Have you been contemplating a family milk cow addition to your homestead? Wondering about what it’s really like to own a family milk cow? Or maybe you’re wondering what you need to know about family milk cows before you go out and buy one. This post has got you covered! This is everything you need to consider when contemplating a family milk cow for your homesteading family.
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When we first were contemplating a family milk cow for our family, I had a lot of questions. It’s a bit overwhelming at first to try to figure out everything you need on your own, pulling from different resources along the way. Taking the leap to purchasing your first family milk cow is a big one, and as most things with homesteading, it comes with a learning curve. The goal of this comprehensive post is to answer those burning questions you have, plus give you some insight on what it’s really like to own a family milk cow. I want to give you the inside scoop on everything you need to know!
First, let’s start with some questions that might be burning in your mind.
Table of Contents
- What are the advantages to having a family milk cow?
- How much milk should you expect?
- How much does a family milk cow cost?
- Is it better to buy a calf and raise it or to buy a cow already in milk?
- How much will feed cost for my family milk cow?
- Where should you look to find your family milk cow?
- How much room does my cow need?
- What will I need for fencing and shelter?
- Our experience with a family milk cow
- Contemplating a family milk cow? Then save this post!
- Ready to start homesteading?
- Ready to purchase your first family milk cow?
- Already own a family milk cow?
What are the advantages to having a family milk cow?
There are a lot of advantages to having a family milk cow on a homestead. Let’s touch base on some of the biggest ones:
Advantage #1: You’re providing food for your family.
The greatest advantage to having a family milk cow is that you are able to provide your own dairy for your family. You’re able to live a little more self-sustainably and a little less dependent on others for your family’s nourishment. This is really a big deal! To be able to go out to your own cow, milk her, and bring in your harvest to serve your family is an amazing accomplishment.
Advantage #2: The milk is extremely versatile.
You can turn that milk that you’ve just harvested into all kinds of products. Milk for drinking, cooking, and baking is the obvious one, but this milk can be used for a lot more than just drinking. Making yogurt, farmer’s cheese, cottage cheese, butter, ice cream, sour cream, and cream cheese are all things that our ancestors routinely made with their own milk on their family’s homesteads. Learning these skills will take some time and practice, but imagine how proud you’ll be to create these things from your own kitchen! Think about the pride you’ll have as you serve your family a meal created with milk that you have milked yourself. That’s pretty priceless.
Advantage #3: You know what’s in your milk and where it’s coming from.
I know that the milk I feed my family comes from a healthy cow who is being fed a good diet. Can you say that if you don’t own the cow yourself? Without directly owning the cow, you don’t really have any idea on what condition the cow is in, what conditions the milking parlor is in, or what food went into the cow to make the milk. Owning a family milk cow gives you complete control over all of these factors, putting you in charge.
Advantage #4: It bonds you to the animal and deepens your connection to the world around you.
Working closely with an animal every day is going to impact you. You’ll start to see your cow’s personality, get to know her movements, and recognize what irritates her or makes her antsy. You’ll start to form a deeper connection with where your food is coming from, and with that, a deeper connection to the earth around you.
When you are sitting under your milk cow, rhythmically pulling and squeezing as the milk swishes the pail, you are forming a direct connection to your food. You’ll start to think about the work it takes to enjoy the products that this animal can give you, and you’ll give thanks for her and all she has to offer. Soon, you’ll recognize her dependence on the land for nourishment, and in turn, yours. You’ll become aware of the weather patterns and seasons, knowing that each will affect her and how well she can produce milk. Your bond to her will grow out of gratitude, and your bond to the earth will deepen as you see the patterns of nature unfold.
How much milk should you expect?
When you’re contemplating a family milk cow, you’ll of course want to consider which breed of cow is going to be best for your family’s homestead. I cover that in great detail here in this post. Different breeds can give different amounts of milk, and you’ll want to research that further before you make any decisions on which breed of cow you want to buy. A typical dairy cow can give between 6-7 gallons of milk per day with the calf on her full time. When our family milk cow August, a Jersey cow, freshened last spring, she gave us 2-3 gallons of milk each milking (morning and night). This is a huge amount of milk! You’ll need to be ready and think about this before you purchase your milk cow, because you will need to milk her right away on Day 1 if she is in milk.
Here are some serious questions to consider and think about:
How will I store my milk?
We use half gallon mason jars to store our milk because they fit the best in the refrigerator. We have a few gallon jars, too, but honestly they just don’t quite fit in the refrigerator and tipping them on their sides are just not ideal. You can write the date that you milked on the side of the glass with a permanent marker to keep track of when each jar was milked. Also note, wide mouth is best because it’s easier to skim off the cream than a narrow mouth jar.
Where will you store your milk?
We ended up buying an extra refrigerator to keep in our garage for all of the extra milk. If you don’t carefully consider this before buying your cow, you’re going to find quickly that your refrigerator will fill up with milk and have no room left over for anything else. Consider where your milk will be stored before your cow sets foot on your property.
What am I going to do with all of this milk?
You have a few options here. One, you can give milk away to friends and family. In Wisconsin, it’s actually illegal to sell raw milk, so be sure to check the laws in your state before starting a milk-sale business.
Another option is to feed your leftover milk to other animals, like pigs and chickens. Chickens obviously won’t consume a lot of milk, but pigs will. Nothing fattens up pigs (and people) like whole milk straight from the cow. They also like the skimmed stuff, so if you have leftover skimmed milk from making butter or even just whey from making cheese, they’ll be excited to take that off of your hands too.
Calf Sharing
The last option, which is what we do, is to calf share. Calf sharing means that you allow the calf to nurse with the cow to reduce the amount of milk that you have. We actually had two calves on our family milk cow in the beginning because she was just making so much milk. Once we added our second calf, a beef breed, we were able to keep up with the 1 gallon per day we were getting instead of 6-7 gallons we had been getting before.
Adding in a second calf is a great way to raise up beef for essentially very little money. If your cow freshens in fall, the calf will eat very little over winter in addition to her milk and be very cheap to keep fed and happy. When the calf does start to eat more, there will be spring and summer pastures for her to eat, which is free to you as well if you own your own land. You can then decide to butcher or breed at around 1 year. A springing heifer (meaning a heifer that is bred to have a calf) can bring you a nice chunk of money, which is a good return on your investment.
You can read more about calf sharing here.
How much does a family milk cow cost?
This can vary from state to state and from cow to cow. Dry cows (or cows that are not currently in milk) are going to sell for less, as are older cows. Young, high producing cows on their first or second lactation are going to cost the most. A heifer (or a young female cow who has not yet had a calf) can be a cheap option, but there are definitely disadvantages to this as well (more on that later).
When we bought our cow, the farmer that we purchased her from said that they had cows for sale anywhere from $500 to $1500. The $500 cow would be a bred cow on her 8th to 10th lactation, which is a risk. This cow could easily die during calving, which would be a huge loss.
The $1500 cow was a 2 year old who was producing about 8 gallons per day. She was bred for a spring calf. She is more valuable because of her youth and high milk production.
Our family cow, August, cost $1200. She was 3 years old, bred and confirmed pregnant, and the farmers also threw in the 2nd calf with this price. We felt this was reasonable and fair, and I would say this is a very average price when purchasing a family milk cow.
Is it better to buy a calf and raise it or to buy a cow already in milk?
It can be tempting to want to buy a calf and raise it up to be your family milk cow. Calves are a lot less intimidating, plus the idea of raising the calf to behave how you want it is appealing. However, I strongly discourage you from purchasing a calf over a cow already in milk. Here’s why:
Raising a calf is going to cost a lot more before you get any return
When you start with a calf, you’re going to need to buy milk replacer, calf starter grain, and hay for feed. You’ll need to feed her these things for quite some time, up until around at least 6 months. Then, she’ll switch over to hay and a sweet feed.
You won’t be able to breed her until she’s around 14-15 months old. At this point, you’ve already been feeding her all of that time with no return on investment at all. It will be another 9 months before she calves (if she took on the first breeding attempt), and it is then that you will get your first drop of milk from your cow.
This puts you at around 2 years of feeding, providing bedding and shelter, and your time that you didn’t get anything in return from your initial investment. That is a huge money sucker and time sucker that need to be seriously considered.
Training a heifer to milk can be challenging
If you do raise a calf up to be your milk cow, you will need to train her to milk. Generally speaking, heifers are uncomfortable with the milking process in the beginning. They kick and poop to show their unhappiness. They are no longer calves anymore, either. These are large animals that can seriously hurt you if you’re not careful. If you’re learning how to milk yourself, it’s probably not a good idea that your cow is also learning that too. Neither one of you will be very happy.
Starting with a cow in milk will give you a return on investment right away
If you purchase a cow that’s in milk, you’re going to start getting milk that very first day you bring her home. She will be used to the milking process, and though she might be a little leery in a new environment, she will recognize the process quickly. This means you’ll be getting that farm fresh milk from Day 1, and your feed costs will be justified in some ways because you’re also getting a product from the animal.
An experienced cow will be more forgiving
A cow that’s used to being milk will, more than likely, stand still for you while you fumble around and try to figure out what the heck you’re doing on that first milking attempt. She won’t be antsy, so long as she has her grain and routine down, and she’ll allow you to struggle and fail the first few times. This makes learning to milk a lot less stressful than if you’re battling a kicking heifer who doesn’t want her udder touched.
How much will feed cost for my family milk cow?
I’m going to be brutally honest. It’s not cheap to feed your family milk cow. But let’s also face it- you’re not contemplating a family milk cow because you want to save money. If you think you’re going to save money, you’re wrong. It’s about the mindset, the self-sustainability, and the satisfaction you feel from growing something yourself. Having a family milk cow is about providing for your family from your own homestead and knowing exactly what is in the food you eat. It’s not about saving money.
Grain
Now, with that being said, Penn State Extension recommends that dairy cattle eat 4 pounds of grain per 1 pound of milk that they produce (with a maximum of 16-20 pounds per day). This is a really huge amount of grain! You’re not going to be wanting dairy size milk quantities, so don’t feel like you have to necessarily feed dairy size milk quantities. You’ll want to do a little experimenting to see how much grain is enough to keep her body condition healthy, yet not give her diarrhea. (Get used to poop, too…when you have animals, talking about poop is a normal thing).
We give our cow a 2 gallon bucket of grain twice per day. The grain we give is a dairy blend from our local feed mill and costs $20 per 100 pounds. We usually end up going through about 3 bags of dairy blend grain each month, though our heifers also get a gallon in total each day as well. That puts our grain costs at $60 per month on grain.
Hay/Forage
In addition to grain, your family milk cow also should have hay (spring, winter, fall) or access to forage (in the summer months). Fifteen to 20 pounds of hay each day is necessary for keeping your cow’s rumen healthy and performing as it should (source). In the winter, we give our family milk cow one and a half of a third crop small square bale per day comprised of grass and clover. We estimate it weighs about 50 pounds. Small square bales can go anywhere from $2-$5 per bale. You want to make sure you’re feeding your lactating cow enough protein, so research the type of hay you’re getting to make sure it’s good quality for her.
Feeding our cow in the winter is obviously more expensive than in the summer. She is able to pasture and eat all of the grass she wants in the summer time, so we don’t have to supplement with hay. In the winter, her 1.5 bales per day at $2/bale costs us $90 per month.
Total Cost
That brings our total cost for keeping a family milk cow $150 each month (in winter). It’s only the $60 grain cost in the summer time when she’s on pasture. Even so, that’s a lot of money for milk. But like I said before, there’s a lot more to it. There are ways you can make money, too. We can sell calves to make profit, if we have to, and there is potential to sell milk to local farmers if they’re willing to take it.
Where should you look to find your family milk cow?
There are a couple of places to start your search when contemplating a family milk cow. Knowing the seller is important, and there are a lot of specific questions you’ll want to ask him or her. I’ve created a list of must-ask questions that you should ask the seller before you buy your family milk cow here.
A local farmer or homestead
If you know a small homestead already, that would be a good place to start. They will more than likely have the same ideas of what is ideal in a family milk cow, and thus, would be the best people to buy from.
But, if you live in an area where there’s not a lot of homesteaders, then you’ll need to look other places. Local dairy farms are also a great place. Many dairy farmers cull cows out of their herd because they’re not producing enough milk for the dairy, but are still great producers. These cows often can produce more than enough milk for one homestead. Of course, be aware of why the owner is selling or culling the cow out of the herd, though. Like I mentioned before, you’ll want to read through those questions to ask the seller before you leave with your family cow. You’ll also want to be aware of how the farmer runs his/her farm, and think about if this fits with your mindset of how a cow should be raised.
Craigslist
Craigslist is another possible option. Again, you’ll need to beware of scammers and head into the sale with questions in tow. Never give money to anyone before a sale, as there are scammers and terrible people who try to steal your money. You should always be able to go to the farm and see the cow first, and ask the farmer questions. If they say no to any of those things, run away!
How much room does my cow need?
When pasturing a cow, a cow will need about 2 acres per cow to be happy and full. In a barn, your cow should be able to lay down and get up easily with minimal contact to other cows and the stall.
If you want specifics, Beef-Cattle Extension recommends 20-30 square feet per cow, in addition to a feed area. If the feed area is part of their space, then it is recommended that they have 35-50 square feet per cow.
What will I need for fencing and shelter?
Keeping your cow within the boundaries of your homestead will need to take some consideration before bringing your cow home. These are the things that you’ll definitely need to consider before your cow comes off of the trailer.
Shelter
The most important thing is that your cow is dry and out of the wind. A cold, wet cow is recipe for a number of health problems that you don’t want to deal with. Providing your cow with a place to go when it’s raining or snowing that will keep them dry and out of the wind is critical. We have a small yard shed that we converted to a barn (10×20 feet), and it works well as a way to keep our girls dry and happy.
Fencing
There are multiple different fencing options to consider. Two of the cheapest types are barbed wire and electrical fencing. Each have benefits and disadvantages. Another option is woven wire fencing, which also comes with goods and bads.
Electric Fencing
One of the easiest and most versatile types of fencing is electric fencing. It’s relatively affordable and easy to put up and move, so it’s a good option if you’re looking to rotationally graze or move your cattle from time to time. It also works great as a permanent option as well. You can use step in fence posts to make the fence building process even easier. One thing to note is that it does require electricity to run an electric fence. This can be generated through solar, battery, or standard electrical outlet. Cows often learn quickly to respect the fence after being shocked, and you won’t have much trouble. A one to two wire strand is often all you need, but if you have calves, too, you might consider adding a 3rd strand to keep the calves from sneaking between or under the fence wire.
Barbed Wire Fencing
Barbed wire fencing is also cost effective and is the most popular fencing type amongst cattle owners in the U.S. It is a more permanent option, as moving barbed wire fencing is not easy or fun. You’ll also need to use wood or steel posts with this type of fencing. This means moving it after it’s up will not be an option. Additionally, the sharp barbs can be dangerous to animals at times, especially wild animals, who might get tangled in the fencing and can’t get out.
Woven Wire Fencing
Woven wire fencing forms squares with the fencing. It is sturdy and secure, though it does cost more. One thing to consider is that cattle can get their feet stuck within the squares of woven wire fencing. This can cause injury to the cow. This is also a permanent type fencing, and moving it around is not an option. This type of fencing is built to last for years. It will require very little maintenance can last up to 50 years. It also does a great job of keeping predators out and cattle in.
What we use
We use a basic electric fence and have had very little issues with it. It was easy to install, is easy to move around when we want to, and keeps the cows in. We’ve had a few instances when the fence was off and one of our testy heifers decided to go through it. But overall, the cows respect the fence and don’t give us any trouble.
We run three strands of wire just to make sure that our calves don’t go between the two wires. It is very quick to put up, so adding three strands wasn’t a lot of work. We use t-posts on the corners and step-in posts for the rest. We run our electric fence with an electrical outlet attached to our house. We’re happy with it, and would use electric again in the future!
Our experience with a family milk cow
When we were contemplating a family milk cow, we never could have imagined the experiences and personal growth that owning one would lead to. Owning a cow has connected me to my food and has shown me just how much I am capable of.
I was afraid at first
When we first got our cow, I was terrified of her. I had never been around such a large animal, and I was extremely intimidated. On top of that, I was embarrassed at how afraid of her I was, and I began to really wonder if I had made a mistake. If I was too afraid to be in with her to clean her pen, how was I going to get up close to milk her?
On top of that, people were mocking me for my choice to add a family milk cow to our farm. They told me I’d never be able to handle cows, and they laughed at the idea of me milking. They didn’t believe in me, and I wondered if they were right. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for this after all.
The turning point
We had August about a week when she freshened. About 2 days after freshening, it was time to do our first milking. I was so afraid! After a lot of self-pep talk, I decided I was going to do it. I was determined!
I gave August her grain, and got my self in position. With one leg on the gate so I could get out easily if I had to, I sat down on a 5 gallon pail. With my heart pounding, sweat forming on my head, and my hands going as fast as they could, I milked her.
I was so proud of myself. Beaming with pride, I ran up to the house to show everyone how much milk I had gotten. I had overcome my fear. I had conquered.
Anytime you’re dealing with animals, you’ll find out just how much you’re capable of. Soon you’ll be put in situations that you don’t want to be in, and you’ll have to decide in that moment how to react.
Personal growth
One time, our sassy, fat heifer escaped the fence and was charging in towards her mama to nurse. She started head-butting our new calf and pushed her around. Things were getting out of hand fast, and I needed to move. I was afraid to go into the pasture alone with her. I was afraid to push her around to get her back into her pen. But I did it. I did what had to be done. Afterwards, I broke down crying from the stress and pressure I had felt. But, you know what? I came out more confident because of it.
When you’re contemplating a family milk cow, know that it will change you. You’ll learn what you’re made of. Soon, you’ll find out that you are stronger than you had thought.
When we were contemplating a family milk cow, I didn’t know what it would bring. I would have never guessed that this journey would bring me so much joy and personal growth.
Contemplating a family milk cow? Then save this post!
Ready to start homesteading?
Start here! I go through all of the steps on how to make your own homestead dream a reality.
Ready to purchase your first family milk cow?
Take this list of questions with you to ask your seller. Be sure you know which breed is best for your homestead here.
Already own a family milk cow?
What tips do you have for those who are contemplating a family milk cow of their own? Leave a comment below!
This was incredibly informative! We have land, are hoping to build on it soon, and then want to start in with some animals. My husband was a farmer but I am clueless! Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad it could be helpful! I wish you luck with your journey!
Wow, 6-7 gallons a day! I had no idea… what a blessing that would be. I can just imagine a few families sharing a cow in the good old days. I love how you shared how having cows has changed and strengthened you as well. Animals have a special way of helping us do that!
I like to think about that too, olden day families sharing one cow, working together as a community for what they needed. It’s pretty special. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing!