milking a cow for the house

Muckit

Anyone here do it?

My father used when we were growing up and it's something I wouldn't mind doing down the road.

colrow

Better to get a dip out of a neighbours tank, maybe ?

MayoSalmon

colrow wrote: »

Better to get a dip out of a neighbours tank, maybe ?

Why?

colrow

Less work, and you'd get more milk than you could use from your own cow.

Thats just my personal view on it.

If you want a house cow, thats fine, but you have to get it in calf each year, and etc.....

MayoSalmon

colrow wrote: »

Less work, and you'd get more milk than you could use from your own cow.

Thats just my personal view on it.

If you want a house cow, thats fine, but you have to get it in calf each year, and etc.....

Agreed but if you get a simple enough milking machine it can be alot less arduous plus there is plenty of animals that you can feed excess milk to around.

flutered

colrow wrote: »

Less work, and you'd get more milk than you could use from your own cow.

Thats just my personal view on it.

If you want a house cow, thats fine, but you have to get it in calf each year, and etc.....

back in the day there was a cow which was called a stripper, nothing to do with undressed females and garyating around steel or wooden poles, most if all members of the farming community had one or two, there were used to provide substance for the family, a cow or cows which could not be got in calf or sometimes deliberatly not got in in calf, forgive my ramblings as i am having trouble concentrating today

flutered

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Agreed but if you get a simple enough milking machine it can be alot less arduous plus there is plenty of animals that you can feed excess milk to around.

an old bucket machine would do the job, it could be done, i guess they are scarce, which means expensive, but then a root around the yellow pages or yahoo search should yield results, get the cow used to once a day milking would be a vital ingrediant in your operation.

Muckit

colrow wrote: »

Better to get a dip out of a neighbours tank, maybe ?

I wouldn't really like this idea for a number of reasons or neither would they. It would be more from a self sufficiency point of view l would be doing it, same as a person sowing their own garden or keeping a few hens.

It would defeat the purpose getting the milk off someone!

bbam

My sister thought about it but they got a goat instead.
Handier kept and ample milk for the house.
Hardly
Use the lawnmower now either which is always a plus.

Aghoney

You also need to consider that to keep any cattle, even a single cow, you will need to have a herd number, which means you will be required to have a crush and proper fencing and shelter. On the other hand, a cow can bring a lot of fertility to the land. Make sure that you get a cow that is either used to being milked (ideally by hand) or that is tame enough that she can learn how to be milked.

Sam Kade

It would be a great idea not only would you have milk but you could easily make your own butter and buttermilk and feed a calf with the surplus milk and have beef. I would do likewise only my wife thinks that milk not bought in the shop is poison same with a home reared beef animal you'd swear the beef and milk in the shop grows on the shelf :rolleyes:

bbam

Sam Kade wrote: »

It would be a great idea not only would you have milk but you could easily make your own butter and buttermilk and feed a calf with the surplus milk and have beef. I would do likewise only my wife thinks that milk not bought in the shop is poison same with a home reared beef animal you'd swear the beef and milk in the shop grows on the shelf :rolleyes:

Funny the difference.
We started killing a few pigs for te freezer a few years ago. The taste is unbelievable. Mrs wants to kill a heifer now as she reckons the beef will be better too.

Might happen at some stage. Would need a bigger freezer

GrandSoftDay

Muckit wrote: »

Anyone here do it?

My father used when we were growing up and it's something I wouldn't mind doing down the road.

You'll have to move from the Charolais or you won't have enough milk to colour your tea

marizpan

We milk one cow for the house using an old bucket milker.
Very quiet cow and milking takes about 6 mins. She is giving about 14 litres a day.

MayoSalmon

marizpan wrote: »

We milk one cow for the house using an old bucket milker.
Very quiet cow and milking takes about 6 mins. She is giving about 14 litres a day.

Where is the cheapest place to get a bucket milker...new or old?

Mad prices on here http://www.milkingmachines.co.uk/uk2shop-13.htm

marizpan

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Where is the cheapest place to get a bucket milker...new or old?

Mad prices on here http://www.milkingmachines.co.uk/uk2shop-13.htm

My father had two in the shed, from the seventies. There are loads of them around. My cousin has a few more in his shed.

These are our costs : €275

€45 new inflations, rubber tubing etc
€230 service from dairy man, new regulator, overhaul pulsator
Motor and vacuum- free to take away, we actually have two now. Again there are plenty around when dairy farmers upgrade.
Bucket with inflations -free

We keep the bucket in the house and wash/clean it inside also. It's very easy and takes the work out of having a cow. I do the morning milking and hubby does the evening milking. Neighbours are happy to milk now that we have a machine.

exercise is the antidote

bbam wrote: »

Funny the difference.
We started killing a few pigs for te freezer a few years ago. The taste is unbelievable. Mrs wants to kill a heifer now as she reckons the beef will be better too.

Might happen at some stage. Would need a bigger freezer

Often see a few secondhand ice cream freezers in the stock(business) section on DD... Might be ideal!

reilig

Muckit wrote: »

Anyone here do it?

My father used when we were growing up and it's something I wouldn't mind doing down the road.

We did it too. But it was a hell of a job to milk twice a day. It would be grand if you hadn't to work off farm.

Wouldn't it be lovely to be able to make your own butter, buttermilk and yogurt.

You often see cheap single bucket milking machines for goats and cows on ebay.co.uk

flutered

one needs to remember that it has to be done each and every day, where ever you go you have to return and milk, regardless of the weather, the slap of a wet dirty tail across the side of the face goes with the job.

onyerbikepat

The memories. I did it for years at home when I was a young fella. We had a lovely british friesian type, that we kept when we got rid of the other cows. It's a huge commitment for what you get out of it. All my neighbours kept one in the day, but none have one now.
You'll need a 3-legged stool and some baling twine to tie the cows tail to her leg. You always milk from the cows right hand side too. I think it's bad luck to milk from the other side. The upside is you will have muscles like Popeye and real milk with cream floating on top.

kerrycow

reilig wrote: »

We did it too. But it was a hell of a job to milk twice a day. It would be grand if you hadn't to work off farm.

I milk 2 cows here morning and evening and still manage to get out to work off farm, though I am self-employed so I suppose that helps.

Lots of milk for the house, butter etc. and enough to rear additional calves and to soak barley for broilers

Caveat_

marizpan wrote: »

We milk one cow for the house using an old bucket milker.
Very quiet cow and milking takes about 6 mins. She is giving about 14 litres a day.

Wow, that is a lot. What do you do with it all?

marizpan

Caveat_ wrote: »

Wow, that is a lot. What do you do with it all?

We use about 4 litres a day full fat milk for the house for drinking. I make a lot of Greek yogurt and use the extra cream for pouring cream/butter etc.
We soak the rest in rolled barley for the pigs and hens.
It is easily used!

sopretty

It's mingin!

I nearly puked once at my aunt's house when she produced it. They used to take some from their dairy herd.

Pasteurised and homogenised, that's how I like my milk!

Unhelpful post lol, but are you sure you'd like the milk?

colrow

Once you've tasted real fresh cows milk, you wouldn't want the boiled taste of that watery shop shyte.

That is unless of course you've been brought up on supermarket ready meals

onyerbikepat

It's the Low-Fat milk that really gets to me. You might aswell be pouring water into your tea.

MayoSalmon

onyerbikepat wrote: »

It's the Low-Fat milk that really gets to me. You might aswell be pouring water into your tea.

Tell me about it...worked for many years in the States and the sorry excuse for milk they have is shocking.

I remember there was something they called 2%...was clearer than water half the time.

sopretty

If you're reared on fresh cows milk that's grand. Be prepared to not quite like the taste if it's something new to you (or your children). That's all I'm saying!

J.O. Farmer

flutered wrote: »

back in the day there was a cow which was called a stripper, nothing to do with undressed females and garyating around steel or wooden poles, most if all members of the farming community had one or two, there were used to provide substance for the family, a cow or cows which could not be got in calf or sometimes deliberatly not got in in calf, forgive my ramblings as i am having trouble concentrating today

Strippers are still to be got. As you quite rightly point out they are cows not in calf but the cow needs to calve to produce milk. As a long term plan would milking a stripper not be flawed.

Superdaddy

I have been considering getting a Dexter cow for this purpose. They are a great dual purpose breed. The trick i believe is getting one that is well handled. I was thinking of getting a cow in calf with a heifer calf at foot. Tame the heifer calf for milking if the cow didn't play ball. Get both in calf in the future and leave one for milking and the other to rear two calves. Calves can be kept for the freezer or sold on. Surplus milk goes to pigs and chickens.

flutered

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

Strippers are still to be got. As you quite rightly point out they are cows not in calf but the cow needs to calve to produce milk. As a long term plan would milking a stripper not be flawed.

a stripper will keep milking for years, an older or a cast cow is best as she would not be looking for the services of a gentleman as often as a younger one, sometimes she may not come in heat at all.

flutered

Superdaddy wrote: »

I have been considering getting a Dexter cow for this purpose. They are a great dual purpose breed. The trick i believe is getting one that is well handled. I was thinking of getting a cow in calf with a heifer calf at foot. Tame the heifer calf for milking if the cow didn't play ball. Get both in calf in the future and leave one for milking and the other to rear two calves. Calves can be kept for the freezer or sold on. Surplus milk goes to pigs and chickens.

i believe the dexter is now a rare breed, this in turn leads one to think that they would be rather expensive.

Superdaddy

flutered wrote: »

i believe the dexter is now a rare breed, this in turn leads one to think that they would be rather expensive.

Should pick up cow in calf with a heifer calf at foot for around €1000

arctictree

I have a sheep that lost her lambs. Anyone ever try to hand milk a sheep?!

ravima

The biggest problem with the 'house cow' is that if she goes down with TB or Brucellosis, you are drinking 100% of her milk. If you are drinking from a bulk tank and one cow goes down, you only drink a percentage of her milk. If your house cow has brucellosis, you will probably get it too! Be aware of this, be very aware as the disease is terrible for humans.

J.O. Farmer

ravima wrote: »

The biggest problem with the 'house cow' is that if she goes down with TB or Brucellosis, you are drinking 100% of her milk. If you are drinking from a bulk tank and one cow goes down, you only drink a percentage of her milk. If your house cow has brucellosis, you will probably get it too! Be aware of this, be very aware as the disease is terrible for humans.

This country is officially brucellosis free and it's a good lot of years since there was a case in this country. I think you would be pretty unlucky if your house cow picked up brucellosis and then you contacted it from the milk.

farmersfriend

sopretty wrote: »

It's mingin!

I nearly puked once at my aunt's house when she produced it. They used to take some from their dairy herd.

Pasteurised and homogenised, that's how I like my milk!

Unhelpful post lol, but are you sureyou'd like the milk?

Couldn't drink shop milk, tastes like plastic.

Farmer Pudsey

Muckit a little trick I would get a young cow or heifer, when she calves down you let calf with her. However you milk her as well. When the calf gets to 2-3 weeks you take him off the cow either at night or during the day. The cow will rear the calf and provide milk for the house. If going away for a day or two leave the calf with the cow

onyerbikepat wrote: »

It's the Low-Fat milk that really gets to me. You might aswell be pouring water into your tea.

When we milked for the house a lot of the milk was low fat, between cream going for desert and some for butter. most people pushed the cream aside in the jug when pouring it onto tea.

Superdaddy wrote: »

I have been considering getting a Dexter cow for this purpose. They are a great dual purpose breed. The trick i believe is getting one that is well handled. I was thinking of getting a cow in calf with a heifer calf at foot. Tame the heifer calf for milking if the cow didn't play ball. Get both in calf in the future and leave one for milking and the other to rear two calves. Calves can be kept for the freezer or sold on. Surplus milk goes to pigs and chickens.

The Dexter is no more a dual purpose than a Kerry cow. Also they can give a few problems calving. A kerry cow would be ideal for milk for the house and use her to rear an AA calf.

sandydan

why not get an AA, not Canadian though, quite as mouse once you feed them and they are used to surroundings.

Superdaddy

Came across this article. It makes a lot of sense. It is worth a read.

http://www.countrysmallholding.com/features-land-and-livestock-dairy-produce,-and-more--212704

Aghoney

Superdaddy wrote: »

Came across this article. It makes a lot of sense. It is worth a read.

A lot of good information, with some questionable advice mixed in, IMHO. Let's take for example the five Belgian Blue crosses that the article author keeps. BB are very, very large, and even crossed with Fresian, they are going to be too heavy to keep on pasture between early October and early April here in Ireland, unless you have exceptionally good pasture. That means that you will need to keep your cows indoors six months each year, feed them 50+ bales of silage, collect farmyard manure in a tank and have access to equipment to spread slurry. That requires infrastructure and equipment that a smallholder is not likely to have. The shorthorn mentioned in passing in the article may be a better choice for us smallholders. I personally chose dexters for my smallholding because they can be out 12 months each year. We started milking one cow in early April, and while the 6-8 liters of milk we get a day are very little compared to what you can get from a dairy cow, it is more than enough to keep us in milk, cream and butter, and feed the excess to a few pigs as well.

Superdaddy

Aghoney wrote: »

A lot of good information, with some questionable advice mixed in, IMHO. Let's take for example the five Belgian Blue crosses that the article author keeps. BB are very, very large, and even crossed with Fresian, they are going to be too heavy to keep on pasture between early October and early April here in Ireland, unless you have exceptionally good pasture. That means that you will need to keep your cows indoors six months each year, feed them 50+ bales of silage, collect farmyard manure in a tank and have access to equipment to spread slurry. That requires infrastructure and equipment that a smallholder is not likely to have. The shorthorn mentioned in passing in the article may be a better choice for us smallholders. I personally chose dexters for my smallholding because they can be out 12 months each year. We started milking one cow in early April, and while the 6-8 liters of milk we get a day are very little compared to what you can get from a dairy cow, it is more than enough to keep us in milk, cream and butter, and feed the excess to a few pigs as well.

I love the idea of the dexters but I am getting so many mixed messages. 6-8 liters a day is enough for me too I'd imagine. How are you milking your dexter, machine or hand? Is she easy to handle? How many do you have? Is your milking cow still feeding the calf?

sandydan

another breed like shorthorn and very quite are Murray Grays ,some BB can have calving difficulties and need C section , some BB x British Freisan i had were nervous as so i would not recommend them, Simmental and Hereford are reasonably quite and have a good milk supply .
at moment cow prices in marts around are low so plenty of choice under €800,i sold Fr 1st calver 3yr old a few weeks back for less
BTW a milking machines with approx 1.5hp motor are available as pipeline at same price or cheaper than bucket plant. that is worth consideration as you avoid the pulsation problem associated with a cow knocking the bucket accidentally as well as spillage and are as easily installed in small cow-byre.

Farmer Pudsey

Dexters have a history of calving difficulty would not be a cow I would recommend for milk for the house. A Kerry cow or even one of the JEX cows would be much more suitable,