Is there an animal that will provide me with meat, milk and fiber?

[amyquilt]

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[amyquilt]

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I've been researching the Highlanders. They are not good milkers, mainly meat cows.

 

[deerman]

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I've been researching the Highlanders. They are not good milkers, mainly meat cows.

Ok saw some, they have some hair now. cant you still milk them??

 

[BeardedChick]

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I've been researching the Highlanders. They are not good milkers, mainly meat cows.

Ok saw some, they have some hair now. cant you still milk them??

CAN you? Yes you can. Will you get a decent amount of milk for your effort? Probably not.

I am milking a not-very-milky cow at the moment and let me tell you - it's a LOT of work for 1 silly quart of milk. Granted, I still let the calf nurse, so maybe I will get a gallon when the calf is weaned... But to feed her and spend the time milking, I am not finding it worthwhile as anything other than a learning experience!

(I am impatiently waiting for the dairy goat to kid...)

 

[SportTees]

How much room do you need for a sheep? What would be the best for milk/meat?

 

[MissPrissy]

Unless you can lock a baby separate from its momma for 12 hours you won't get any significant amounts of milk. At 8 weeks you can wean the babies away from the mommas at night. Milk first thing in the morning and let them back together in the day. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. You should see significant changes in the production.

 

[annmarie]

Look up pygora goats. They were developed for homesteads who are in need of milk, meat, and fiber animals. They're a cross between Angoras and Pygmies. They're a little hard to find in my area of the country but you may have better luck where you are.

 

[BeardedChick]

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In the case of my cow, I separate the calf once a day (currently at 8 hours) and milk. I have been building up the separation interval slowly.

What I've read is that my situation is not unusual for Dexters - many are just not good milk producers even though they are touted as a dual purpose breed.

Add to that she has short teats and not a big orfice (not a lot of milk volume per squirt) and it is very time consuming to milk her compared to, say, the Holstein/Guernsey crosses up the road.

So I'm just saying if I was trying to buy a cow for milk, I would not pick something like a Highland Cow or an unproven Dexter.

 

[MissPrissy]

I want a jersey!

 

[BeardedChick]

I want a Jersey, too! Or maybe a Dutch Belted!

I'm going to the cattle auction tomorrow, you know, just to look...