Post by andreas on Oct 14, 2007 23:01:34 GMT -5
Hello everyone!
My name is Andrea and I'm from NC. My fiance and I are renovating a 1800's farm house on 11 acres in rural orange co. and are hoping to become as self-sufficient as possible....b/c i am unable to aquire raw milk in my area and well, i won't lie....b/c i ADORE them- we are looking into adding a dairy cow to the list of animals we would like to start out with (chickens, goats...)
This is all in the 2-5 year plan, but i like to research as much as possible. I have ordered the KFC book, but i have a few questions that i can't wait on the book to answer.....these are probably going to seem incredibly stupid, but i have very little experience in this matter....
OK- I understand that you must get a cow pregnant to get milk, that's common sense....but....why do you have to breed her every year? It seems like if you kept on milking....the milk would keep on coming.... My problem here is simply that, well....i know this may be my lack of experience speaking and perhaps i would get used to it.....but in 5 years i would have 5 cows b/c i couldn't bear to give one up for slaughter.
Stupid question number two.....when they artifically inseminate (sp?) a cow.....they can't controll the sex, right? I mean, if i knew i was going to have a female calf it would be better...b/c i could keep her myself or sell her to someone like minded. I know i'll have to get over this eventually, but i think of everything as a pet.....i guess you just have to harden yourself to this sort of thing.
I apologize if this question has been addressed many times in the past.....
Thanks and i look forward to talking with you all!
My name is Andrea and I'm from NC. My fiance and I are renovating a 1800's farm house on 11 acres in rural orange co. and are hoping to become as self-sufficient as possible....b/c i am unable to aquire raw milk in my area and well, i won't lie....b/c i ADORE them- we are looking into adding a dairy cow to the list of animals we would like to start out with (chickens, goats...)
This is all in the 2-5 year plan, but i like to research as much as possible. I have ordered the KFC book, but i have a few questions that i can't wait on the book to answer.....these are probably going to seem incredibly stupid, but i have very little experience in this matter....
OK- I understand that you must get a cow pregnant to get milk, that's common sense....but....why do you have to breed her every year? It seems like if you kept on milking....the milk would keep on coming.... My problem here is simply that, well....i know this may be my lack of experience speaking and perhaps i would get used to it.....but in 5 years i would have 5 cows b/c i couldn't bear to give one up for slaughter.
Stupid question number two.....when they artifically inseminate (sp?) a cow.....they can't controll the sex, right? I mean, if i knew i was going to have a female calf it would be better...b/c i could keep her myself or sell her to someone like minded. I know i'll have to get over this eventually, but i think of everything as a pet.....i guess you just have to harden yourself to this sort of thing.
I apologize if this question has been addressed many times in the past.....
Thanks and i look forward to talking with you all!