Our Jersey milk cow operation has been my passion for almost 20 years now.
Due to the amazing impact a milk cows brings to your homestead, I am so excited to share our knowledge with others!
THE FAMILY MILK COW IS WORTH HER WEIGHT IN GOLD!
Check out our latest how-to’s and news from our home dairy operation!
Feeding your family milk cow is the most important thing you need to know when adding a family milk cow to your homestead. This post will help simplify the process and I will share my tips from owning a family milk cow for over 20 years. To preface this post I want to share that…
There are many traits that make up the perfect family milk cow. Here’s what I find most important when selecting a milk cow for your farmstead.
I can’t stress this enough. It is so important to test your dairy cow yearly and know her background. Chances are you will drink raw milk, and it is very important to know the status of your cow’s health BEFORE you drink her raw milk. Many bovine diseases can transfer to humans. (zoonotic). Our closed herd is tested every May for the following bovine diseases:
TB (tuberculosis)
Bang’s (Brucellosis)
BVD (bovine viral diarrhea)
Johne’s
Q Fever
BLV (bovine leukosis virus)
NEOSPOROSIS
LEPTO
Our dairy breed of choice is the Jersey! Their creamy milk, sweet disposition, ability to learn, and exquisite beauty make them the perfect dairy cow!
Remember, if you want a grass-fed cow you must choose grass-fed genetics. We follow holistic management practices at our farm and strive to follow a Weston A. Price influenced diet. Our milk cow’s nutrition and health influence our nutrition and health. We believe an “easy-keeper type cow” is desirable for a family milk cow. Maintaining body condition while lactating on a grass-based diet is very important to us.
All of our dairy cattle have the A2A2 gene.
Dairying is so much more convenient if you organize a home processing milk room. I know this sounds like lots of work, but in the long run this will save you time and frustration.
Check out our milking parlor and milk room for ideas on how to set-up your home dairy. Our set-up is so convenient that milking only takes about 20 minutes from start-to-finish. A small price to pay to have luscious jersey raw milk all the time.
For those of you dreaming of owning a dairy cow, or those of you who are new to milking, we hope you will subscribe to our YouTube channel for more on keeping a family milk cow. Check out our playlist ‘The Family Milk Cow” on Youtube.
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