You say that you are from Mo. I am in Va and have been raising dairy and dairy cross calves for over 40 years. I try to to raise most on nurse cows but also do some on bottles. I presently have 5 dairy cows that I use to raise calves on. There are a few tricks. But let me address your idea of using the cow to raise a possible orphaned calf. If the calf is aggressive it will probably go on the cow if it is less than 10 days or 2 weeks old. But if it is older, and say the cow dies, often a calf will not want to go on a different mother. Again, some will become "stealers" off another cow in the herd. But there are some that just won't want another mother. Or if it is too different in age than the nurse cows' own calf, you cannot be assured of the cow allowing it to nurse.
It does help if the calf is bottle/nipple trained, or comes directly off a cow at a couple days old.
There is no guarantee that a home raised up calf to be a nurse cow, will be accepting. No matter how nice, they have to have a disposition so that the hormones kick in. I had a guernsey cow off a commercial dairy that had been milking there for 6 lactations, turn into one of the best nurse cows I ever had....but a raised up jersey sweetheart that I never got to take calves.
Just because a cow allowed calves one time is no guarantee they will take them again, although it is an indication that they might be more accepting.
If you are thinking of this just as a possible nurse cow to take orphan calves then it honestly is not worth it. I quit raising them because it just is not economical as it once was. I only do it now because I like my dairy cows and don't want to cull them, because there is no market for dairy steers, and it costs too much to buy black calves to put on them because when you sell them there is not enough return. A holstein bull calf is bringing in the $25 to $75 range whereas a black calf, and most are half dairy, cows bred to a black bull for crossbred calves, will bring $100 to $250. The thing is the crossbred black calves will show the dairy in them as they grow so that as feeders they are worth alot less than a straight bred beef calf. For example, say a beef calf is worth 1.50 lb at 500 lbs. A holstein steer is worth .70 at 500 lbs. A black dairy cross steer is worth 1.00 at 500 lbs. So if you spend $50 for the holstein then he brings you 350-50=300. A black cross calf costs $125 and brings 500 -125=375. A beef calf is worth 750. A nurse cow will eat as much or more because her system will require more to produce more milk. They do not keep weight on as easily as a beef cow. You would have to sell off at least 2 calves just to make what one beef calf will bring. So she has to raise at least 3 to break even on the cost of keeping her for the year.
I do it because I like my dairy cows. I used to raise 4-6 calves a year per cow, pulling some calves off and put a couple more on to utilize the production. But no longer. I try to get them to each take 3 and let them raise them up to 6-9 months weaning and figure I can pay for the cow's upkeep for the year. I feed grain in the first couple of months so the cow doesn't lose too much condition and gets bred back. So I have more in the cow than in our beef cows.
One of the reasons, that they are still here besides that I like my dairy cows, is that we run beef cattle also and often have one or two sets of twins and usually pull a twin off and then put it on the nurse cow. The beef cow does a better job if she only raises one most times, although we have a couple that will raise a total of 750 to 1,000 lbs total weight in the calves. Usually it is the cow prefers one calf over the other and this way we can be more sure she will do a good job with the one , and the other will get a chance. If my cows are not in the right stage, we will sell the calf. Not worth the cost of the milk replacer, and the time to get the calf to a weanable weight, then the added grain to keep that calf growing.
If you get a dairy cow, and want to use her as a nurse cow there are tricks to it that often give you better results. The first thing is that as soon as she calves, and her calf gets colostrum, take the calf away and pen it where she cannot feed it until you want her to. I bring the cows in to their calf, with any other calves I want her to take at the same time. I put her in a head catch/stanchion, and let the calves go on her, with her calf closest to her so she can smell it. I grain her when she is feeding the calves. Some will go directly on, some have to be taught what the udder is for. That is why a calf that is bottle - nipple trained is much easier to get started because they will often latch on as soon as it gets the smell or quick taste of the milk. A cow identifies it calf by the smell of the manure and the milk that goes through it. Most people just don't realize how important it is for the calf's manure to smell right to the cow. Yes they lick them and all, but the milk that they are producing causes that calf to smell right to her, as it is processed through the calf's system. After a couple of days, the cow often will quit kicking, and will tolerate the calves because she is getting fed also. Then I will try leaving the cow in with the calves for a few hours the a few days, and watch to see if when her own calf goes on, the other calves get the idea that they need to go suck at the same time. Once she doesn't fight them, I will let her out into a small pasture to see if they are nursing. If so, then you are good to go. But the cow still gets grained at least once a day, with the calves often coming in with her. This process will take up to 2-3 weeks to make sure they are well accepted and eating good and will stick with the cow out in the pastures.
This is not a quicky thing. Some will take them in 2-3 days, some take a couple weeks. Every cow is different, every lactation is different.
Because I have worked in the dairy industry for many years, I have access to dairy calves straight off the farm that have had a good start of colostrum. I can be pretty sure of the good health of a new calf. But since the costs of raising them has gone up and the return is the same or less than it used to be, I cannot see a profit without alot of man hours in it anymore. I milk my cows also for milk for the house, and I am breeding most all of them to beef and raise these jersy/angus calves for our own beef and for sale private because they won't bring enough at the sales to justify it. There is too much difference in the dairy cross calves from the pure beef calves, that they will not sell "along with" the calves off the beef cows. A good buyer can tell the difference in a crossbred calf, and they will not sell in the "group" even if they sell at the same age and time at weaning. So, the price will be alot lower. Again, the comparisons I made above. That is only very round figures, but it was to give you an example. This is long enough, I will be glad to answer any other questions about what/how I do it.
