How to Milk a Cow Anytime by Calf-Sharing

If you’ve been wondering if you can milk a cow anytime you want milk, I’m here to tell you that there is a way! Calf-sharing is an excellent way for many homesteading families to deal with excess milk supply, free up time, and give you more opportunities on the homestead.

how to milk a cow anytime you need milk graphic with cows in background

When we were contemplating a family milk cow, one of the biggest things I worried about was how to manage milking a cow twice per day everyday. That would be a huge commitment of time, and I really wasn’t sure that it would be feasible for our family. I know now that there is a way to milk a cow anytime you want milk instead of the traditional twice per day milking! How? The answer is calf-sharing.

Calf-sharing, or sometimes called milk-sharing, is when you allow the cow to keep the calf with her full time. When you want milk from the cow, you simply separate the calf for 10-12 hours, milk what you need, and then return the calf to its mother. Of course, there are some considerations when calf-sharing, and I’d like to talk with you more about those below. But the biggest thing I want you to know by reading this article is that you can milk a cow anytime for milk and not be tied down to the twice per day milking schedule.

Background Information on Lactation
The Idea of Calf-Sharing
- What if the calf can’t keep up with the cow’s milk supply?
- Will the calves get enough milk if you take some?
Benefits of Calf-Sharing
Common Issues with Calf-Sharing
Our Experience with Calf-Sharing
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More on Family Milk Cows
More on Raising Animals

Background Information on Lactation

Here’s some background information, just so we’re all on the same page. A cow is a lactating mammal. In order for the cow to lactate, or produce milk, it needs to give birth. Only a female cow that has given birth is able to provide milk. This process is the same as in humans in the way that humans are able to produce breastmilk.

The Idea of Calf-Sharing

The basic principle of calf-sharing is that you milk a cow anytime simply by keeping the calf from nursing within an allotted amount of time. If the calf isn’t able to have free access to milk, the cow will build up a supply of milk in her udder, which you then are able to take. When you do not need milk, allow the calf to nurse freely, and it will keep the cow emptied of her milk, all while growing a healthy calf. The concept is a pretty great one! Of course, you might have some questions…

What if the calf can’t keep up with the cow’s milk supply?

This is a real problem! Dairy cows have been bred for milk production for a really long time, and because of that, they make more milk than one single calf can drink (at least in the beginning). To keep up with the milk supply so that you are still able to milk the cow any time, extra calves can be given to the cow to raise.

When our family milk cow August calved, she was producing 4-6 surplus gallons of milk each day, even with her heifer calf with her all day (never separated). So we found ourselves milking out the extra every day, twice per day. This obviously wasn’t our plan!

In order to help with the excess milk, we added another calf to be with the cow 24/7. This can be a little tricky. Some cows absolutely refuse another calf. But others, such as our cow, will gladly accept another calf to raise as her own. We added a beef breed calf so that we had the option to raise the calf for beef or to grow into part of our beef cow herd.

When the two big calves needed to be weaned because they were getting too rough with the cow, we took put the big calves in a new pasture and got another new calf to put on the cow. And so the cycle continued. From our cow’s first lactation, we were able to raise 4 healthy calves- one for the freezer, one to sell, and two to keep in our herd. Plus, we were also able to milk our cow anytime we needed milk for ourselves.

Will the calves get enough milk if you take some?

Yes! For the most part, the calf is getting most of the milk from the cow. You are just sharing the milk that the cow is providing with the calf!

A common practice in the dairy world is to feed a calf 10% of its body weight in milk. For example, a calf born at around 90 pounds would need to drink a little over a gallon of milk per day (since one gallon of milk equals about 8 pounds). For a high producing dairy cow, like a Jersey, there is plenty of milk leftover.

As the calves get older, they’re going to drain the cow completely and there won’t be a surplus. However, know that by 6 months, the calf is eating grass or hay in its diet as well, and isn’t solely relying on milk. Many farmers wean their calves around 6 months because they begin to do damage to the cow’s udder, and it’s not necessary for them to have milk as a part of their diet. So, what are the big takeaways here?

As long as the calf (less than 6 months old) is still getting 10% of its weight in milk, the calf is getting plenty of milk.
Calves older than 6 months don’t require any milk at all to be healthy, so taking the milk occasionally when needed is not going to affect the calf’s overall health.
If you have concern about the milk available to the calf after milking, you can milk two of the quarters completely and leave two full. This way, after you’ve milked what you need from two of the quarters, there are still two quarters left for the calf.

Benefits of Calf-Sharing

The benefits of calf-sharing for a homesteader are huge! As I mentioned earlier, calf-sharing is an excellent way for many homesteading families to deal with excess milk supply, free up time, and give you more opportunities on the homestead.

Milk Only When You Want Milk

One of the best benefits of calf-sharing is the fact that it gives you a chance to milk your family milk cow only when you want milk. You’re not tied down to milking twice per day, every day because the calf does that work for you. You’re able to grow a healthy calf, that you can either keep, sell, or raise for beef, all while getting the milk your family wants. The cow gets to keep her calf, the calf grows strong on the cow’s milk, the family gets to have milk, and you’re not tied down to the cow. It’s a pretty great deal!

Milk Only the Amount Needed

If you’re not calf-sharing, you’re responsible for taking the milk from the cow to keep her udder empty- no matter how much milk is there. When our cow freshened, she was producing 6-7 gallons of milk every single day. That meant every day, without calf-sharing, we needed to find a place to store and use 6-7 gallons of milk. Of course, there are lots of things you can do with excess milk, like feed to pigs, sell if it’s legal (it is illegal in Wisconsin), or make other dairy products. But even so, 42-49 gallons of milk per week is a lot of milk.

When calf-sharing, you can just take the amount of milk you need. We generally would milk 1/2 gallon to 1 gallon every couple of days, then let the calf drink the leftovers. This gives our family enough milk for our needs and keeps the calf happy. We are literally sharing the milk supply! Now, if there’s something we need more milk for, we have the option to milk more. For example, if I wanted to make a big batch of cheese or if I’m making pudding or soups, or if I want to make butter, we might milk out more. But for most of our everyday milk needs, milking 3-4 times per week at about 1/2-1 gallon each milking was plenty for our family of six.

Raise Beef Cows or Cows for Profit Cheaply

Another great benefit from calf-sharing is the fact that your cow is raising another cow for you. You might choose to raise the calf for beef or to sell, either of which will be a profitable venture for you.

If your cow freshens in fall, the calf will eat very little over winter in addition to the cow’s 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 sell, butcher, or breed at around 1 year.

Raise Healthier Calves

When cows are fed whole milk, they often grow faster and better than when fed milk replacer (source). This makes sense as it’s the natural food designed perfectly for them! Calves can be raised very easily on milk replacer, but most of the time, you’ll see a calf grow stronger and healthier when it’s fed its mother’s milk.

Provides Benefits of a Home Dairy but Offers Freedom

I’ve touched on this already, but one of the best parts of calf-sharing is the freedom it provides. You are able to have your own homestead dairy, milk your cow anytime you need milk, and not have to be tied down to your animal. This is a huge motivator for many to begin the calf-sharing process! If you have a get-together with family or friends, you won’t have to worry about getting home to milk because you have the reassurance that the calf is going to make sure that milk is gone if they aren’t separated. It’s a really great balance that offers a lot of flexibility and freedom for a homestead dairy operation.

A family milk cow grazes with her calf at sunset

Common Issues with Calf-Sharing

Like all things, calf-sharing can come with issues or troubles. One of the most common issues that happens with calf-sharing is the cow withholding milk. Cow’s are able to let down their milk when they choose. Unlike a human, who may start to lactate at the sound of a baby crying, a cow can control when they let down their milk. Because of this, some times the cow will not choose to let down her milk for the person so she can save it for her baby.

If this happens, there are a few strategies to try. One strategy to combat a cow withholding milk is to bring the calf over and milk while the calf is nursing. This way, the cow lets down her milk and the person milking can get milk too. Some farmers and homesteaders have even been able to train their calves to only nurse from certain teats. This can be messy, though, as calves are sloppy eaters. You can be certain there will be spit and milk all around you!

Another strategy is to allow the calf to start nursing, then pull it away so that you can milk. Collect the milk that you need, then allow the calf to continue nursing to empty the cow the rest of the way.

Our Experience with Calf-Sharing

We’ve had a wonderful experience with calf-sharing! That’s why I want to tell you about it in the first place! Calf sharing has given our busy family of six a chance to experience a homestead dairy, but not tied us down to our animals. From our family milk cow, we’ve made cheese, butter, cottage cheese, ice cream, and lots of delicious foods. We’ve been able to raise four calves on our family milk cow in one lactation! Of the four calves we’ve had our milk cow raise, two are pregnant to Angus bulls to help build our beef herd. We will butcher the steer in fall for beef. The other heifer will be sold to another homesteading family this spring. We’ve never really felt tied down to our cow. We’ve been able to have milk for our family’s needs. Overall, it’s been just a really great experience, and we recommend it to anyone considering a family milk cow!