House cow

[Tractortim]

it’s probably a bit daft but I’m considering a house cow or two to provide milk for my family. With my dad we have a small sucker herd, it’s a hobby for us and I do it purely as I enjoy it rather than as a business. We get through a fair bit of milk and it would be nice to get it straight from our own even if it actually is more expensive. So how practical is this, ideally I’d like the cow to rear a calf as well. What breed would work best? Could I AI our sucklers ( Hereford x) with a dairy bull to start or be better with a pure dairy cow. How many litres would you expect if rearing a calf as well? What is the best practical way of doing it? What equipment is required just for the basics?

 

[MRT]

it’s probably a bit daft but I’m considering a house cow or two to provide milk for my family. With my dad we have a small sucker herd, it’s a hobby for us and I do it purely as I enjoy it rather than as a business. We get through a fair bit of milk and it would be nice to get it straight from our own even if it actually is more expensive. So how practical is this, ideally I’d like the cow to rear a calf as well. What breed would work best? Could I AI our sucklers ( Hereford x) with a dairy bull to start or be better with a pure dairy cow. How many litres would you expect if rearing a calf as well? What is the best practical way of doing it? What equipment is required just for the basics?

Pasteurisation equipment, never fancied milk with my cornflakes when testing TB positive herds

 

[Cowmansam]

I’d buy a in calf heifer so you could spend a while getting it very tame used to you touching its udder and the like jerseys tend to be very quiet and you can buy self contained milking machines with a bucket and it’s own power supply

 

[borderterribles]

In my youth, I have milked all breeds and crosses . Lots of black Herefords some were surprisingly milky. Main thing you need is a cow or heifer with an amenable temperament. Cheapest way to equip yourself is to put a short length of galvanised vacuum line up in a building, attached to a vacuum reserve tank, evacuated by a small vacuum pump and motor.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

And what is wrong with milking by hand for 1 or 2, draw what you want, and then put the calves on,
Get a dairy breed, and AI it with a beef breed

 

[Bill the Bass]

Just get an old cow from a dairy herd, they often have cows that are not economic to milk but will still give plenty. milk it by hand - once you get practiced you can draw off three or four litres a milking pretty easy in no time (and no kit to wash) strain the milk through a muslin cloth, cool it down in water then put it in the fridge. Nothing like good coffee with milk straight from the cow. The cow would rear a calf also and still leave you with enough milk for the house.

 

[Cowmansam]

Milking by hand is a pain compared to sticking a proper machine on

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Just get an old cow from a dairy herd, they often have cows that are not economic to milk but will still give plenty. milk it by hand - once you get practiced you can draw off three or four litres a milking pretty easy in no time (and no kit to wash) strain the milk through a muslin cloth, cool it down in water then put it in the fridge. Nothing like good coffee with milk straight from the cow. The cow would rear a calf also and still leave you with enough milk for the house.

This above

 

[e5c0rt.mk1]

They're abit more dirtier than a dog

 

[honeyend]

Look at calf at foot dairying. https://www.facebook.com/TheCalfAtFootDairy You might have bit too much just for the family with a dairy cow, but you could buy in an extra calf.

 

[milkloss]

We milk some of our beefers at calving so we have some colostrum. Simmys are quite good.

still have the old vaccu pump and use the old antibiotic milking bucket on a long hose to the crush.

 

[borderterribles]

Milking by hand is a pain compared to sticking a proper machine on

Not to mention that its a tie. Far easier to find someone who can put a unit on, than someone who can hand milk nowadays, if the usual milker is indisposed!

 

[Jdunn55]

Have you looked at robotic milking? The extra milk provided would allow another calf to be fed thereby doubling your potential income and you havent got to worry about relief milkers not turning up! They're usually very reliable when maintained well so I wouldnt worry too much about the midnight calls. Well worth the investment imo

Definitely dont get a heifer if you're going to do it, sometimes the heifers that are friendliest in the yard are the worst behaved in the parlour, better off with an older cow who knows what shes doing and isnt going to make the experience a pita, as for milking I would buy an electric milker so that if you're away anyone can milk her for you with relative ease

 

[Cowmansam]

It’s not something that you can just walk into either you do it differently your going to get the kick and it’s rare I have to hand milk something now but if I do get a terrible cramp within a few mins

 

[PuG]

Started milking a cow ourselves middle of last year, made up simple steel frame from old scrap which I carry around on the telehandler. Normally leave it in the field and just call her over. At the moment there in for winter so I just separate Icone into a pen overnight for the morning. Milk every other day which does us. I have bought one of those chines vacuum pumps, with stainless steel cylinder and two clusters but yet to try it. Run it offer a battery - TBH is takes longer cleaning than it does just milking by hand.

We use to have a dairy back in Cornwall, so its really therapeutic doing it again Might get a Jersey or two this coming year. Have to admit if we we're milking all over again properly then I think I would always keep the calf's with the mum's, the udder health is so much better and just let them post milking for a few hours.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Milking by hand is a pain compared to sticking a proper machine on

And then spend time cleaning the machine!

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Not to mention that its a tie. Far easier to find someone who can put a unit on, than someone who can hand milk nowadays, if the usual milker is indisposed!

If there is no one there to milk you put the calf in.

 

[Bald n Grumpy]

Sold one of our shorthorns back in the summer
Calved in the Autumn is rearing her own hfd x heifer calf (make a nice suckler cow ) plus a bought in calf and last I heard they were having milk for the house as well ( by hand )
She had been machine milked as part of the herd for a couple of lactations before we sold her so you could say she was broken in
Give it a go if you want to do it much better than the stuff you buy in a bottle
Wouldn't worry to much about TB, don't milk a reactor but chances are slim of you getting it and your round the stock anyway

 

[Orionn4444]

it’s probably a bit daft but I’m considering a house cow or two to provide milk for my family. With my dad we have a small sucker herd, it’s a hobby for us and I do it purely as I enjoy it rather than as a business. We get through a fair bit of milk and it would be nice to get it straight from our own even if it actually is more expensive. So how practical is this, ideally I’d like the cow to rear a calf as well. What breed would work best? Could I AI our sucklers ( Hereford x) with a dairy bull to start or be better with a pure dairy cow. How many litres would you expect if rearing a calf as well? What is the best practical way of doing it? What equipment is required just for the basics?

Ive just started milking a house cow (well in november) We use a Calving gate to hold the cow and just put a bucket of feeding infront of her, the calf is shut away from her through the night to make sure there is milk to get in the morning, just wipe down teats with warm (very warm) water mixed with antibac. We use a portable milking machine because its 2021 and manual labour is very last millennium. Its a Jersey cow we have and we get around 12 litres a day in the morning from her and the calf takes the rest. For washing down the machine, again very warm water and antibac wash through, once or twice a week i run acid i have aquired from a dairy farming friend through just to give it a good clean through. Always rinse out with clean water aferwards.

Would reccomend it to anyone, wish i had done it years ago! Have since aquired a second dairy cow due to calf in april, at which point the Jersey might get a holiday till she calves again!

 

[Cowmansam]

And then spend time cleaning the machine!

Just suck a bucket of water an cleaner up takes about 25 seconds