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cows
Jan 6, 2011 6:58:32 GMT -5
Post by daylilydude on Jan 6, 2011 6:58:32 GMT -5
Which breed makes the best milker, and can you sell the milk?
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rintintin
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Joined: December 2010
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cows
Jan 6, 2011 18:44:59 GMT -5
Post by rintintin on Jan 6, 2011 18:44:59 GMT -5
Ouch! Selling the milk will be your biggest problem, unless you are completely off-grid. The dairy industry has pushed so many regulations through State/Federal jurisdiction, that the independent dairy producer is hard pressed to survive. I wish you luck. Dairy cows are a lot of work (they need to be milked twice a day, and "the pump has to be primed" - meaning if you buy a cow that is not yet producing milk, you will need to let her calve once before the milk begins to flow.)
Big, commercial AG has been pushing independent poultry, pork, and cattle producers out of business for decades. There are niche markets for pasture raised poultry, eggs and pork, but those markets for milk are almost nonexistent due to the regulations. I know people who still buy raw milk, but it must be labeled "Not for human consumption".
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Joined: January 1970
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cows
Jan 7, 2011 7:27:11 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2011 7:27:11 GMT -5
DLD, why don't you look into dairy goats? Goat milk goes for about $9/qt. Goats are much easier to deal with than cows. In my area, Jerseys & Holsteins are the most poplular milkers. Occasionally, you'll see a Brown Swiss.
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cows
Jan 8, 2011 8:46:20 GMT -5
Post by bluelacedredhead on Jan 8, 2011 8:46:20 GMT -5
We had remembered the feed info as being 2 acres per cow and only 1/4 acre per goat or sheep. But that doesn't cover everything! See below.... wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_acres_of_grass_are_needed_to_raise_a_cowObviously for small acreages, cattle are not the best choice. And personally, I don't like cattle. They are large, stupid animals. I watched one burn the hair on it's forehead on electric fence because it was pushing on it trying to get that greener grass on the other side...We spent many nights chasing our cows down the highway OR chasing the cows that lived across the road down the highway to their house.. Save you Money and your energy. Buy your beef from the butcher and get yourself a goat or a sheep for milk, meat or companionship.
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rintintin
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Posts: 150
Joined: December 2010
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cows
Jan 8, 2011 20:49:50 GMT -5
Post by rintintin on Jan 8, 2011 20:49:50 GMT -5
The caveat with sheep is that you have to manage their pasture. If you do not move them off of a pasture soon enough, they will destroy it. They rip it out by the roots, and leave nothing but soil for the winds & rain to wash away before you can reseed. Cattle need more pasture, but are much easier on it than sheep. Cattle pasture will reseed itself easily, sheep pasture will not, unless you move them off of it before the damage is done.
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cows
Jan 9, 2011 15:37:10 GMT -5
Post by sorellina on Jan 9, 2011 15:37:10 GMT -5
Mini cows are available in dairy and beef breeds now and require much less space. In my opinion, sheep and goats are way more stupid than cowwies. I have no use for sheep or goat products. Their meat is gamy and their cheese is inedible. Their milk makes me vomit.
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cows
Jan 9, 2011 15:58:31 GMT -5
Post by bluelacedredhead on Jan 9, 2011 15:58:31 GMT -5
The caveat with sheep is that you have to manage their pasture. If you do not move them off of a pasture soon enough, they will destroy it. They rip it out by the roots, and leave nothing but soil for the winds & rain to wash away before you can reseed. Cattle need more pasture, but are much easier on it than sheep. Cattle pasture will reseed itself easily, sheep pasture will not, unless you move them off of it before the damage is done. Having Raised Sheep and Cattle for about 10 years I don't necessarily agree with this statement. Our farm had 35 acres of hayfield and pasture and a treeline through the centre with row upon row of naturalized raspberry canes. The cows ate all those canes and anything else they could eat. We fed them well besides pasturing them. It wasn't like they were starving. They were grained every day and they were fed hay October through May. BTW, We rotated their pastures regularly. The pastures I've seen ruined were usually because they were overstocked, NOT properly Managed. Having chased cattle (ours and the neighbours) down the road on several occasions, I'd much rather herd sheep. Goats defy the termin herding, lol
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Deleted
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Joined: January 1970
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cows
Jan 9, 2011 23:37:19 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2011 23:37:19 GMT -5
Goats are easier than sheep or cows. But, DLD, selling raw milk is actually not allowed in many states, others allow 'not for human consumption' and others have more esoteric rules. Why not do something easy like chickens, sell the eggs and when they get old, sell the chickens on the specialty meat market for boiling or stewing hens. You could also raise boutique meat goats, but, then you have to have harvest, butchering and lockering until sold. Eggs are easy.
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okiedrifter
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Posts: 127
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cows
Feb 10, 2011 15:18:42 GMT -5
Post by okiedrifter on Feb 10, 2011 15:18:42 GMT -5
I love my Jersey cows......their milk is rich I very seldom have any to sell what with cheese and butter to be made out of it... feeding what we dont drink to the hogs and chickens.....with 5 children still at home we go thru alot of milk
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okiedrifter
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Posts: 127
Joined: February 2011
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cows
Mar 5, 2011 23:05:00 GMT -5
Post by okiedrifter on Mar 5, 2011 23:05:00 GMT -5
well a bit of news here we took our heifer cow to the vet to get her checked we had bought her from a dairy when she was about 4 months old....she was now about 18 months old..we had seen our bull mount her about 4 months ago but our neighbor had his cows next door for breeding and well when the hormones are flying.....so we loaded her up to 1 make sure she was healthy 2 to make sure she had all her girly parts (so her next stop wasnt the butcher)3 hoping she was about 4 months gone with calf....! she was healthy so she got all her Vacs 2 she had all her girly parts and 3 that hussy was nearly 8 months gone with calf...a bit to young to be calving so we are really gonna have to keep an eye on her....When I asked the vet if she had to have a c section could I watch he looked at me and said watch hell your gonna help.......We didnt have her with a bull at that time but she had jumped the fence and went next door several times......shes a hussy.......so anyone here that does hard cheese and wants to share books or websites feel free to let me know...
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cows
Mar 6, 2011 7:07:41 GMT -5
Post by coppice on Mar 6, 2011 7:07:41 GMT -5
What ever you decide on for milk production just know that cattle goats, what ever will follow their nose to 'what looks good' to eat. Unless you have one heck of a fence built around your pasture, the last post about a heiffer jumping the fence is germain.
A neighbor of mine kept goats and ended up with eight foot tall fences to keep 'em in...
Going back many years tuberculosis, was a real health problem it is easily distributed by raw milk.Most states passed health codes to control and limit human consumption of raw milk. Many of these laws can be applied in quite draconian ways, up to and including destroying your animals if you sell raw milk.
I'm not going to put a nickle in of opinion on those old laws. Just you need to know of them before the fact. And that they exist. IMO these guys (boards o health) have watched too many NCIS shows, and show up dressed in kevlar with glocks drawn. I guess they think the cows will shoot back...
Food police raids are not fun; either you paint inside the lines, or they will mess with your lifestyle.
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cows
Mar 6, 2011 7:25:33 GMT -5
Post by coppice on Mar 6, 2011 7:25:33 GMT -5
An off topic footnote, but germain to Boards of Health powers.
Mary Mallon, aka 'Typhoid Mary', was in fact a real person who refused after being demonstrated as a person who caused typhoid fever (and was herself a healthy carrier) to stop working as a domsetic (housekeeper and cook). She was confined by court order and escaped. Upon recapture she was forsably confined untill she died. Entirely by board of health order.
My short sermon is: Boards of Health win. period.
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cows
Mar 10, 2011 7:29:09 GMT -5
Post by bluelacedredhead on Mar 10, 2011 7:29:09 GMT -5
When I asked the vet if she had to have a c section could I watch he looked at me and said watch hell your gonna help....... Hopefully, all will go well. I never had a problem at calving. Well, except for the cow that kept running around the field with the calf half hanging out of the birth canal because she was afraid of whatever that was and was trying to run away from it. That poor calf managed to birth live, but I swear it had brain damage
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cows
Mar 10, 2011 18:51:52 GMT -5
Post by sorellina on Mar 10, 2011 18:51:52 GMT -5
Good grief, Wendy, that must have been a sight!
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Mar 10, 2011 18:56:22 GMT -5
Post by bluelacedredhead on Mar 10, 2011 18:56:22 GMT -5
It certainly was. I was terrified that she would kill the poor thing before it ever had a chance at life, but no, she suddenly embraced motherhood once she realized that she was birthing.
Luckily, it was a bull calf so it was slated for meat. I'm not sure I would have wanted to pass along the cows flighty attitude to offspring.
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cows
Apr 7, 2011 16:53:06 GMT -5
Post by fawnmeadow on Apr 7, 2011 16:53:06 GMT -5
Your cow should be getting ready to calf soon, hope all goes well. What breed was the bull?
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