Re: getting a cow

[Guest guest]

We offer homesteading workshops and apprenticeships and we do sell livestock.

It would be possible to buy a calf from us sometime next spring if you are

still interested. You are right about getting two as they do want company.

Have you thought about goats? Smaller, require less land and easier to

handle.

Belinda

www.labelleacres.com

In a message dated 8/10/02 6:31:24 PM Central Daylight Time,

ChrisMasterjohn@... writes:

> Hi everyone,

>

> Does anyone on this list have a cow? Sally recommends in NT getting a cow

> if

> you live in the country. I would love to have a cow, though I would want

> two

> so she had someone to hang out with. I love cows, plus it would be useful

> for the milk :-P

>

> My question is, I have no idea how to go about finding out how to raise

> animals. Where do you get cows? How do you learn how to take care of

> them?

> etc, etc. I don't have a place of my own yet, but in the next year or two

> I

> hope to, and to have enough land to pasture a cow.

>

> Oh, there's the second question: how much land does it take to pasture a

> cow?

> I imagine it's quite a bit, but then again, cows don't eat the grass all

> the

> way down, so it seems to grow back readily. While I can't get a cow yet,

> it

> would be useful to know how much acreage I would need, to plan ahead as far

>

> as what kind of place I should look for and how long it will take me to

> save

> up money.

>

> People say to get chickens first cause their the easiest, and Ill probably

> get some but I really want a cow :-P I want to get her as a calf and let

> her

> grow up cause calves are really cute.

>

> Chris

>

[Guest guest]

> My question is, I have no idea how to go about finding out how

to raise

> animals. Where do you get cows? How do you learn how to

take care of them?

> etc, etc.

I've been doing my homework on getting a cow, don't have one

yet but hopefully soon. First, get the book Keeping A Family Cow

by Joann Grohman, wonderful book, here's her website:

http://www.real-food.com/ . There's also one called The Family

Cow, which you can get at Amazon. Join the list

familycow@..., nice people who know about the pros

and cons of keeping a cow.

> Oh, there's the second question: how much land does it take to

pasture a cow?

In general, large livestock require an acre of growing, green,

well-maintained pasture per animal - if you don't get regular rain

in the summer you'll need irrigation water, dry pasture requires

more space per animal and is less nutritious. Smaller cows like

a Dexter or a very small Jersey would require less (Dexter

people claim their cows can be stocked at 1 animal per half acre

and thrive, but they give less milk than other breeds). Your

county agricultural extension agent would be a good source for

local info about establishing and maintaing pasture, although

they tend to be more agribusiness-oriented than

homestead-oriented.

> People say to get chickens first cause their the easiest, and Ill

probably

> get some but I really want a cow :-P I want to get her as a calf

and let her

> grow up cause calves are really cute.

Chickens are wonderful, but they don't really do anything to

prepare you for what it's like keeping large livestock, except get

you in the habit of tending to animals. One problem with getting

a calf and raising her up to be a family milk cow is that you have

to do all the training yourself, and yes cows have to be trained

just like horses do in order to be safe. It's usually recommended

that inexperienced people start out with an experienced cow, one

who already is good at standing quietly to be milked and is easy

to deal with. You do know that she has to have a calf every year

in order to keep making milk, right? It is possible to stretch a

lactation out longer, but their natural cycle is to have a calf every

year and a dry period every year.

I hope that gets you started. What state are you in?

Aubin

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/10/02 8:40:06 PM Eastern Daylight Time, bilherbs@...

writes:

> We offer homesteading workshops and apprenticeships and we do sell

livestock.

>

> It would be possible to buy a calf from us sometime next spring if you are

> still interested. You are right about getting two as they do want company.

> Have you thought about goats? Smaller, require less land and easier to

> handle.

Thank you very much. It probably wouldn't be till spring 2004 though.

Thanks for the info. I'd rather get a cow than a goat, because I like them

more, and I prefer cow's milk. As a general estimate, how many acres of

pasture does it take to keep one cow?

Thanks very much,

Chris

____

" What can one say of a soul, of a heart, filled with compassion? It is a

heart which burns with love for every creature: for human beings, birds, and

animals, for serpents and for demons. The thought of them and the sight of

them make the tears of the saint flow. And this immense and intense

compassion, which flows from the heart of the saints, makes them unable to

bear the sight of the smallest, most insignificant wound in any creature.

Thus they pray ceaselessly, with tears, even for animals, for enemies of the

truth, and for those who do them wrong. "

--Saint Isaac the Syrian

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/10/02 8:40:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

aubinparrish@... writes:

> I've been doing my homework on getting a cow, don't have one

> yet but hopefully soon. First, get the book Keeping A Family Cow

> by Joann Grohman, wonderful book, here's her website:

> http://www.real-food.com/ . There's also one called The Family

> Cow, which you can get at Amazon. Join the list

> familycow@..., nice people who know about the pros

> and cons of keeping a cow.

Thank you. I'm going on vacation soon, and then school, if I find time in

there somewhere I will pick it up.

Thank you very much,

Chris

____

" What can one say of a soul, of a heart, filled with compassion? It is a

heart which burns with love for every creature: for human beings, birds, and

animals, for serpents and for demons. The thought of them and the sight of

them make the tears of the saint flow. And this immense and intense

compassion, which flows from the heart of the saints, makes them unable to

bear the sight of the smallest, most insignificant wound in any creature.

Thus they pray ceaselessly, with tears, even for animals, for enemies of the

truth, and for those who do them wrong. "

--Saint Isaac the Syrian

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/17/02 7:48:35 AM Central Daylight Time,

ChrisMasterjohn@... writes:

> Thank you very much. It probably wouldn't be till spring 2004 though.

> Thanks for the info. I'd rather get a cow than a goat, because I like them

>

> more, and I prefer cow's milk. As a general estimate, how many acres of

> pasture does it take to keep one cow?

>

> Thanks very much,

> Chris

>

>

I'd say a minimum of an acre per animal. In reality you'd need more as you

want to rotate pastures to keep down parasites and let pasture recover.

Belinda

[Guest guest]

When i read the part about getting a cow i really had a good laugh. She

mentions it so breezily but it seems like a big ordeal. I would love to do

it too somehow but my husband reminds me i have a hard time keeping my

kitchen herbs alive, much less a cow. Is it really something one can jump

into?

Elaine

[Guest guest]

Great advice Belinda!! I actually had the opportunity to raise five newborn

goats for a while and that was a real eye opener to the commitment involved,

especially to routine. They can make a racket and sleeping in is out of the

question! I have a dream of getting into goat packing and would like to

return the goat scenario someday.

Elaine

[Guest guest]

ChrisMasterjohn@... wrote:

>

> Hi everyone,

>

> Does anyone on this list have a cow? Sally recommends in NT getting a cow if

> you live in the country. I would love to have a cow, though I would want two

> so she had someone to hang out with. I love cows, plus it would be useful

> for the milk :-P

[snip]

Have you thought of miniature cattle? Have a look here:

http://www.naturalhub.com/grow_meat_breeds_cattle_small.htm

This link is a gold mine of information on miniature cattle, but is

based more for home meat production. There are also some links useful

for home milk production. Particularly the Miniature Jersey Registry:

http://pages.ivillage.com/amjcr/

Another one if you like heirloom breeds is the miniature Zebu. These

are thought to be among the first cattle domesticated by humans some

8000 years ago. The miniature Zebu is aparently a naturally occuring

subspecies from India. They are good for meat, and produce particularly

rich milk.

http://www.miniature-zebu-cattle.com/index.htm

I was surprized by the prices on the miniature cattle as well. While

they are expensive, they aren't as expensive as you might expect.

Have fun,

AP

--

Aviation is more than a hobby. It is more than a job. It is more than

a career. Aviation is a way of life.

A second language for the world: www.esperanto.com

Processor cycles are a terrible thing to waste: www.distributed.net

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/15/02 12:59:20 PM Central Daylight Time,

emarshall@... writes:

> When i read the part about getting a cow i really had a good laugh. She

> mentions it so breezily but it seems like a big ordeal. I would love to do

> it too somehow but my husband reminds me i have a hard time keeping my

> kitchen herbs alive, much less a cow. Is it really something one can jump

> into?

> Elaine

>

No. Think about it before you get yourself in deeper than you want to be. The

only time we leave our farm is between morning and evening milking or when we

can get others to milk for us. This means you stay home. Works for me as I

did my running around the country when I was younger but if you like to go to

dinner and a show you might not care for milking.

Cows make cow plops. Cow plops attract flies which may be a problem.

Cows make a big noise. Late milking or feeding they will let you and the

neighbors know you're not doing your job.

Cows have babies in order to give milk. Thought of what you're going to do

with these creatures? If you keep them you don't get as much milk as they are

pretty good at emptying Elsie's tank.

My suggestion: Get a couple of goats first and see if milking them works for

you.

Belinda

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/15/02 2:52:40 PM Central Daylight Time,

emarshall@... writes:

> Great advice Belinda!! I actually had the opportunity to raise five newborn

> goats for a while and that was a real eye opener to the commitment

> involved,

> especially to routine. They can make a racket and sleeping in is out of the

> question! I have a dream of getting into goat packing and would like to

> return the goat scenario someday.

> Elaine

Come stay with us for a while and we might get you to like routine.

Belinda

[Guest guest]

Hi Alan,

Thanks so much for the miniature cattle links. Didn't even know these

existed. I'm still in the city but am planning on having some land to farm

in the future and am really intrigued with these breeds. Do you have any

experience with them? Or does anyone on this list. Just wondering how much

milk the miniature Jerseys might give a day.

Thanks for sharing,

Alan wrote:

Have you thought of miniature cattle? Have a look here:

http://www.naturalhub.com/grow_meat_breeds_cattle_small.htm

This link is a gold mine of information on miniature cattle, but is

based more for home meat production. There are also some links useful

for home milk production. Particularly the Miniature Jersey Registry:

http://pages.ivillage.com/amjcr/

Another one if you like heirloom breeds is the miniature Zebu. These

are thought to be among the first cattle domesticated by humans some

8000 years ago. The miniature Zebu is aparently a naturally occuring

subspecies from India. They are good for meat, and produce particularly

rich milk.

http://www.miniature-zebu-cattle.com/index.htm

I was surprized by the prices on the miniature cattle as well. While

they are expensive, they aren't as expensive as you might expect.

Have fun,

AP