First time cow owner

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MikeJoel

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 4, 2006
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176
City & State/Province
Down East Maine
This is our first cow.
What would be a starting point for feeding a 5 year old jersey mix (about 800 to 900 pounds?).

1) Feed during dry? (heard should only feed hay when dry)
2) Feed 2 months before freshening to calving?
3) Feed during lactation?

Right now the cow is about to calve her third.

I have been feeding about 4lb a day in sweat feed 14% and am about to get dairy ration 20%. I have been also trying to supply as much hay as she wants.

What for the three periods above should I be using as a base point? How do you go about figuring out the correct feeding (I am not looking to try to mix my own feeds yet).

We are interested mainly in the milk now but later will probably get more into breeding and such. We wnt a good amount of milk but don't want to push to the limits so she remains healthy and lives longer. (We aren't selling milk or anything like that).

Thanks for helping someone new,
Michael
 
Don't know a whole lot about dairy type cows, but they will need a good dairy ration if you want them to produce milk anywhere near potential....grass ain't gonna do it.
 
Forgot to mention we will be supplying all food for a while until we clear a pasture. We are hoping to have some pasture ready by late summer. We are also trying to work something out with a neighbor who let us use a field last year (and we hope again this year) that they don't use but would produce very good grass/hay.

Mike
 
MikeJoel":203ich61 said:
Forgot to mention we will be supplying all food for a while until we clear a pasture. We are hoping to have some pasture ready by late summer. We are also trying to work something out with a neighbor who let us use a field last year (and we hope again this year) that they don't use but would produce very good grass/hay.

Mike
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One dairy cow - probably being hand milked - not a performance dairy animal I am thinking.

See this answer from Caustic:

Grass. Hay and supplement with minerals cows were designed for grass not feed from a sack.
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So find some hay and some mineral and some small amount of grain and feed it. Better yet - leave the darned cow where it is until you are ready for it - or sell it - this is simply another expense and very likely just another potential problem that you probably do not need until you have the infrastructure ready.

There are a pile of good cows out there - easy to find and certainly cheap enough.

Save your pennies.

Bez!
 
Actually a cow is a savings up here.
Even if we totally feed (which is more work but that is expected) the cost of the feed and care and the animal per the cost of milk at the store will quickly ballance out and then the cow will be saving us money.

As I also said we expect to be able to obtain free hay/grass this summer.

Can't leave the cow where it is since it is sitting in our barn.

Thank you
Michael
 
MikeJoel,
A good quailty hay for bulk, a little alfalfa to increase protein, a good loose mineral,salt block and water. If her discharge is lumpy like horse's feed more afalfa till she has a looser pile. Loose enough to make one pile but enough fiber to stand up 2 inch or so high.
I raised a Jersey bottle calf up through her first calf with the intentions of her being a nurse cow for 2-3 sale barn calves every year. No extra feed she ran with the others cows on fescue pasture. She ended up having 1 quarter rot out(can't remember the name of the condition) because she wasn't being milked enough. Hope your deal works out better than mine. You might consider a feeder pig for the extra milk?
 
MikeJoel":2zl74mfh said:
Actually a cow is a savings up here.
Even if we totally feed (which is more work but that is expected) the cost of the feed and care and the animal per the cost of milk at the store will quickly ballance out and then the cow will be saving us money.

As I also said we expect to be able to obtain free hay/grass this summer.

Can't leave the cow where it is since it is sitting in our barn.

Thank you
Michael
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No problem - never had someone tell me one family drank so much milk that it paid to keep a cow - either a big family, or an easy keeping cow.

Good luck to you - still think the cow should go - but it is your animal.

Bez!
 
Bez!":nfmk17dx said:
MikeJoel":nfmk17dx said:
Actually a cow is a savings up here.
Even if we totally feed (which is more work but that is expected) the cost of the feed and care and the animal per the cost of milk at the store will quickly ballance out and then the cow will be saving us money.

As I also said we expect to be able to obtain free hay/grass this summer.

Can't leave the cow where it is since it is sitting in our barn.

Thank you
Michael
Click to expand...



No problem - never had someone tell me one family drank so much milk that it paid to keep a cow - either a big family, or an easy keeping cow.

Good luck to you - still think the cow should go - but it is your animal.

Bez!
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Well Bez look at it this way.... I am picking up a minimum of 2 gallons of milk per day, that is a little more than $7.... on the weekends, we go through more, same thing during the summer. I have 4 kids, one is 19 and then me and hubby. I think the math works, its just a matter of taking appropriate care of the cow... :)
 
Yep we are BIG milk drinkers.
We go through 2 gallons a day (just milk, not butter, ice cream or cheese)... No we aren't fat LOL... In fact people used to call me .... well forget that.... ;)

Anyway a 2 gallons a day up here:
(2% milk since we find that store milk is pretty bad tasting but at least 2% has less musty taste)
1 gallon 2% milk @ $3.65
So 14 gallons a week = $51.10

1 bale of hay (barn stored) @ $3.00 (not to start another topic but but we can get round bales (500 or 600lb) at $15.00, we pick up)
50lb sack of 16% sweat feed @ $6.95
So if I feed a bale a day and 6lb feed = $3.83 a day or $26.81 a week

This of course doesn't inlcude cost of cow but that I guess is an investment. This doesn't take into account that calves will either sell or butcher. Also that within a year we hope to have the pasture.

A year at the store is $2657.20 for milk while the cow will cost $1394.12 a year. (cow

Mike
 
I hate to spoil the party but your in for a rude awakening if that's how you figure your costs. First off if your picking up hay that cheap you must either have a nice neighbor or it's crappy hay. For a milk cow you must have high quality hay to maintain production. As far as the sweet feed, I've never heard of somebody feeding a milk cow out of a bag. You're feeding an expensive feed that doesn't offer much to the cow besides energy. You would be much further ahead to use a corn/barley feed that is cracked with concentrates mixed into it. And if your figuring on giving 6 lbs. of grain to that cow she is definately going to drop in production. Other costs that you didn't mention include minerals, vaccinations, breeding costs, pasture, etc. There are so many things that must be factored into the equation that it isn't even funny. I'm not trying to discourage you, just trying to make you aware that it is one heck of an undertaking when it comes to milking cows and just cattle in general. Most people don't realize that. I'm sure you're very enthusiastic about this right now but after a few months of having to milk the cow twice a day you may be singing a different tune.
 
novaman":i3ag77wd said:
I hate to spoil the party but your in for a rude awakening if that's how you figure your costs.
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I have to disagree here. I'm running two nurse cows at the moment on 9lbs of corn/barley & 1-2 bales of hay per hd/day. My cost? about $20/hd/week in feed. One cow feeds four calves and saves me $4/week in milk replacer. (The other one feeds two calves and costs me $8/week to keep over what it would cost to have the calves on milk replacer, but that's another story.)

As for basic feed- (for a cow in a dry lot or during the winter) a dry cow should have grass hay. She should not be allowed to get too fat. About a week or two before the anticipated calving, a little bit of grain can be introduced into the diet (or my last nurse cow to calve was on grain the entire dry time) and the cow can be slowly transitioned to a higher protein/fat diet - alfalfa hay. During the summer or if you're in a place that doesn't have to feed hay, pasture is fine over both dry time and early lactation.

Now, I have one cow who will be getting grass hay over her whole dry time even though it falls over the early part of the summer when pasture is good. She's a massive 1800lbs and shouldn't be more than 1500-1600 in good condition. I've seen too many problems with fresh, overconditioned cows to let her enter the next lactation like this. But from the pic of your cow she looked to be in good condition.

Cow does need free choice hay. Rather than explaining the exact reasons why (unless you want to know), I'll just stick with telling you to make sure she has access to hay at all times - especially as a fresh cow. I usually feed around 60-120lbs of hay per lactating 1400-1600lb cow per day. Dry cows usually eat a bit less.

I heard something from a friend of mine who read an article in the Hoard's Dairyman (BIG dairy magazine) that milk production suffers if the protein content of the cow's ration gets above 16.5%. I didn't read the article myself, but that's what I was told. Keep that in mind when buying feed.

I personally feed a 50/50 mix of straight corn/barley with nothing else added. Cheap and they do well on it. Corn runs about 10% protein, barley about 13%.

You'll have to keep cow and calf separated after you start milking this cow, you know.

As far as calves go- 1 calf needs 1 gallon per day of milk. So you figure 4 gallons per day for your family? and cow giving 6 gallons per day? You need a second calf. Besides the fact that since the calf will have to be seperate from the cow so you have milk every day - for yourself - and calves don't do well alone. They need company. Minimum of two calves.

It's getting late over here...I'll finish this tomorrow.
 
Well since we haven't been having a party no one can spoil it

I know that when I talk about stuff here most people dont understand our viewpoint so let me do a rundown


1) Moved to maine in the middle of one of the worst mud seasons they had
2) Rode an open trailer pulled by a skidder with some of our stuff down a mud rapid that was supposed to be a driveway a few times
3) Moved to a trailer that had no heat, electric or water
4) Spent two months pumping water by hand, bathing from a bucket, light from propane and batteries (no hot water unless it was boiled of course)
5) The spring was marked by record rain fall over 24" more than normal (newspapers were remarking on the need to possibly build an ark)
6) Durring and in this rain we cut and cleared (with one chainsaw) a new driveway since the old one was not going to be fit for driving on (did I mention that during the mud season the only way to get groceries and anything else over 300 feet to our trailers was by leg)
7) Endured on of the worst bug seasons they have had
8.) then got sick for a month
9) As I got well I ran electricity from the new poles, put in a pump and water lines (above ground)
10) Cut by hand about an acre of hay (using a scythe and making hay stacks)... only an acre was cut because of an interuption I will not speak of because it was a very sad personal thing
11) After getting well we cut about an acre of land by that chainsaw
12) Had trailers moved to final position and finally got toilets and underground water pipes (after spending nights having to shut down the entire water system to prevent freezes)
13) Spent a strangley mild winter (for Maine) heating with wood only (which was our plan) with a neighbor telling use we would never have enough to get through (we did)
14) Now spring is coming and we are getting ready to put in the garden and such
15) Planning to clear a pasture and have grass by late summer

Now I dont see a party there. During this time we tended to the horse (which is healthy and strong, and a flock of chickens)

I left out a whole lot of things that were hard but didn't feel like talking about.

Now the hay we are feeding is the exact same hay the dairy feeds their cows so if it isn't any good they better sell their cows.

The grain is a full mix. I prefer grain to pellets (but that may change).
I do not look forward to milking a cow by hand but it is something that will have to be done like everything else that we have had to do or not have.
Dairy men (about 3 or 4) have told us with the milk use we have should have a cow.

If we have been able to handle and get through what we have with God's help (and I REALLY mean that cause we wouldn't have without it) then we can probably handle a cow too. I completely and fully admit to not know a whole lot about cows, but then I didn't know a ton about everything else we have done either but God gave understanding as it was needed.... I know some are rolling eyes but it is simply that way and I can't ignore it or refuse to place the honor and gratitude where it belongs...

Well I better stop before I ramble to long
Mike


PS We will find a use for any extra milk ;-) I have no doubt
 
TurnThatCowLooseMaw":2vnglabr said:
5-600 pound round bales thats small lol. 15 dollars aint cheap for them. I can get 4x4, 4x5, and or 5x5 12-1400 pound round bales for 15 bucks all day long. It is barn stored and good quality
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Location, location, location

dun
 
Good luck to you Mike. Most of us have worked all our life so we wouldn't have to do it the way you seem to want to do it. I hope you find what your looking for.
 
MikeJoel - You seem to be persistent. I am sure you and your family will be fine. As well as your milk cow. :)

Keep asking your questions, you will get great answers and some pessimistic remarks on occassion, but all in all, it is because the people on these boards seem to have one thing in common.... they care about the animals well being.

Good Luck! BTW, you may want to follow MilkMaids advice and get yourself another calf. If you have that many family to cover the milk available, you are probably going to slaughter for meat. 2 will probably be closer to the needs for beef. My family goes through (in addition to my mom) at minimum 1 a year! And no, no-one in my family has a weight problem either! :D
 
:heart: no rolling eyes here, My husband and I have had a milk cow and several beef cow for 4 years now, we love the experience, and the milk. We hand milked for 2 yrs, then bought a small milker with 4 teet cups. Worked out great. This last calf we let suckle "Oakley" was her name in the morning, we took the milk in the evening. Worked out very well for us and the calf grew like crazy. You don't sound afraid to try new things in life -- so don't be nervous with this, as long as your cow gets good nutrition, clean water, she'll do well. Good luck to ya, and our prayers are with you!
 

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