I can remember when I decided that I wanted to have my own milk cow. I was nervous that I didn’t know enough to take care of such an animal. I didn’t grow up on a farm, so it was totally new territory for me. Honestly, I don’t think I had ever even touched a cow before. I had some pointers from a couple local farmers, but I was lacking a lot of the basics.
I can tell you that, though it is a big commitment, owning a milk cow is incredibly rewarding. Let’s get into the particulars of what you will need to plan for if you are considering this.
The Cow Itself
The cost to buy your first cow will vary depending on her age, current health condition, productivity, fertility, size, breed, and whether or not she was raised organically. An additional circumstance that affects the price of a cow will be current market value. Market values of cattle fluctuate like the stock market, so the timing of your purchase is important too. You could spend as little as a few hundred dollars for an older cow with a few issues, all the way up to $1800 for a young, healthy, pedigreed dairy breed.
Housing
Though a cow will want to be outside most of the time, having suitable shelter from freezing rain and high winds will help ensure that she stays healthy. A dry place for her to lay down is also important in preventing infection in her udder due to laying in the mud. I would suggest an area of at least 12ft X 12ft for her to comfortably move around if she needs to be locked inside. This would also allow room for her to give birth to a calf.
Feed Storage
If you are reading this, you probably already know that a cow will need hay to eat. How much is enough? During the winter months, depending on the size and quality of the hay bale, a cow will need approximately 3/4 of a small square bale of hay per day. That being said, you would need to have enough area to store a sufficient amount to get her through the winter until there is green grass for her to graze. Summertime needs for hay will depend on how much area she has to graze on. Hay can be stored outside if it is properly covered with tarps. Here in Northwestern Wisconsin, where there is no green grass for 6 months of the year, a cow would need a minimum of 135 bales of quality hay to get through the year if no supplemental hay is needed in the summertime.
Time Requirements
How much time does it take to tend to a cow? Naturally, while a cow is producing milk you will be spending more time tending to her. Unless you have someone to milk her for you while you are gone, vacations will need to wait for the periods of time when she is no longer producing milk. You should assume that she will be actively producing milk for approximately 9-10 months of the year followed by 2-3 months of being dry and resting up for her next birth of a calf. For myself, I spend approximately 1 1/2 hours in the morning and 1 1/2 hours again in the evening doing all animal related barn chores. That amount of time would include milking, cleaning a stall, feeding, watering, collecting eggs, chilling the milk, and washing milk equipment. (Check out our YouTube channel for some demonstrations of what to expect in doing milking chores) This might be less time for others, but because I am very particular about cleanliness, I spend extra time on washing milk equipment. You can plan to spend approximately half of that time doing chores each day if the cow is not producing milk. Click this link for any related supplies that you may need. milk buckets or milking machine
By Hand or Machine
Please visit our YouTube channel link below to see what differences there are between milking by hand or with a machine.
Financial Expenditures
•Hay prices will vary some from year to year. If you buy your hay in the form of small square bales, plan for $2.00-$3.50 per bale depending on quality and availability. (There is sometimes a possibility of bartering labor with a neighbor farm for hay to save money)
•mineral supplements are very necessary to a healthy cow. Plan for $70-$130 per year for minerals depending on the size of the cow and if you are buying organic or not.
•Depending on the quality of your hay and the breed of cow you have, some grain may be necessary to keep a cow in a proper condition so that she can get pregnant easily. (More particulars on that aspect in later blogs) Plan to spend $0-$300+ per year on grain depending on the volume of milk you want and if you are trying to go grass-fed.
•Having your cow bred by a veterinarian or artificial insemination technician will be necessary each year. Plan for $20-$40 per year.
•Veterinary costs will vary depending on circumstances. In my experience, if I need a vet at all, it’s usually for a sick calf. An adult cow is typically pretty hearty.
•Bedding is important for keeping a relatively dry place for her to lay down. A dry place for her to lay will mean less time washing her at milking time because she will stay cleaner. Straw, shredded corn stalks, or last year’s leftover hay, etc., all work fine.
The Perks
So, at this point you’re probably thinking that this is a lot of time, hassle, and expense just for some milk. Let’s take a look at what you stand to gain from all this effort. For now, let’s pretend that you have a cow that is producing a modest 4 gallons of milk per day and there is no calf to feed. This amount could give you:
Up to 28 pounds of cheese (plus 3 pounds fresh ricotta) in one week. That’s $450 worth of cheese if you are comparing to retail organic prices!
Or
5-10 pounds of butter in one week (with plenty of skim milk left over for making yogurt etc.),
Or
3 or more gallons of ice cream in one week (with plenty of leftover whole milk for drinking and yogurt),
Or
2 1/2 gallons of cream for coffee, making cream cheese, and whip cream. Plus plenty of skim milk.
Any combination of the above is possible. How in the world can one household eat all that? Well, being that the cow will only be making milk for you for approximately 9 1/2 months, having cheese and butter stored to use during her dry period will ensure that you don’t have to buy much for dairy products other than maybe some fresh milk for drinking and a little yogurt. Butter stores in the freezer very well, cheese can age in the fridge for months, some cheeses freeze well, and buttermilk for baking freezes well too.
As a side note, she will be manufacturing a lot of free fertilizer for a garden as well.
When she has her calf (usually once a year), if it is a male, you have the option to keep and raise it to adulthood as a steer if you have the resources to feed a second animal. Doing this has the potential of putting more than $1500 worth of beef in your freezer. (Plenty for a years supply for a family) If her calf is a female, you have the opportunity to sell it and recover some of your original purchase price on the cow. Or if it is getting close to the time to replace the cow, you can raise the heifer calf to be your next cow and have a fresh start with a young cow that should last you for years.
Another thing that might be worth looking into is what your county might allow for property tax breaks if part of your property is being used for livestock or agricultural purposes.
I can recall a time years ago when I heard a statistic about how much time the average person spends watching television, and I think it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-5 hours per day. I think nowadays what would be considered “screen time” is probably more hours than that. So, when someone asks me about all the time that it takes to have my own cow, my response is that I spend less time with all of my farm related tasks than the average person spends in front of a screen. To me, that is a really wonderful exchange.
Stay tuned for next weeks blog: “How to Make $320 of Cheese in Only 6 1/2 Hours”