Holstein for a family cow

[lancemart]

I just purchased a Holstein calf 5 months old. I plan on breeding her next July 2007 that is. If I decide to milk her, can I only milk her once a day. Somone also told me I am going to have too much milk for one family. They suggested that once I breed her to keep the offspring and the days I do not feel like milking her I can let the calf do the job. Is that true? Please let me know before I get in over my head.

 

[andybob]

Way too much milk for one calf, consider fostering a couple more as well as her own calf.
We used to keep jersy crosses for house cows,we seperated the calf overnight, milked out the cow in the morning, and left the calf with the cow through the day. We had enough milk for butter making as well as all household use (still have our old milk churn in the kitchen). And we would raise a good 3/4 bred beef calf every year.

 

[milkmaid]

I'm thinking you'd be getting in over your head. :lol: ;-)

How on earth did you get your hands on a holstein heifer? sure she's not a freemartin?

 

[rkm]

Breed her and sell her as a bred heifer. You can buy a lot of milk with the money you get out of her. And you won't have to milk her twice a day not mention all the other headaches you will have trying to keep a milk cow.

 

[cowspider]

How on earth did you get your hands on a holstein heifer? sure she's not a freemartin?

I thought the same thing

 

[LangCattleCompany]

How on earth did you get your hands on a holstein heifer? quote]

um. buy it.

 

[milkmaid]

How on earth did you get your hands on a holstein heifer?

um. buy it.

Nowdays it'll cost a person an arm and both legs to get a GOOD heifer (not a freemartin) -- if they can even find one for sale.

 

[Ryder]

Breed her and sell her as a bred heifer. You can buy a lot of milk with the money you get out of her. And you won't have to milk her twice a day not mention all the other headaches you will have trying to keep a milk cow.

This makes sense to me.

 

[Dave]

In this part of the world a good 5 month old holstein heifer cost around $1,000. My money is on this one being a freemartin.

 

[glover36]

danmg holstien heifer 70 dollars here not even free martin and to your thing you will need to milk her more than once a day or suffer mastitis i would suggest a colour breed like milking shorthorns

 

[Bullbuyer]

In this part of the world a good 5 month old holstein heifer cost around $1,000. My money is on this one being a freemartin.

Price in this area would be similar - I agree with the freemartin idea. They'll eventually make beef but never babies.

 

[LangCattleCompany]

I see em sell all the time and not for 1000. Maybe my area is unique but there can't be that many freemartins can there? bought half that is what I've seen at the auction not that I would get one from there but..

 

[Dave]

Our local dairy sale runs 100-200 Holstein heifers on a normal week. They run from day olds to springers. They check them all and the freemartins are marked accordingly. I would guess that 15 to 20 percent of the total are freemartins. Dairy farmers don't sell too many good heifers but they darn sure sell every freemartin. The way the feed is pushed into dairy cows now days they have a higher rate of twins.
Dave

 

[rkm]

I don't know if you guys have checked the market for holstein heifers in the last month, but the price here has dropped. A 5 month old heifer less than $500.

 

[Dave]

It has slipped some here but not that much. They are still running about $2.50 a pound if they are any good.

 

[lancemart]

I paid $450.00 for her. What is a freemartine a Twin?
I am new at this.!!!!!!!

 

[milkmaid]

A freemartin is a twin to a bull calf. More than 90% of the heifers from mixed twins are sterile. I have one and have seen quite a few others.

Dairy farmers don't sell too many good heifers but they darn sure sell every freemartin. The way the feed is pushed into dairy cows now days they have a higher rate of twins.

:nod: Statistics I heard were 30% or better of births on the dairies are twins on the dairies. Where I work we run lower than that, less than 1 out of every 10 births -including 1st calvers- BUT, some days I feel like 10-25% of 2nd calvers have twin births, don't know what it is but there's sure a lot of twins among the 2nd calvers.

Lance, freemartins tend to have BB-sized teats, and as they mature, a very under-developed udder for their age. Sometimes the vulva is abnormally small, but I don't like to call freemartins based on that.

 

[lancemart]

I paid $450.00 for her. What is a freemartine a Twin?
I am new at this.!!!!!!!

Exactly what I thought it was. No I asked several times. The person I bought her from is very honest and guranteed me she was not a freemartin. He was happy I took her, because she was going to auction. She is all by herself now until next July. Should I put one of the cows with her or leave her like she is. She comes to me when I call her will followe me around and walks on a lead. I am trying to get her to do all this so when we go to milk her it will be easy to get her. Is this the correct thing to do?
Do I really have to milk her twice a day? I heard in other countries they only milk once a day. That was what I was planning to do, but it seems according to the responses it has to be twice. I will have to give the extra milk to the pigs.

 

[dun]

Have you ever hand milked a Holstein?
Th genetics in this country are high production and wouldn't work very well for once a day milking. Having her trained to lead is good, but I'ld run her with another animal, preferably a cow or steer. They are herd aniamls, if kept by herself, you become the herd.
By limiting the grainn you can limit to a degree her production. But any decent dairy animal is going to put the feed she gets into the bucket. Another drawback to some of the dairy genetics is teat size. hey have been selected/bred for a teat size that works well with a milking machine not hand milking.
Personally, if I was going to have cow for milk, it would be a heavy milking individual from one of the beef breeds.

dun

 

[msscamp]

She is all by herself now until next July. Should I put one of the cows with her or leave her like she is.

Cows are herd animals, I would get her a buddy - or better yet, split her feed into two feedings so she gets used to coming in in the morning and evening - that way you can turn her and her buddies out on pasture and she will come in in the morning and the evening for feeding and milking.

Do I really have to milk her twice a day? I heard in other countries they only milk once a day. That was what I was planning to do, but it seems according to the responses it has to be twice. I will have to give the extra milk to the pigs.

Based on what I know about milk production from a dairy cow (and it isn't much - only that they tend to be extremely heavy milkers) - yes, you will either have to milk her twice a day or break her to be a nurse cow for a couple of bottle babies. I'm with Dun on this one, I would forgo the dairy breeds and find me a good milking beef breed that I could milk once a day and let the calf take care of the rest! ;-) The regular black baldy or angus cows that we used to milk that had lost their calf for whatever reason and were gentle enough to be milk cows gave at least a gallon twice a day - a dairy breed is more than likely going to give twice that much.