Post by JKHerdItAll on Jul 25, 2021 14:52:42 GMT -5
Hi there,
What part of the state are you in? I know a lady that raises mid size heritage type jerseys in central Wisconsin. She sometimes has crosses too. She is very knowledgeable and the family has been in the dairy industry for a long time. They are no longer in commercial dairy but raise good jerseys for home use. If you are interested let me know.
For the people who asked our exact milk needs, doing the math, it looks like we will conservatively need around 3-4 gal per day for us humans. We do plan to share with calves/kids. We could definitely use more, especially once we move both our moms and maybe my aunt up here (which is a huge part of why we’re waiting a couple years to get cows). We’ve got 3 goat does coming next year from lines that produce around .5 gal each, but who knows how much they’ll actually give (another reason for the wait to get cows). Right now, we have 4-ish acres of open pasture for potential cows and 3-ish of woods for the goats, but our neighbor in his late 60s said that he'd consider selling us his 40 acres once he decides to stop hunting (also why we’re waiting to get cows).
Here's our wishlist so far, subject to change haha: Our ideal would probably be 2 average production dairy cows or maybe 3 less giving ones like dexters, on a staggered schedule so someone is always in milk. We definitely don't need top production ones. They'd be mostly grass-fed, with some grains thrown in for bribery or during the winter. I have a connective tissue disorder and a number of people have told me that A2/A2 milk is better for that, so that's high on the list. We'd low-key prefer non-homogenized milk that separates easily, but it's not a deal breaker since we already plan to get a cream separator for the goat milk. My guy grew up breaking horses and herding cattle and doing rodeos, so he's comfortable with any size/personality but I definitely want something more mid-sized and gentle. I've seen some pretty sad udders, so good secured ones are a must. Obviously disease testing is huge on the list, too. And a mixed breed is fine, but seeing a family pedigree is important to me - I've seen some horrific results of inbreeding in animals, so I'm paranoid about that.