OT: care and feeding of cows

 

I know this is OT but I thought I might get some help here and I don't quite
know where else to ask.

We have acquired a cow.  Technically I think she is a heifer but I am not
100% sure.  She is Jersey about 6 years old,  a buxom blond with fake tan on
the face and too much eye makeup.  Her name is Mootilda.  She is tame enough
to come and eat out of a bucket but we want her to become a house cow.

Where do I find out about doing the best thing for her?  She will have
plenty of good grass and clean water and eleven horses for company. A herd
of cattle to be her mates is out of the question right now, she will just
have to commune over the fence with the neighbour's beef cattle.  As long as
she doesn't get too friendly with that Bubba the bull. He is already blowing
her kisses through the fence and I am sure that he only wants her for her
body but she won't believe me.

It's the same with daughters, they never listen to me either.  For those who
think this conversation is getting a little lurid I will have no choice but
to become quite involved with her (Mootilda's) sex life if she is going to
start turning grass into milk.  Thank God that part isn't the same with the
daughters, although I think it entirely possible that they have several
stomaches each, their mother does all that and I just get to hear what is
good for me.  Sometimes I have to run around with my fingers in my ears
yelling "la la la" loudly.

Are there any good books or web sites that I can study?

David

 

David Hare-Scott wrote:

Past issues of Earth garden  might be of use


http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/671367
  I have a copy of the cow collection somewhere but unable to find , as
I recall quite a good read

 

David Hare-Scott wrote:

Congratulations! There's lots of info online if you just to a search for
'house cow' or 'home dairy' or the like. You'd probably get good advice
from the dairy at Tocal Ag. College. From memory, they keep Holsteins,
but the principles are similar.

Jersey milk is yellower and creamier (fatter) than Holstein milk, but
the benefit is that you won't be flooded with huge enormous quantities
from dainty little Mootilda. The main thing is to keep her healthy
(worming, drenching etc) and well-fed (adding hay and maybe a good grain
mixture when grass is scarce and/or rank). Probably the most important
info you'll need will concern proper cleanliness routines for utensils
and storage when milking.

One additional piece of info for you, since you've got horses as well.
It has been my experience that any cow kept in a paddock with horses
will *always* chew on their tails, leaving them looking like bedraggled
feather dusters. This is such a nuisance, since the horses kind of need
their tails to keep insects off in the summer. We found that bandaging
helps keep the cows off (the horses' tails, not the cows...) HTH? ;-D

--
Trish Brown

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

 

Trish Brown wrote:

This part at least we are well equiped for.  The Managing Director has a
degree in microbiology and mine is in chemistry.


So far they are keeping their distance.  The herd boss has stopped herding
her away but there is still a lot of mutual discomfort if not distrust.

Thanks

David

 


That's quite old for a heifer.  I assume you'll be using AI to impregnate
her? Make sure when you get her in calf to check out the EBVs of the bull
whose semen is supplied.  The EBVs are exciting figures that tell you facts
like 200 day milk, scrotal circumference etc.  but the thing you really want
to know is birth weight so look for a birthweight figure that is a minus
figure because what that means is that the calves from that bull should be
lighter in weight at birth.  You don't want a plus figure for a heifer - you
are looking to have a small calf first up.


a buxom blond with fake tan on

You could try the library or online ask in the misc.rural newsgroup but be
cautious there.  If Pete Heubner from NZ answers you, he's reliable as are a
few of the Americans but excercise caution as some of the Yanks are quite
clueless.

She will have

Bloody Bubba will be in your paddock given any probs with your fencing - if
you haven't already, string an electric line along the fence he's hanging
over.


Ha!  Daughters (or sons) never listen to their parents until they hit their
mid 20s.

For those who

David and Gerda Foster wrote a book about slow food and there is a lot of
discussion in there about their Jerseys because they have a number of them
that they use for milk and for making cheese - it's been some time since I
read it but I do remember that they seemed to know what they were on about
with their Jerseys (solange was the name of one - lovely name for a cow) but
it wasn't a specific 'dairy cow' book.  It's a great read anyway for someone
of your interests.

I also suspect that there wouldn't be a huge amount of info on the Net about
managing a home dairy cow as having one is rather uncommon these days.  If I
was looking on the net, I'd be looking at homesteading, self sufficiency,
self reliance or even voluntary simplicity, simple living type sites.

One pice of advice I would give is to make sure you have your milking bail
and calf lock up built and ready for action long before the cow is due to
calve and get her used to going there regularly.