You must ask the seller to prove A2/A2 genetics. When choosing the best cow breed for milk, there are five essentials to consider. I recommend for a first-time milking cow purchase to buy a cow that has been milked before and leave the heifers for later once you’re more experienced with milking. Try to feed her by hand and familiarize yourself with her to help calm her down. You can train a heifer for milking, but you will need time to spend with her before she births her calf. If your goal is to be able to hand milk the cow, she will not have any experience with this. Purchasing HeifersĪ heifer is a female cow that hasn’t given birth. The A1 is harder to digest and is difficult for people with digestive issues to process correctly.Īll goats are A2/A2, which explains why people with dairy sensitivity often have no problems consuming goat products. Most milk purchased in the grocery store includes a combination of A1/A2. Milk marketed as A2/A2 contains only the beta-casein/protein A2. When breeding to produce quantity over quality, we lose value. They have withstood the test of time without the influence of the modern industrialization period. Our forefathers depended on these cows for all their dairy needs. Choosing a Family Milk Cowįor small family farms, I highly recommend heritage breeds. The milk production is usually between 1-3 gallons per day which is perfect for a family’s dairy farming needs. They have become popular for small family farms because they are a dual-purpose breed the heifers provide milk, and the steers provide meat.ĭexters are a smaller breed and require less feed and grazing land. Their milk production will also decrease in hotter climates. Holsteins are big milk producers, but they need a lot of nutrition to keep it up. Even though they are giant animals, their demeanor is gentle and docile. They are large cows weighing around 1,500 pounds when fully mature. They are best suited for cold or mild weather and don’t do well in extreme heat. He grew up on a dairy and has been in the world of dairy farmers for a long time.
#Which would an animal breeder use to produce cows full
Making a decision can be difficult, which is why I turned to my friend, Dennis from Full Circle Farm, with my questions regarding milk cows. Your purpose, land, and environment will make a difference in the breed you need.
Some other breeds are less common because homesteaders and single-cow families own them, making them less noticeable.Įach breed has its strengths and weaknesses. Those big black and white Holsteins are what you commonly see on sizeable productive dairy farms. Some of the most common are Holsteins and Jerseys. There are many well-known breeds of dairy cows. Here’s more information on newborn calf care. If you can’t find someone to take over the milking, you can simply leave the calf with mom full-time and that calf will do the work. Find friends and neighbors willing and able to trade responsibilities and give yourselves a short weekend away if you need it. This eliminates a second milking and keep the calf on mama’s milk.Īdditionally, we have learned it’s best to give yourself a break from time to time. It’s for this reason we choose to calf share.Ĭalf sharing is when you leave the calf with the mom during the day, then separate the calf at night and do your milking in the morning. Especially when keeping up with processing 28 gallons of milk per week for our family of six. Milking cows on a regular schedule can become mundane and sometimes overwhelming. We all know how crazy life on the farm can be, but that cow will let us know she needs milking! Our milk cows have given us rich, nutritious milk and the blessing of a forced scheduled routine.
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