what is the best kind of dairy cow

[salt and pepper]

she is a beautiful cow. is she healthy??

 

[sargent spurs]

I don't know I just found her online, does she have a utter?

 

[salt and pepper]

she should if she is a female, and has been bred. I definitely wouldn't buy her before checking her health thoroughly

 

[sargent spurs]

Ya, what are all the things I should ask about her health.

 

[salt and pepper]

how much milk she gives, if she has been wormed, that she doesn't have any external parasites, that she doesn't have any infections, and that she doesn't have a record of being sickly, oh and ease of birth. that's all I can think of, good luck!

 

[sargent spurs]

Thanks,

 

[SD Bird Lady]

It seems you are new to this as am I...I got an interesting and informative book called "The Backyard Homestead, Guide to Raising Farm Animals" edited by Gail Damerow. It goes into detail about poultry, rabbits, sheep goats, cattle, and sheep. It is a good startin point so you dont feel so overwhelmed.

 

[Cowgirl71]

Thanks for the posts everybody, can someone give me a list of things I will need.

Fenced pasture(s), a barn/shelter for protection from winter weather, fresh water 24/7, a place out of the rain to store extra hay, a place undercover to feed her the hay, a place to store extra grain, a sheltered milking area with a stanchion, lots of buckets (for grain, for milking into, for hot soapy wash water for her udder, etc.), a feeder with salt and mineral, misc. brushes (horse brushes work just fine, the rubber one with nubbies works well for dried mud and for removing the winter hair she sheds in the spring, a bristle brush works well to get bits of hay and dirt off her underbelly so that nothing falls in the milk while you're milking), small towels or large rags for washing her udder, something to strain the milk with (Wal-mart's polyester mens' handkerchiefs work very well, they're also cheap and can be washed and used again and again), lots of jugs/bottles to store the milk in, something to sit on while milking (I just use an upside down five gallon bucket)... Oh, and an extra fridge. You'll eventually want one. Everyone I know with a dairy cow or multiple dairy goats gets a "milk fridge" sooner or later.

Edited to add: Also get some "Eprinex" dewormer (http://www.jefferspet.com/ivomec-eprinex-pour-on/camid/LIV/cp/17185/cn/3100/). This is my favorite dewormer for dairy cows, there's no meat/milk withdrawal and it's also very broad-spectrum for internal and external parasites. We deworm the cows twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Other than that, nothing. No vaccines, no shots, or anything of that sort, and they've done really well for us.

P.S. I recommend losing the mask and the sword, they'll make the cow nervous.

 

[Cowgirl71]

How does this one look, she is three years old and just had her second calf.

She looks good from what I can see. Do you have a better picture of her udder/teats?

Three years old is a good age. She's young and has many years left in her, but she's old enough to be a calm cow rather than a higher strung young heifer.

 

[Cowgirl71]

I don't know I just found her online, does she have a utter?

Yes, she does. Most of it is hidden behind her rear leg.

Quote: Health wise, I'd ask if she's ever had mastitis, if she's ever needed assistance calving, and when is the last time she's been wormed and with what. "Safeguard" for example, is junk. If she was last wormed with Safeguard I wouldn't freak out though. Just make sure to worm her with something like "Eprinex" soon after you get her home. Worming a cow is actually quite easy. Eprinex is a "pour-on" dewormer, which means you literally pour it down her spine and it soaks in through the skin. Real fast and easy!