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<blockquote data-quote="djinwa" data-source="post: 1310859" data-attributes="member: 8265"><p>I've been experimenting with this for years, trying to come up with the simplest way to get milk, but not too much. Needs declined greatly after kids left. Some would ask why bother, but I happen to like my wife's oatmeal raisin cookies, and a slice of homemade bread with peanut butter and her plum jam (or raspberry, or.....) and they demand a big slug of ice cold real milk to get down. Not that burnt chalky stuff from the store. I'm dreading the next several weeks when cows are dried up.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, let me second what Nesi said. A beef cow will do fine. Of course, they vary in production, but I just dried up a small framed beef heifer I was milking, ten months after calving, and was getting nearly a gallon on good hay. Still had the calf attached to her so I didn't have to milk every day, and just kept separating calf for longer periods as her production declined. A gallon a couple times a week is good enough for us. Calf won't miss that, but can give it a touch of grain if want to.</p><p></p><p>You do need to feed well if keep them milking that long. Good hay or pasture, with a bit of grain if necessary. And minerals. Some people think milk is free, but it has to be made out of something that went in the cow.</p><p></p><p>Recommend against a dairy cow. If genetics produce alot of milk, need to be fed just right to avoid problems. And one calf won't keep up if you don't want much milk. I did the Jersey thing, and ended up throwing milk away. I didn't want to become a pig farmer to use it up, and didn't need extra calves or whatever. Just stealing from a beef cow as needed is the easiest way. Calf can take care of things when you don't want to milk.</p><p></p><p>Also not a fan of buying a used milk cow as have been burned many times. Many are sold at 5 years of age and have hidden mastitis, or milk fever at calving, or whatever.</p><p></p><p>To get started, if can find some nice gentle younger beef cows that are bred, good route to go, and can check out their udders. Cows are herd animals and do better with company. Can milk the one that is easiest, or milk both, and pick from future heifer calves if you like them better. Or you could buy a couple heifers and get bred to calving ease bull, but will be a while before you get milk. I prefer AI for just a few, if you can find someone to do it. I breed to smaller framed standard bulls like you would find at Pharo cattle where I got semen.</p><p></p><p>Halter breaking cow and her calf is good. I just tie cow in the corner of shed with tub of grain, and let calf in to suck for a minute to get milk let down, then pull calf away to other corner while I clean cow out. I halter train the calf starting with a llama halter as newborn.</p><p>As others mentioned, temperament is important. This one heifer was the hardest I've had to milk. Would not let me milk without calf at her side. Tried alot of tricks, but finally just tied calf up just short of reaching her udder and that was good enough for her. Gentle enough otherwise, but doesn't like you messing with udder. Got better as calf got older.</p><p></p><p>To milk, I put two, 2-qt jars in a bucket and take out to the shed. One jar is wide mouth with a canning funnel with cheesecloth. Other one is narrow mouth I milk into, then, pour it through funnel in other jar. I don't wash the cow, just give one squirt on floor and hold jar sideways while milking so nothing falls in it. When done, I take all in house, get another widemouth to filter rest of milk into, then throw both jars in the frig.</p><p></p><p>Works for me, but might not for others.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="djinwa, post: 1310859, member: 8265"] I've been experimenting with this for years, trying to come up with the simplest way to get milk, but not too much. Needs declined greatly after kids left. Some would ask why bother, but I happen to like my wife's oatmeal raisin cookies, and a slice of homemade bread with peanut butter and her plum jam (or raspberry, or.....) and they demand a big slug of ice cold real milk to get down. Not that burnt chalky stuff from the store. I'm dreading the next several weeks when cows are dried up. Anyway, let me second what Nesi said. A beef cow will do fine. Of course, they vary in production, but I just dried up a small framed beef heifer I was milking, ten months after calving, and was getting nearly a gallon on good hay. Still had the calf attached to her so I didn't have to milk every day, and just kept separating calf for longer periods as her production declined. A gallon a couple times a week is good enough for us. Calf won't miss that, but can give it a touch of grain if want to. You do need to feed well if keep them milking that long. Good hay or pasture, with a bit of grain if necessary. And minerals. Some people think milk is free, but it has to be made out of something that went in the cow. Recommend against a dairy cow. If genetics produce alot of milk, need to be fed just right to avoid problems. And one calf won't keep up if you don't want much milk. I did the Jersey thing, and ended up throwing milk away. I didn't want to become a pig farmer to use it up, and didn't need extra calves or whatever. Just stealing from a beef cow as needed is the easiest way. Calf can take care of things when you don't want to milk. Also not a fan of buying a used milk cow as have been burned many times. Many are sold at 5 years of age and have hidden mastitis, or milk fever at calving, or whatever. To get started, if can find some nice gentle younger beef cows that are bred, good route to go, and can check out their udders. Cows are herd animals and do better with company. Can milk the one that is easiest, or milk both, and pick from future heifer calves if you like them better. Or you could buy a couple heifers and get bred to calving ease bull, but will be a while before you get milk. I prefer AI for just a few, if you can find someone to do it. I breed to smaller framed standard bulls like you would find at Pharo cattle where I got semen. Halter breaking cow and her calf is good. I just tie cow in the corner of shed with tub of grain, and let calf in to suck for a minute to get milk let down, then pull calf away to other corner while I clean cow out. I halter train the calf starting with a llama halter as newborn. As others mentioned, temperament is important. This one heifer was the hardest I've had to milk. Would not let me milk without calf at her side. Tried alot of tricks, but finally just tied calf up just short of reaching her udder and that was good enough for her. Gentle enough otherwise, but doesn't like you messing with udder. Got better as calf got older. To milk, I put two, 2-qt jars in a bucket and take out to the shed. One jar is wide mouth with a canning funnel with cheesecloth. Other one is narrow mouth I milk into, then, pour it through funnel in other jar. I don't wash the cow, just give one squirt on floor and hold jar sideways while milking so nothing falls in it. When done, I take all in house, get another widemouth to filter rest of milk into, then throw both jars in the frig. Works for me, but might not for others. [/QUOTE]
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