So we are about to get a jersey or 2 for family cows. I was wondering what all I will need to feed them? Can they live off just hay and snacks (veggie cutoffs from making dinner) or do they need feed/grain as well?
Family cow feed?
- Thread starter Arkantex
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WildRoseBeef
Range nerd & bovine enthusiast
Jerseys need hay, grain (no table scraps), water and mineral. Jerseys are not like beefers where they're going to be able to live on hay and grass alone, they need grain or similar feed in order to give milk, or even grow as calves. Are you getting them as young calves, as older heifers, or as mature cows?
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- #3
Um... Yes! The cows we are trying to get are both about 24 months old and both pregnant. I want to get both of them, but my wife doesn't agree. Her theory is buy one and end up with two rather than buy 2 and end up with 4. I thought it was the more the marrier right????
SuburbanFarmChic
Overrun with beasties
Also if you are getting two bred cows do you have a way to freeze milk for when you won't have a dairy cow in milk? If both will be producing at the same time you'll have lots and lots and lots of milk. How many gallons a day does your family normally use? Do you have a set up to filter and store 4-8 gal a day? If you are pasteurizing, you'll need a larger pasteurizer as the small ones only do a gal or 2 at a time. Or plan to run multiple batches every day.
Just things to think about.
Just things to think about.
WildRoseBeef
Range nerd & bovine enthusiast
Suburban has a valid point. Jerseys produce a LOT of milk, and getting two bred cows that may calve around the same time means a lot of milk to have to deal with, more than likely a lot more than you need. And even if they don't calve at the same time, you're still going to end up at a point in time where they're both lactating and both producing more milk than you need.Arkantex said:
I don't agree that "more the merrier" is going to go through here. I'm not so much concerned about the getting two cows equals ending up with four cattle, that part is irrelevant. It's the amount of milk that both cows produce that should be of the biggest concern here. But think of it this way: You can easily get more than enough of your milk from one cow, and if you want use the other cow as a nurse cow to put some extra calves on. I've seen a Holstein (and a Jersey too) able to have enough milk to support three or four calves at one time or at one feeding. Then you can sell those calves for a little extra income.
Also think about the amount of feed you will have to spend money on to feed these two cows. Grass alone quite often isn't going to be enough to support the nutritional needs of one dairy cow, let alone two plus calves. That's why I included grain, because (again speaking from personal experience) a dairy cow can and will starve to death on just grass and hay alone (not including the access to water and mineral). The loss of condition of those cows will not only affect lactation but their health and fertility as well. Someone wrote a thread on this very thing (except it was on dairy calves growing for slaughter, not milk cows but it applies to the same thing nonetheless) somewhere on here that you may need to read to understand what I mean.
I don't mean to make things awkward for you, but there's a lot more that goes into considering purchasing one or two cows than you might think!
Cricket
Ridin' The Range
Yep, you'll need to give them grain--how much will depend on the quality of the hay or pasture they're on. It's really hard to tell how much milk you'll get from a first calf heifer. Where I work, we have a small Jersey first calf heifer that is giving 55lbs at 3 months into her lactation. I've seen some come in with like 6lbs. They get corn and hay silage along with grain.
Some Jerseys are just easier keepers than others. Good luck!
Some Jerseys are just easier keepers than others. Good luck!
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- #7
Yeah 1 bred heifer is all I am going to get. We will keep the calf and that will be our second heifer. We have 10 acres and about 8-9 of that will be pastures. The pasture grass is not that good, but we are going to seed and water it this spring. Going to feed alfalfa hey and what ever else we need to. So, what else do I need to feed her and how much?
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- #8
SuburbanFarmChic, We have been saving milk jugs for a few weeks now and we have a huge freezer. With 2 young boys who drink milk before every nap and bedtime, we go through about 2-3 gallons a week. It would be more than that, but we only buy organic milk. Since the organic stuff is so expensive, my wife and I have cut way back on how much we drink.
What equipment do we need to filter the milk? We haven't bought any equipment yet.
What equipment do we need to filter the milk? We haven't bought any equipment yet.
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- #9
SuburbanFarmChic
Overrun with beasties
Wheat is usually just wheat straw which is the stems after they harvest the grain. It's mostly fiber and not a lot of nutrition. It is not a good source of protein or energy, sadly.
You need a good quality grass hay. The better the hay.... the better quality and quantity milk you will get.
You will also need to feed a nursing dairy cow some kind of grain. Yes people do pasture fed dairy cows for milk. But that is people who have spent years developing the perfect mix of grasses and legumes and such for their fields and will get their fields nutrition tested for every season so they can properly balance the nutrition of the cows.
You need a good quality grass hay. The better the hay.... the better quality and quantity milk you will get.
You will also need to feed a nursing dairy cow some kind of grain. Yes people do pasture fed dairy cows for milk. But that is people who have spent years developing the perfect mix of grasses and legumes and such for their fields and will get their fields nutrition tested for every season so they can properly balance the nutrition of the cows.
