Fresh Milk -- Is it Worth it?

Many small farmers or homesteaders dream of drinking delicious raw milk from their own cow. But is buying a milk cow really the thing for you and your farm? Much research and consideration was done before we purchased our first milk cow, Bella. She is a Jersey Texas Long Horn cross. Here are a few things you will want to consider before adding a milk cow to your farm.

Is Getting a Milk Cow Worth It?

I would have to say, "It depends on how you value 'worth'". If you are figuring the cost and time then, no it is probably not worth it. Milking a cow every single day takes a lot of time, discipline, and patience. You will also have the cost of feeding your cow. That will include hay, grain, pasture space, minerals, and any protein blocks. There will also be the cost of the equipment and supplies you will need for actually milking your cow. Time, is another thing you should consider before getting a milk cow. Yeah, it may only take you 20 minutes to milk her everyday but then you have straining the milk and washing and cleaning up your milk buckets and stuff.

However, even with taking all of the costs into consideration, for us personally, getting a milk cow was definitely worth it. Our milk cow provides two families with fresh raw milk (sometimes an over abundance). Every single one in our family has fallen in love with 'Bella Milk'.

Warning! Once you switch to the creamy fresh raw milk from your own cow you will not want to go back to the regular store bought milk.

How Will You Rebreed Your Cow?

Having a plan before you need to breed your cow is advised. But, sometimes things do not work out and you have to search for a bull or consider AI at the last minute. Cows need to be bred every year in order to freshen and continue milk production. Keeping a bull to breed just one cow once an year is normally not feasible on small farms. There are other options to consider. 1. Get in touch with some local cattle farmers and see if they would allow you to 'rent' their bull for a month or two. Make sure that you understand the different breeds so that you know what size calf they will have and if it will work out easily for your cow. If you have a smaller dairy cow you do not want to breed her to a big beef bull because it is more likely that she will have problems calving. 2. There are also AI options. We do not have any experience with AI so be sure to do your research.

When to Milk and How Often?

This will depend on if you are keeping the calf and milking once a day or if your decide to sell or keep the calf separated from mom all the time and milk twice a day. This will determine how much milk you will get.

We milk once a day and share the rest with the calf. To do this you will need a secure pen to lock the calf away from mom. We lock the calf up at night and gradually worked up to 12 hours away from mom and 12 hours with mom. We milk in the the morning and then let the calf in with her for the day and then lock the calf up again for the night. With this schedule we got on average 1 and a 1/2 gallons of milk everyday.

We milk in the early morning (4:30) for several reasons. When it is summer time and the flies are out they are not as bad in the cooler temperatures of the morning. It is also stated that the best quality milk and highest cream content is from morning milking's. Also, cows normally sleep at night so it is less stressful for momma and calf to be separated at night when they are sleeping rather then the day.

A cow will adjust to what ever schedule you have to do to fit your life style as long as you are consistent with it. Consistency is key. There have been times that we were an hour or so late in locking up the calf and we did not get a much milk.

Sign up for our free weekly emails to learn more about our farm. We raise cows/beef, goats, rabbits, and chickens. We share these experiences and the things we have learned along the way to hopefully help others in their farming journey.

Sign up now!