine Growth Hormone does not have to be labelled as such -- and it is ILLEGAL to label it as NOT containing it too!!)

RAW milk and butter are living foods and are MUCH healthier than their store-bought counterparts.
The work and time involved ISN'T a big deal if you have dedicated yourself to providing your family with the BEST -- I spend less time milking and buttermaking than I do in my garden!

And just for everyone's information -- buttermaking requires a soup ladle for skimming, a gallon jar for churning, and about 30 minutes of your time rocking the jar back and forth across your knee (while you watch TV), and another 10 minutes washing the butter.
And a half gallon of Jersey cream will give 2 lbs of butter.

Yes, a milk cow is confining -- but there is no hard and fast rule that says that you have to milk twice a day. Once a day milkings are just fine and will increase the percentage of cream.

Ann B

 

[Anonymous]

If you have had children, infants etc. remember how much fun that was, yes loads, remember the duties that that involved, having any type of dairy animal be it a goat or a cow, and you have serious responsibility, daily!, there are NO Holidays, No vacations with out finding that reliable sitter whom you know is well versed in animal husbandry, and is knowledable enough to know when to call the vet or what to do to treat a sick animal,

What ever the cost increase in butter or milk, I would far and away choose to buy it in the store than produce it myself, and I do get to this this occasionaly, for a day maybe two it is a great novalty, but no more than that, it is a pain in the but,

The cost and quality assurance that goes into having a Grade A dairy facility, is HUGE, Time consuming, requires great effort, and time keeping things CLEAN

If you watched that show where those little rich sluts worked/ rather lived at a dairy farm, and made that poor mans life miserable, and did major damage to his quality control, they need to be removed from the gene pool, I don't care how much money they have.!

 

[Anonymous]

"RAW milk and butter are living foods and are MUCH healthier than their store-bought counterparts."

Do you have any proof of that? If so I would love to see some scientific studies that support your statement.

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

"RAW milk and butter are living foods and are MUCH healthier than their store-bought counterparts."

Do you have any proof of that? If so I would love to see some scientific studies that support your statement.

RawMilk.org
http://www.rawmilk.org/

This one is from a Brittish Science Journal
http://www.curezone.com/art/read.asp?ID=70&db=6&C0=17

The Alternative Medical Center of Connecticut
http://www.drrons.com/raw_milk.html

And this one is about the curative powers of raw milk
http://www.realmilk.com/milkcure.html

 

[Tman]

We stop by the dairy farm outside of town and pick up fresh non homogenized milk. We know the farmer and know his cattle are not treated with hormones. We have to take our own jar and it is further than the grocery store but sure worth the drive.

 

[TexasCountryWoman]

Making butter is really easy...what is the fuss? I make cow and goat butter.

 

[Kev]

Hey TCW, could i get your opinion on what breed of cow makes the best butter and what breed you use. Also your views on equipment and such. thanks

 

[jcarkie]

jeresey are about the best for the table, good milk small cow and good butter. :roll: my grandpa always kept at least one for milk and raising extra calves. i tried the milking and it wasn't for me but it was fun to try.

 

[TexasCountryWoman]

The best breed of cow for butter is the Jersey, they have more butterfat content in their milk. They produce less milk than a Holstein, but it is "richer". (I also raise goats with a higher butterfat content to their milk than other dairy breeds). All you have to do is skim the cream off the milk, when it separates, a day or so for cows, three days for goats. Then just shake the cream in a jar, or get your hands on a churn (hard to find cheap ones now a days...they are more like decorator items or such, not utilitarian items anymore!). Anyway, after a lot of shaking in the jar or churn, 30 minutes or so, suddenly the cream separates into butter and buttermilk. Take the butter out and place into a bowl of ice and water. Press with fingers until it is all butter and extra "juice" has been squeezed out. Salt to tast and chill or freeze.

 

[Kev]

Thanks TCW,
I appreciate you answering back and taking the time to post back. You've been a big help.