what is the best kind of dairy cow

[salt and pepper]

it also depends on the soil. if you have plenty of grass, and great soil, then you can go below the average 2 acres. if you have bad soil ( clay, sand) and grass doesn't grow well, then go above the average 2 acres. it also a nice idea to separate the pasture in half, or quarters and rotate the cow to the fresh land, that way the other pastures can recuperate, and get resown. also make sure they cow has shelter

 

[mississippifarmboy]

sargent, learycow gave some excellent advise all around.

We currently have a Jersey milk cow which is my personal favorite breed for a small homestead. I have owned Jerseys, Holsteins, Swiss, Milking Shorthorns, Belted Galloways, Guernseys and cross-bred cows. We even milked a Zebu once for a few months.

Our cow has one bad quarter (one front teat is bad so it stays dry and doesn't give milk, she was that way with her first calf... just happens sometimes) and with the three good quarters we get about a gallon and a half up to two gallons per milking so from three to four gallons per day. The milk is sweet and has a very high butterfat content - so lots of butter and cream.

Jerseys are easy keepers. They are very gentle if handled regularly when young and don't seem to fight the fence as much as the larger breeds and they are excellent grazers. They need very little grain even when milking compared to Holsteins and such. Also the last Holstein we owned milked almost eight gallons per day! NO ONE needs that much darn milk unless you are feeding an army or selling it. She also nearly ate us out of house and home. I BEGGED Pa to sell that stupid thing.. it was wearing me out milking!
We use about a gallon of milk per day here on the farm for drinking and cooking and such, use about three gallons a week to churn for butter and give a few gallons away under the table (It's illegal to sell raw milk here) so have to pour out quite a bit to the pigs even with a small cow. Until recently we had three adults and three kids here and still only used about a gallon of milk a day.

I'd say look at your needs and go from there. If I was single I'd probably just go with a good milk goat. If you have a large family you might need a Holstein.

I would think price would be relative to where you are located. I paid $1,500 for our registered Jersey with an unregistered heifer calf at her side about five weeks old. She was in great condition (Other than the bad quarter) and was already broke to hand milk which made her much more valuable to me. We sold the calf as soon as it was weaned for $500, so I wound up with about a grand in the milk cow. I figured in feed, worming, fly spray, AI breeding and hay and I figure at only a gallon a day after three years she'll have paid for herself.

That's not counting butter, cream, cheese, calves, manure or the pleasure I get from knowing what my family is drinking and the pleasure I get from messing around with her.

Good luck.

 

[salt and pepper]

have fun, and good luck!

 

[mississippifarmboy]

I also agree with salt and pepper's thoughts on how much land is needed. In great pasture an acre might do. Out west in the high desert it would take maybe 20 acres. Most places I've had cows, a small breed of cow can make do with supplemental feeding during lactation and in the winter with about an acre to two acres of good pasture. I also highly suggest cross fencing to rotate the stock between pastures.

This is our current Jersey one foggy morning. You can see the calf laying in the grass at the bottom left.


And me and her every morning and every evening.

 

[Cowgirl71]

What is a good price for a jersey.

what about a pregnant one.

The going rate for a Jersey cow really depends on where you live. Southern Missouri tends to be fairly cheap, I know neighboring Kentucky is a good $200-$300 higher. But in my area, a bred heifer is generally worth about $800-$850. A young pregnant cow, either currently milking and barely pregnant, or dry and due within a couple months, is generally worth about $900-$1000. A young cow that recently calved and hasn't been bred back yet is worth about $900. All of these prices assume she's not registered. If she is, add $200-$500+, depending on genetics. The value of the cow being bred back is worth (in my area) about $100, depending on how pregnant she is and what breed the bull was. You can try browsing your local Craigslist to get an idea of what the going rates are in your area.

One key thing that is often over looked by beginners... Make sure her teats are good for handmilking. Some cows have teats (back teats inparticular) that are too short and are therefore hard to milk. All of her teats should be at least three finger widths long if you intend to handmilk her (IMO).

 

[Cowgirl71]

What is the minimum area needed.

If you'll be giving her hay then 1/4-1/2 acre would be plenty. If you're wanting her to graze pasture then the number of acres can really vary, based on where you live, your soil quality, whether or not you rotationally grazed, etc. We have about 2.5 acres of pasture per cow. We give them free choice hay during the winter and sometimes free choice hay in the summer if there's a drought and the grass isn't growing. They also get some grain during milking, probably about six pounds a day each, which isn't much but it definitely makes a difference.

One common misconception among first time dairy cow owners is that "A milk cow can eat grass, she doesn't need any grain. Cows have been producing milk without grain for thousands of years." Which is true. However a Jersey (and any other high producing dairy breed) has been bred to give a lot more milk than normal, three or four times as much, or sometimes even more. She needs to be supplemented with grain or else she'll lose condition and won't be able to get pregnant. There are some exceptions to this rule but they are few and far between. If someone wants a 100% grassfed milk cow then they should choose a dual-purpose breed, or even a beef breed. They maintain condition very well on just grass alone.

 

[Cowgirl71]

I also agree with salt and pepper's thoughts on how much land is needed. In great pasture an acre might do. Out west in the high desert it would take maybe 20 acres. Most places I've had cows, a small breed of cow can make do with supplemental feeding during lactation and in the winter with about an acre to two acres of good pasture. I also highly suggest cross fencing to rotate the stock between pastures.

This is our current Jersey one foggy morning. You can see the calf laying in the grass at the bottom left.


And me and her every morning and every evening.

I didn't know you had a milk cow! She's really pretty!

I do love the Jerseys! My avatar is "Ellie May" as a calf. She's a good deal bigger now, and so sweet! She's due in March with her first calf!!! She's a daughter of one of our first milk cows, "Olga," who we still have. Olga's nine years old but she's still doing real good! She had a heifer calf in October and we're letting her raise it because we don't need any extra milk right now. We're currently milking "Becky" who's only giving five quarts a day now (she's due 3/16/13). "Jenny" is also due in March. We're gonna have a bunch of milk this spring, I may be forced to sell somebody.

 

[sargent spurs]

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

 

[salt and pepper]

I sturdy shelter, fenced in field, mineral/ salt block, water 24/7, feed, a halter, buckets, bedding, and am I missing anything?

 

[sargent spurs]

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