Temptation in the form of a cow?

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Jaye, is this a cow that has been milked before & is gentle to handle? You didn't say anything about that sticky little detail. If not, how disappointed will you be if she turns out to be the wicked unmilkable witch of the west?

It was a family friend, a semi-retired dairy farmer from central Maine, calling to see if I'd be interested in a Jersey cow due to calve in three weeks. I do have an empty horse stall (12x12 with a 4' wide door) and a reliable source of hay.

Are there any family cow people here?
Advice? Words of wisdom? Escape plan?​
 
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I'm almost sure that it's the Dexter cow that I recently read an artcle about. It said that the breed has now become VERY dangerous to own. IF I'm correct, they have been crossbred without care to improve meat production; this in turn has produced a modern-day Dexter that's dangerous for other animals in the same field and the people who own/work with it. It's very hard to find one that's actually all "Dexter".
Somebody please correct me if I'm talking about another breed.

Yep you're spot on Joe. They have that 'black cattle temperament' and have been almost ruined by poor breeding. That being said, I had a friend whose family had an authentic Dexter, back when I lived in England. That cow was so mean the vet shot it from the next pasture to euthanize it.

Jersey cows are beautiful, and I miss being able to buy Jersey milk. It makes a regular bowl of cereal the most delicious thing you ever tasted. The cows are renowned for their temperament, the bulls for their bad temper!

ETA I'd been pestering my husband for a Jersey milk cow for the longest time. Price wise though, they're not very economical. There aren't many people who can use 28 gallons of milk a week, and the excess can't be sold legally unless you are a licensed dairy. I'm not sure whether the farmer is cutting you a good deal, in this area the purchase price is $1200+ for a good grade Jersey. For a registered cow prices are $1800 up. Once you factor in the feed bill, how many gallons will get used by your family, and the time taken to milk, it can drive up the cost of your milk to way above the (ridiculous) $5/gallon. My husband has finally agreed to goats as milk prices are rising so high. I'm hopefully picking them up this weekend and so excited. Both should milk 9-11lbs per day, but at far better feed conversion. That way we can milk one for ourselves and another for an orphaned calf, rather than spending a fortune on milk replacement.
 
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I have family in England as well with Dexters. They were very fond little animals. The meat is held in high regard; but I think the milking lines have fallen out of favor and I doubt they're considered 'dual purpose' any longer.

I nearly pulled the trigger and started our herd with them here. IN the end I decided that if I could raise larger cows, I should. I ended up going with Angus/Simental crosses for dames and AI to Red Angus. It makes it a lot easier to find a bull for clean-up if you don't run Dexters.

But really, milk goat > millk cow.
 
you should take the cow !! YOu can let the cow raise the calf naturally and sell the calf or put it in the freezer. you dont have to milk her. let her dry up after her calf has been weined. jerseys are great cows and they are very gentle.
 
Dexter and Jersey cows (and bulls) are dangerous breeds. That's why breeder mix them with Holsteins (much more gentle). I raised dairy cows for almost 10 plus years but I bottled raised them from two days old and keep them till they were approx 2 years old. We always raised the holsteins, jerseys were just too tempermental. That's my experience of them anyway...
 
Make cheese,butter, and bath with the extras.
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I'll be visiting with the farmer today and finding out more about this cow. She has been hand-milked, "a little". I doubt Kenny would offer me a cow that isn't gentle. He knows I am a bovine-newbie and he is an old family friend. I don't think he wants me to get hurt!
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Off to plow snow!
 
I concede. My Dexter cow IS evil. We tried to move her to a small paddock today & she was amenable enough to let me put a halter on her, then she flipped her tail over her back (I think that engages the cruise control), then she took me skijoring across the field. It was just like being a little kid on the tow rope at the ski area, being dragged with a faceful of snow and not being able to let go.

Wasn't that nice of her?
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She's still in her old pasture. Hrrrrmph.

Why did I want to move her? So I can finish halter breaking her, of course! It would be stupid to try it in an open field!
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(and the other paddock has a heated water tank, I'm tired of chipping ice out of the watertank in the field)
 

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