I love being a milkmaid, but there are many questions that folks have especially if they are new to owning a dairy cow! It’s a big commitment with many factors to consider-breed, age, and more!
Let’s chat about it in the rain!
~Be sure to check out Art & Bri’s channel as they are considering all of this for their homestead! You will love meeting them at The Great Appalachian Homesteading Conference, too!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWVCeqJ3lbpOrkZ4rleky0g
Enjoy & thanks for watching! xo
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**Items we use & recommend!
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Appalachia’s Homestead with Patara
PO Box 287
Spring City, Tn. 37381
here in southwest Virginia we are getting some heavy rain and even some flooding,I'm ready for some sunshine so we can plant and do some sawmilling.and 100%correct about the milk cows they are great,but a lot of responsibility.
A wise man told me His grandma told him. to hold your tongue and listen. you might learn something when your spoken to. I have listen to you many times, and I learned alot. Thanks Patara the milk maiden. wow that rain pi ked up at the end.
Great tips Patara! We are getting the same storms here. Hope it dries out for the both of us :0)
I love watching you and learning so much. I watch Art and Bri as well and I love that you all are working to help each other.
Great information Patara! You are quite an encyclopedia of information! Thanks for sharing!
Great show!!! My 2 year old gentle cow who had been handled diligently all of her life went bezerk when she had her first calf, charging even little birds on the fence. Getting her milked the first week was scary until she settled down. I wouldn't do the cow thing again. I love goats and they are soooo much easier to manage and I like the creamy goat milk better than cow milk. I did have some milk cow experience as a teenager so that helped.
I just loved this video!!! I'm not near ready for a milk cow yet but I so want to learn all I can know. I have spent a little time in my younger years either around a cousins family milk cow and a summer on a small dairy farm and I know that I know nothing. I want to make sure I am committed 100% before I ever take the plunge and that I learn as much as I can along the way. Thank you again for your honesty and sharing what you have learned.
Great video Patara!
I have a heifer getting ready to calf in June. I've had her since she was. 4 months old hand raised by the Amish. Every day I brush her and rub her down but in getting a little worried. She's bossie with my goats and I'm afraid when the baby gets here she will be like that with me. Is there anything else I should be doing. oh she's 3 yrs old and her first calf.
Takes a lot of prep and knowledge when getting a dairy cow. Great advice as always Patara.
Great video Patara, Thanks for keeping it real.
my niece said it's flooding in the valleys over in Anderson county! glad my place is on top of the mountain!
awesome information..alot to Learn. I think I will wait before I step into this.
I totally agree about cow saftey, a 1000 to 1400 lb animal can hurt a person bad just playing. Please try to find a 5 -6 year old that has been hand milked, let her teach you and maybe get a younger cow later. Just like most farm animals they need to learn behaviors to make them valuable to you. It is well worth the money spent on a "middle" age cow to learn with.
I love your straight forward approach! I think it will help some mutual friends make a very important decision! Thanks!
p.s. I can't wait to get my boots seeing this video, lol!
Amen sister. I have had folks ask me if I milked my beef cattle. I said heck no they would kick me to the moon. I grew up with Dairy Cattle and have had the tar kicked out of me. Was lucky not kicked in the head or had my teeth knocked out. An experienced cow used to being milked by hand or machine who can lead is a blessing and worth every penny.
I have Nigerian Dwarf Goats and training the young yearlings is always a challenge. They catch on quick but can't kick hard enough to hurt you. I can pick up a yearling and put her on the milk stand if need be. Besides I like the milk better then cow's milk and can scrape butter fat off the top of the Nigerian 8-10% butter fat milk and make butter. I really love the small size and with selective breeding get at least 1/2 gallon a day. Another thing about cows is they need to be milked just like goats, for as long as possible. Twice a day for 305 days. If the cow is dried off because one wants to go on vacation, her next lactation, her body thinks it is time to dry off. Goats are the same way in my experience. I really work hard to milk the yearlings as close to 305 as I can. That next lactation, they milk twice the amount and milk for the long haul. It is like putting a set point on their production.
A friend of mine has raised a Guernsey heifer from a calf, has bottled her and trained her to lead, mess with her feet, and pretends to milk her. She is due to calve shortly, bred to a small beef bull. The young heifers are still leaning and can have a bit of swelling and soreness after calving. So should be interesting…
Hi Patara. Great job. we must respect the power size and unpredictability of large animals. I have been a dairy /beef farmer for all my life. (Yes I work in town too)
I love the Jersey high quality milk higher butterfat, higher protein. Feed is important "garbage in garbage out" feed for better milk. less stress. all my cow's were treated gently. I did not dare touch them when letting them out the parade stopped until the cow had enough petting. Lol. You are giving good advice. God Bless – T.J.
Hey Patara. We just bought a 6 year old Jersey. But she had run with beef cattle used to raise beef steer. She's been easy to train to milk. She's quite gentle but maybe a little excitable. Now we need to work on halter and lead breaking. Any suggestions? Where do you buy yours?
Back in the day farmers and the people who had dairies didn't wash the utters like you all do now. Do you know why? We were made to drink the milk and nobody ever got sick. I think what you all do is cleaner and better but I was just wondering the difference
Our cows roamed in big pastures on hill sides most pasture was on a very steep hill and covered several acres. Those cows always knew when to come home. We had Collie dogs to go and bring in those cows. Big question have you ever had a cow to eat wild onions and they got in the milk. OMG it tastes horrible. My daddy couldn't taste or smell and he made me drink it. I would tell him but he thought I was telling him a story to keep from drinking it.
Good video, Thank you.
My father was raised on a dairy farm in Montgomery county, Kentucky. In the old days they milked Jersey and later his family went to Holstein for milk production instead of cream with the Jerseys. My mother side grandparents always had a brown Swiss on their farm in Somerset, Ky. area.
I have given up on cows in 2014. Now I keep water buffaloes. They are much better. They wonderful and milk is also of a much more creamy and flavourful.
watching this in 2020! your advice is gold. Straight forward, honest & helpful
what happens if you don’t milk the cow enough? is it harmful to the cow? what do you do with all the milk you do get?
Thank you!
Anyone know if Belted Galloways are good as a family milking cow?