price of milk

[rc]

With the price of milk I am seriously thinking of getting a milk cow. Jersy????

 

[jfranseen]

Jerseys are a small breed. They won't eat as much. However if you bought a jersey cow and she was a horrible milker during peak production I would think she would give at least 30lbs a day. That is roughly four gallons. A lot of milk even for a big family. 30 lbs a day is really poor production too. Not that I condone this kind of foolishness, but how about a goat or two. Then you are looking at about 1 to 1.5 gallons a day depending on the quality of the goat. Plus they don't consume nearly as much feed and are quite a bit cheaper to buy. My dad milks about 200 goats. Just buy one or two. 200 goats plus kids and bucks are no fun at all. At least in my eyes.

 

[bigbull338]

a jersey would be a good choice for a family cow.an you could feed her 15lbs feed a day.an raise a calf on her as well while you milk her.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

• Only Drink or use 1 Gallon Milk a Week.
  Drink lots of water.
  Avoid need for milch cow and its upkeep
  ...Priceless

 

[1982vett]

• Only Drink or use 1 Gallon Milk a Week.
  Drink lots of water.
  Avoid need for milch cow and its upkeep
  ...Priceless

Know what you mean.

I buy 1/2 gal. a week. Kitchen drain drinks more of it than I do. I'm with you on the water. Well water out of the tap with ice.

 

[Brandonm22]

We fed the surplus milk too pigs.

 

[milkmaid]

I've been thinking along the same lines... I have two nurse cows at home; figure if I steal a little milk now and again we shouldn't need to buy any milk this summer. Have to cut costs where you can.

BB, if I had to feed even my Holsteins 15lbs/day in grain I wouldn't have any of 'em. With the price of feed I think both my cows will be running on pasture with no grain this summer -- and I do expect them to support a full set of calves (4) too.

 

[bigbull338]

well if i was going to have nurse cows.she would be fed 10 to 15lbs grain a day.an have 4 or 5 calves on her.gotts keep her in good shape.because if you dont.she wont be able to raise 15 to 20 calves a year.

 

[milkmaid]

I'd disagree that they need that much grain. My 311 cow weaned one set of 4 calves at 150-180 days of age (the calves had quite an age range) with a 2.46 ADG (each!) and no grain to cow or calves. She also bred back second service (first was AI) while raising the calves.

If someone has a Jersey that has to be fed 15lbs/day in order to feed a family and one calf, she ought to be shot and they ought to go buy a Holstein. :lol2:

 

[mnmtranching]

Heck, when the kids were little I milked a Black Angus Cow. :cowboy: Real tame and a easy milker. I did give her grain. We made butter once a week or so with the cream. I milked a couple quarts each evening then let the calf on her, separated the calf in the morning. Made extra work, but the kids loved the milk. Maybe should do that again. 8)

 

[rc]

Well I have 16 Angus cows nursing calves, maybe I can tame one of them to the point of being milked. Is milk milk?

 

[Onthebit]

Well I have 16 Angus cows nursing calves, maybe I can tame one of them to the point of being milked. Is milk milk?

Not really! Most of the commercial breeds, especially holstiens produce A1 protein in their milk which is linked to a host of ailments including diabetes...Older, noncommercial breeds are believed to produce A2 protein instead....In Australia, they are DNA testing commercial dairy cattle and separating the A2 producers and selling their milk separately....

The A1 protein is perported to have come from the holstein so one might surmise that a breed without that influence would produce A2....

I have a few Dexter cattle and I hope they produce A2 but I don't know for sure because the test is only available to commercial dairys at this time....

A herd of devons in the US has been tested and produces A2 milk.....

 

[WAguy]

I would avoid a pure dairy cow to get milk for the family (unless you have 8 kids). Higher production sometimes associated with problems.

I have a small Jersey/lowline angus cross cow I get over a gallon daily after the calf gets what it wants. Also have her daughter who is 3/4 beef, 1/4 Jersey who gives nearly a gallon daily, and she is only 44" tall. You should be able to get more out of a standard size beef cow with decent udder. I will soon get rid of the 3/4 beefer, as kids are leaving and I don't need much. I sell about 3 gallons weekly for $5 per gallon (USDA/FBI/State Ag Dept. is probably tracking me down now).

It is unAmerican to get goats. Been down that road and am ashamed to admit it

Some goats pass a goaty flavor to their milk - got to where I was the only one drinking it. Haven't had one problem with cow milk, regardless of feed.

I can no longer survive without real, fresh cow milk. Need milk/cream on cereal in morning. Must have real butter. Cannot force down sandwiches or cookies or cake or you-name-it without a big slug of cold, refreshing, lubricating milk. Wife recently bought store milk when dried up cow1. Cannot do it - kids also rebelled. Tastes scalded. No wonder you all don't drink much.

That's why I have cow2, to cover cow1's dry period, but can no longer justify keeping her just for that. Plan to drink homemade root beer when cow is dry next time.

 

[Aero]

are there any health dangers milking a cow that has been nursed regularly by a calf? (all on pasture)

it doesnt seem like the butter would be worth it. the store sells it for almost nothing and it lasts quite a while.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

are there any health dangers milking a cow that has been nursed regularly by a calf? (all on pasture)

If there are, then I've been lucky and haven't suffered any ill effects from it. Until my Jersey (nurse cow) died I drank her milk. In the evening I'd tie her to a post, with a small bit of feed and milk out about a gallon when needed. Of course I'd wash her udder and my hands and use a clean pail.

As long as one has a good herd-health program, they should be okay.

Currently I have a young Jersey heifer due to freshen soon and with any luck she'll work out at least half as well as the dearly departed Jersey.

One more thing, when the former Jersey had 3 calves on her, she did not require 15 lbs of feed a day. Generally 3 or 4 was enough when the grazing wasn't as good.

Katherine

 

[alftn]

Get a goat, goat milk is better for you than cows .. Less trouble also

 

[dun]

I have no idea what the price of milk is in the stores but you might want to pencil whip the costs of producing it yourself. Even if the cow only grazes you're still looking at a significant cost (value) for her upkeep.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Any one ever milk a Gurnsey, we had them when i was growing up they were good family milk cows.

 

[Calman]

I would think by raising 2 or 3 calves on her while milking you could come out with a lot less expience.

Cal

 

[chippie]

dun said:

I have no idea what the price of milk is in the stores but you might want to pencil whip the costs of producing it yourself. Even if the cow only grazes you're still looking at a significant cost (value) for her upkeep.

This is the best advice of all. We have Jersey cows and the ones in milk are fed 8 lbs twice daily plus pastured & hay. One can get buy on less depending on the quality of the feed (protein content), forage, and how much milk you want to produce.

I disagree with Milkmaid about the amount that a cow should be fed. On a good cow, what you feed is turned into milk. I've seen so many nurse cows look like hell because the owner doesn't feed the cow correctly. Sure, dairy cows are lean and angular, but they should not be plum skinny and poor.

Many Holstein dairies have Jersey cows in their string to increase the butterfat in their milk tank and thus increase their profits.

Another thing about having owning a milking cow. It is a lot of work to properly take care of one. Twice a day, every day that she is fresh. We separate the cow from her calf. The calf stays in the pen and the cow goes out to the pasture. Keeping the calf up keeps the cow coming to be milked. We milk what we need, then put the calf with the cow to strip her out, then separate them again.
If we don't need milk in the house, the calf gets it all.

If you let the calf run with the cow, there will be times that the cow will come up and won't have anything because the calf nursed.

Jerseys are a pretty cow and most have good dispositions. Holsteins - yuk.

PS. We use a lot of milk in our household, about 2 gallons a day. We have the cows because we enjoy them. It is costly to feed them. The Dairy Feed that we use costs $12.95 per 50 lb bag. We don't own enough land to raise our own grains and silage. We feed the extra milk to pigs and sometimes raise an extra calf (depending on the price of baby calves). We breed our cows to a beef breed so that they raise our beef too.