Tips for the Beginner Dairy Cow Owner

Keeping a Family Dairy Cow – Tips For the Beginner Dairy Cow Owner
By author, Terrie Bryan

Are you looking to buy your first cow, or maybe you already have purchased a nice dairy cow and are ready to start enjoying fresh raw milk. Keeping a family dairy cow can be a bit daunting if you are brand new and have little or no experience with cows. I remember when I bought my first cow. Previously, I had only had horses so I really had no idea what to expect from a cow. I guess I sort of expected them to act like a horse.

One thing that I have discovered during my cow ownership is that cows are extremely intelligent. Now that is not to say that I think my horses are not smart, but just that I have noticed an unusual intelligence in my cow. For example, she may see me carrying buckets around with feed in them for the horses but she knows very well that that food is not hers. I actually am not sure how she knows but it’s really cool. She also knows when it’s time for milking. She may see me walk to the gate many times during the day but she will only come to the gate if it is milking time.

Remember that cows, although usually very docile animals, are also very large animals so you need to be careful around them. They most of the time would not mean to hurt you but they tend to swing their head around a lot (batting at flies) and if you happen to be in the way you may get conked by her head or horn. So do be careful to remember to stay out of her way.

If you’re planning to drink the milk you will want to make sure you keep all pesticides out of your pasture. Also check for any poison plants that you may have in your yard or field.

Cows really love oranges. Therefore, it will be wise to keep them away from your citrus trees if you have any. Otherwise, you will not have any oranges left. That pretty much goes for all trees that you don’t want to be trimmed. All the trees in my cow’s pasture are looking great right about now because she has eaten all the low-hanging limbs. It appears as though we have spent a lot of time and money trimming those trees.

As far as milking goes, you’ll want to build a stanchion in order to milk her, and then decide on whether you would like to hand milk or use a machine. Milking can be a time-consuming business if done by hand, but some folks really prefer this method. Either way, once you get used to milking on a daily basis as your usual routine, you will do just fine with it. When I started out and had never milked a cow in my life and now, a year later, it is just another daily chore, nothing difficult at all. And believe me, all the fresh milk and cream is well worth the bit of effort it takes. There is not much to beat a delicious cup of coffee in the morning with fresh cream. There is nothing store-bought that can begin to compare.

So if you are thinking of buying a cow or you have just taken the plunge, just take it day by day and get to know your cow. Familiarize her with your routine and stick to it, and you will have many years of delicious raw dairy products to enjoy.

If you need a great beginner’s guide, check out How to Buy a Dairy Cow and Get Started Milking – A Beginner’s Guide Ebook

A great guide for beginning dairy cow owners.

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