AnnaIkona
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Do You Have Cows?

My husband really wants a cow for fesh milk, so that we can drink it, make cheese, etc. (He has big plans :D )

I know they are pretty big, but we have a small barn where a cow could live.

If you have/had a cow, could you share some of your experiences (pictures are greatly appreciated too)?

Thanks! :-()

AnnaIkona
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Yes, yes and yes to all the questions. We are planning to bring the cow to our neighbors bull so that they can mate, and then we'll sell the baby cow.

And we aren't worried about how much milk we'll have (I know it's a LOT), because we'll be donating some to the cat shelter down the street, and we also have a small " farmer marker stand" where we sell eggs, fruit and veggies, and if we get a cow, we could sell the milk too!

If you folks could send a couple pictures of where your cow lives, that would be awesome!

imafan26
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I think with the new food safety modernization act, you will need to pasteurize the milk. I don't think you can sell raw milk in most states. You will need the equipment to do that unless you have someplace to take the milk to have it processed. I don't really know how cost effective that will be with just one cow.
https://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/raw-milk-regulations

AnnaIkona
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Yeah, good point. Maybe I'll stick with a goat. I heard some people say goat's milk doesn't taste well :? What do you think?

imafan26
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Sweetiepie might be the one to ask she keeps cows and other animals as well as a large garden. I don't know if she has goats too.

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sweetiepie
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I don't know what state you are in but more states are opening up raw milk sales. It would be hard as a family farm with one cow to pasteurize your milk to meet the standards. Just google raw milk laws for your state to find out. ND unfortunately can only sell raw milk if you own part of the cow. Like herd share. You buy a small part of the cow and pay for a portion of it's feed and then the actual owner of the cow gives you the milk. I have not done that.

I do have a 4 year old jersey now and a heifer that will be due in April. I do make cheese, cottage cheese, butter, whipped cream, sour cream, buttermilk, ice cream, and yogurt with the extra milk if I have any.

It is hard to tell you what kind of shelter you need when I don't know what state you are in. Most cows need shelter from sun, and wind. They can do fine outdoors in rain or snow. I do have a barn but most often they have a wind break on three sides with a roof, made out of metal. Important thing in winter is to give them straw or something to lay down on that will give them some insulation against the frozen ground. Remember you will have to have a water source that has a heater in it or give enough water twice a day. If you live where it is warmer you probably can get away with an area that provides some shade.
This is there winter shelter.
This is there winter shelter.
You will want a stanchion to milk in, though, something that locks their head in place and hopefully keep them moving around from side to side.

My only experience with goats was when I was a kid and the milk to me has a gamey taste and smell. Remember goats will require you to have better and higher fencing and they will eat siding off of buildings, trees etc. They like to climb also and no vehicles can be left in there pasture. I don't have the money to either fence in an area big enough for them to graze in all summer or provide them with that much hay.

Depending on what kind of cow you get will depend on how much milk you get. I milk twice a day and then two months before I dry off, I go down to once a day, preparing for the dry off. During that time I still get about 2 gallons. At her maximum she gives me 6 gallons. A new heifer will give about 3 gallons for a jersey. Of course it all depends on genetics, grain, and hay. My son is getting married next summer so I need to get away and all my family will be gone also since the wedding is some distance, I will need to leave my cow for a weekend. I have not done this yet but lots of people have. I plan on leaving the calves on the cows and when the calf gets old enough you can go from twice a day milking to once a day milking. If you time your weekend of leaving right in their lactation (Calf older and they are past there peak production) you can leave for a couple days and the calf will be old enough to milk the cow out enough so she doesn't have ill effects while you are gone. So there are lots of options on how you milk.

I wish you the best. Good luck. :wink:

tomc
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Anna, are you in the United States? If not, then our milk pasturization laws will not apply.

Expect that your cow will need something more than two acres of pasture as well as 3 to 5 tons of hay, for winter forage.

There are places where cows are herded to graze on the shoulders of roads, But that will mean you will have to tend your cow at arms length for the whole time it grazes.

Plan on supplimenting grass-hay with some grain. Its part of the cows pay-out for it being milked.

Goat milk can be tainted with billy-goat musk :(

imafan26
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We have goats on the farm. It is true goats like to browse so they don't really like to stay in a small area. There are currently six goats. One billy, 4 nannies and one male kid. They don't have a lot of acreage and the trees in the pen are all caged otherwise they would eat the bark off the trees. They have a small shelter, but they actually prefer to stay under the trees or on the rock. There are large buckets in the pen and they prefer to crawl into them for shelter They are not kept as well as they should be. They do not get grain. They are fed mostly lettuce and whatever weeds are on the farm. When the trees are pruned, the branches are put in the pen for the goats. They don't really like grass. The gate to the pen is wired closed. All the feeding is done over the top of the fence. Goats are houdinis when it comes to escaping, they will take advantage of even a small break in the fence and they are not easy to catch.

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sweetiepie
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Not all milking cows or goats need to be fed grain. Some feed alfalfa as a treat, which is a certain type of hay while milking. I feed mine some grain because she produces enough that if I didn't while she was in milk she would loose condition. I do not feed her grain when she is not producing milk because she would get fat and this causes problems when she calves, such as milk fever or ketosis or just plain issues giving birth with too big of a calf. But some cows need to be grained all the time, others are easy keepers and don't need any grain. Most cows want the relief of being milked out and will let you milk with nothing as a bribe.

I currently feed one ton of hay a month per cow even when it is below zero. I do not skimp on it and they always have it in front of them. The type of hay you have also makes a great difference in the amount they eat. Jersey are a smaller cow and tend to eat less.

Every cow is different and what works for everyone can be so different.

AnnaIkona
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My neighbor feeds her goat with grass from the field, alfalfa hay, and leftover veggies.
I'll probably get a goat! Its a pretty good idea :)
And I won't sell its milk in my farm market, cause you folks are right- we can't sell unpasteurized milk, acording to the laws.

tomc
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Keep reading researching, you may be able to sell cheese if you pasteurize the milk while making it.

AnnaIkona
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I guess I could sell cheese, but I most likely won't cause I love cheese too much to sell it away :()



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