Raising dairy cows is difficult work. It takes time, energy, resources, and dedication. There are many monthly expenses for feeds, medicines, vaccinations, and labor. However, when managed properly, a small dairy farmer can reap huge benefits, like extra cash and the pleasure of having fresh milk available daily.
There are thousands of different breeds of cows, but what follows are the three most popular breeds of dairy cows.
The Holstein cow has roots tracing back to European migrant tribes almost two thousand years ago. Today, the breed is widely popular in the United States for their exceptional milk production. They are large animals, typically marked with spots of jet black and pure white.
The Ayrshire breed takes its name from the county of Ayr in Scotland. Throughout the early nineteenth century, Scottish breeders carefully crossbred strains of cattle to develop a cow well suited to the climate of Ayr and with a large flat udder best suited for the production of Scottish butter and cheese. The uneven terrain and the erratic climate of their native land explain the breed’s ability to adapt to all types of surroundings and conditions. Ayrshire cows are not only strong and resilient, but their trim, well-rounded outline, and red and predominantly white color has made them easily recognized as one of the most beautiful of the dairy cattle breeds.
The Jersey breed is one of the oldest breeds, originating from Jersey of the Channel Islands. Jersey cows are known for their ring of fine hair around the nostrils and their milk rich in butterfat. Averaging to a total body weight of around 900 pounds, the Jersey cow produces the most pounds of milk per pound of body weight of all other breeds.
There are many factors to consider when choosing housing for your cattle, including budget, preference, breed, and circumstance.
Free stall barns provide a clean, dry, comfortable resting area and easy access to food and water. If designed properly, the cows are not restrained and are free to enter, lie down, rise, and leave the barn whenever they desire. They are usually built with concrete walkways and raised stalls with steel dividing bars. The floor of the stalls may be covered with various materials, ideally a sanitary inorganic material such as sand.
A flat barn is another popular alternative, which requires tie-chains or stanchions to keep the cows in their stalls. However, it creates a need for cows to be routinely released into an open area for exercise. It is also very important that the stalls are designed to fit the physical characteristics of the cows. For example, the characteristically shorter Jersey cows should not be housed in a stall designed for much larger Holsteins.
A compost-bedded pack barn, generally known as a compost dairy barn, allows cows to move freely, promising increased cow comfort. Though it requires exhaustive pack and ventilation management, it can notably reduce manure storage costs.
Cows with sore feet and legs can often lead to losses from milk production, diminished breeding efficiency, and lameness. Hoof trimming is essential to help prevent these outcomes, though it is often very labor intensive, allowing it to be easily neglected. Hoof trimming should be supervised or taught by a veterinarian until you get the hang of it.
A simple electric clipper will keep your cows well-groomed and clean. Mechanical cow brushes are another option. These brushes can be installed in a free-stall dairy barn, allowing cows to groom themselves using a rotating brush that activates when rubbed against.
In the summer months, cows can receive most of their nutrition from grazing, assuming there is plenty of pasture. You may need to rotate areas of pasture so that the grass has an opportunity to grow back before the cows are let loose in that area again. Grazing pastures should include higher protein grasses, such as alfalfa, clover, or lespedeza. During the winter, cows should be fed hay. Plan to offer the cows 2 to 3 pounds of high quality hay per 100 pounds of body weight per day. This should provide adequate nutrition for the cows to produce 10 quarts of milk per day, during peak production months. To increase production, supplement feed with ground corn, oats, barley, and wheat bran. Proper mixes are available from feed stores. Allowing cows access to a salt block will also help to increase milk production.
Water availability and quantity is crucial to health and productivity. Water intake varies, however it is important that cows are given the opportunity to consume a large amount of clean water several times a day. Generally, cows consume 30 to 50 percent of their daily water intake within an hour of milking. Water quality can also be an issue. Some of the most common water quality problems affecting livestock are high concentrations of minerals and bacterial contamination. Send out 1 to 2 quarts of water from the source to be tested by a laboratory recommended by your veterinarian.
If you intend to run an organic dairy, cows must receive feed that was grown without the use of pesticides, commercial fertilizers, or genetically modified ingredients along with other restrictions.
You may want to keep one healthy bull for breeding. Check the bull for STDs, scrotum circumference, and sperm count before breeding season begins. The best cows for breeding have large pelvises and are in general good health. An alternative is to use the artificial insemination (A.I.) method. There are many advantages to A.I., including the prevention of spreading infectious genital diseases, the early detection of infertile bulls, elimination of the danger of handling unruly bulls, and the availability of bulls of high genetic material. The disadvantage is that implementing a thorough breeding program is difficult and requires a large investment of time and resources. In order to successfully execute an A.I. program, you may need a veterinarian’s assistance in determining when your cows are in heat. Cows only remain fertile for twelve hours after the onset of heat, and outside factors such as temperature, sore feet, or tie-chain or stanchion housing can drastically hinder heat detection.
The baby calf will be born approximately 280 days after insemination. Keep an eye on the cow once labor begins, but try not to disturb the mother. If labor is unusually long (more than a few hours), call a veterinarian to help. It is also crucial that the newborns begin to suckle soon after birth to receive ample colostrum, the mother’s first milk, after giving birth. Colostrum is high in fat and protein with antibodies that help strengthen the immune system, though it is not suitable for human consumption. After two or three days, the calf should be separated from the mother and the rest of the herd and placed in a safe, hygienic, and controlled environment to avoid contracting any germs from other animals.
You can teach the calf to drink from a bucket by gently pulling its head toward the pail. A calf should consume about 1 quart of milk for every 20 pounds of body weight. A calf starter can be used to help ensure proper ruminai development. You can find many types of starters on the market, each meeting the nutritional requirements for calves. Begin milking young cows as soon as they are separated from the mother. This will get them used to the process while they are small enough to be more manageable.
Calf vaccination is also very important. You should consult your veterinarian to design a vaccination program that best fits your calves’ needs.
Pinkeye and foot rot are two of the most prevalent conditions affecting all breeds of cattle of all ages year-round. Though both diseases are non-fatal, they should be taken seriously and treated by a qualified veterinarian.
Wooden tongue occurs worldwide, generally appearing in areas where there is a copper deficiency or the cattle graze on land with rough grass or weeds. It affects the tongue, causing it to become hard and swollen so that eating is painful for the animal. Surgical intervention is often required.
Brucellosis or bangs is the most common cause of abortion in cattle. The milk produced by an infected cow can also contain the bacteria, posing a threat to the health of humans. It is advisable to vaccinate your calves, to prevent exorbitant costs in the long run, should your herd contract the disease.
