# New to dairy farming. Question(s)



## yanks26 (Jul 24, 2009)

I am new to cows so sorry for any "stupid" questions I may produce. Lol. 

1) How many gallons a day do dairy cows produce? I heard 8 Gallons. Is that true?
2) How many times a day much a cow be milked?
3) Does anyone here make money off their cows?

I will have more questions just give me some time. Haha.


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## Imissmygirls (Jul 24, 2009)

Cows produce anywhere from 15 to 115 lbs of milk a day. Milk weighs 8.6 lbs per gallon.
Cows are milked 2 or 3 times per day and the above amounts are distributed through the milkings.

No one makes money off their cows these days. The US Government claims it costs commercial farmers $20 for every 100 lbs of milk they produce.  Right now farmers in our area are receiving $10 per hundred for the milk.
Dairy Farmers love their lifestyle and are gluttons for punishment


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## yanks26 (Jul 24, 2009)

It is terrible what I have been reading about governments ruining farms. Just terrible. 

I want to get into this as a hobby but it would be nice to get a little something back in compensation for all the money I would have to spend.

Although, the milk and meat would be pretty nice.


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## kstaven (Jul 25, 2009)

If you get into milking dairy cattle then hope you can find a milker part time or plan on never taking a vacation, or ranging to far from home again.


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## Farmer Kitty (Jul 25, 2009)

Imissmygirls pretty much answered questions 1 & 2 for you. 

As for #3, I'm a dairy farmer. My DH works off the farm, mainly for the health insurance, and then we have the dairy farm too. The only way to really make a living by farming is to learn to save. I've already talked about this in one of your other threads. 

kstaven is right in the fact that if you go into dairy farming, you won't have a vacation unless you can find someone you can trust to do some milkings for you.

There is NO silly/dumb/stupid questions. We would rather answer a simple question than have you stumbling along and not know what you are doing.


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## Cheepsunglasses (Aug 5, 2009)

We don't do too badly with our cows, but we were careful about how we approached things. You certainly won't make any money off of the milk, but if you are keeping just a couple of cows, you can sometimes recoup your money on the calves.  But you have to buy very good stock and make sure there is a market for them. 

We bought Miniature Jersey Cows, from good good bloodlines. We were after the fresh milk, but wanted to make sure we could also sell the calves. Good registered heifers of this breed bring between $2500 (fairly common) to $5000 (not common, but happens). Good bulls are bringing between $1000 and $1500. If you are also using the milk and making cheese, yes, you will ultimately at least break even because these cows are also very easy keepers and cheap to feed. We normally get between 1.5 and 3 gallons of milk per day per cow. The cows are popular with homesteaders because the milk is very high in butterfat, in amounts that won't overwhelm a household.  They are small, docile and good for begginer owners. 

The down side: All cows need a good diet and veterinary care, and milk cows require a steady schedule and scrupulous hygiene for both cows and equipment . You will need to do a lot of homework on nutrition and medical issues because, when things go wrong, they can go wrong quickly. Your cows will be calving, with all of the things that can go wrong during that process.  You cannot take a break or a vacation while your cows are fresh unless you have someone who can take over.

We have never been commercial dairy farmers and I salute those folks who are. It is one of the most difficult livelihoods I can imagine, especially now.


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## Imissmygirls (Aug 5, 2009)

I might also add that you have to be able to stand losing your  initial investment if:
-- your cow dies, because that's something they are very good at!
Or-- they refuse to get pregnant.
Or-- they get loose and into something that makes them sick in the middle of the night.
Or the middle of the day-- pick any time that you aren't looking.

The chance of one of the above happening is in direct proportion to how much you value the cow either financially or emotionally- or both.

Do I sound pessimistic?  Not really, but it seems to happen like this.


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## kstaven (Aug 6, 2009)

You forgot the one about the cow calving on the worst day of the year in the most remote or inaccesable part of the property and having complications. All with the very real potential of losing cow and calf.

It always seems to be the ones who are going to have problems that do this. The rest always calve in an area that is convenient.


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## ohiofarmgirl (Aug 6, 2009)

hey yanks 26!

since there's nothing but everyone's 'reality check' .... golly folks where is the love!?!?... what about goats?? i know i know.. i'm the last person to say that as i'm the resident goat "liker "and not the goat lover... but its a thought. they are cheaper, more efficient with their feed, take less room...

if you are new to farming it may be a good intermediate step to test the water. i got both my dairy goat for about $200 each and they have totally paid for themselves - and made us aware of the work involved. the other benefit is that if one of these silly goats kicks me i'll a bruise (most likely) but if a cow took a swing at me i'd be in trouble. 

are you used to big animals? what peaked your cow interest?? i'd love to hear how you got to/are getting to your decision as i have some of the same inklings (i think??)

that being said - i'm a repressed cow person and i cant wait to get cows! so i'm supporting you. and if it doesnt work out let me know and i'll make you a deal on the cows!


OhioFarmGirl
"goats only, no cows, i dream of cows......"


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## Imissmygirls (Aug 6, 2009)

Where is the love???

I got to spend yesterday afternoon at the fair with MReit's baby Jerseys and I was in heaven)))  I do so miss my girls  Some of us just love cows. And frankly, if you are going to go dairy, you'd better love it!  I don't know of anyone who does it just for the money cos it just isn't worth it!  If you love it, goats won't cut the mustard

 I think the reality check is so that someone getting into the bizness realizes what is needed. Large animals require different care than small. And dairy requires much different than beef-- really!  While I am FAR from a PETA person, I do get upset with someone not giving a cow the respect due her with good care.


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## ohiofarmgirl (Aug 6, 2009)

hee hee hee goats DONT cut the muster.. but until then...sigh... its dairy goats for all my friends.... or me.


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## kstaven (Aug 6, 2009)

Where is the love? That is an easy one to answer. You have to love doing it!

We dairy cows and goats here. It is a harsh lifestyle and you give up a lot of things to do it because YOU LOVE IT!


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## wynedot55 (Aug 6, 2009)

well i still love the dairy.an yes i retired from milking cows.talked to a young kid the other day.that i know his parents.an he said that they are milking 4000hd out in west texas.so by my figures they have over 5000hd on the dairy.an i told him id love to run a dairy triple that size.


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## MReit (Aug 7, 2009)

wynedot55 said:
			
		

> well i still love the dairy.an yes i retired from milking cows.talked to a young kid the other day.that i know his parents.an he said that they are milking 4000hd out in west texas.so by my figures they have over 5000hd on the dairy.an i told him id love to run a dairy triple that size.


Oh bless your heart wynedot, your a brave one! lol, I like keeping milkings under or around 3 hours..Anymore then that and it might just feel like work haha..I managed a herd of 200 milkers, that was enough to keep you busy and yet have some kind of relationship with each of the cows. Where I'm at now has 100 milkers, its the perfect size for me to deal with right now, I'm still learning all the cows' names but when they are all jerseys you can't go by a glimpse of a spot like holsteins and know exactly who they are. Sometimes I have to look twice! Wouldn't change it for the world though.


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## yanks26 (Aug 8, 2009)

ohiofarmgirl said:
			
		

> hey yanks 26!
> 
> since there's nothing but everyone's 'reality check' .... golly folks where is the love!?!?... what about goats?? i know i know.. i'm the last person to say that as i'm the resident goat "liker "and not the goat lover... but its a thought. they are cheaper, more efficient with their feed, take less room...
> 
> ...


How do you make money with your goats?


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## ohiofarmgirl (Aug 9, 2009)

right now i dont!



we've 'made' money by saving what we WOULD have spent on feed and groceries. we've saved  at least $50 a month for groceries and our feed costs went down for poulty and hogs by about 30%.. but as far as actual profits - nada. but thats not what we started out to do. 

next year tho, we'll be able to sell some babies.


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