Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

If you have the intention and the place to keep a cow, it will perfectly complement any farm. Your cow will provide you with milk, cheese and butter if you take good care of her.Cows are hardy animals that can help you make a quick buck on dairy products.

Steps

1. 1 Choose your cow: There are many suitable breeds of dairy cows.
   • Holstein-Friesian breed: This is the most common breed on commercial dairy farms as it produces the highest milk yield.
   • Jersey breed: The second most common dairy breed, appreciated for its high fat content. Jerseys are lovely, delicate creatures (with the exception of bulls) and are relatively easy to care for compared to the Holstein breed, although some Jersey may kick when it comes time to milk.
   • Other common private dairy breeds include the Brown Swiss, Devonshire, Shorthorn, Dexter, Red Danish, Guernsey and Ayrshire.
2. 2 Cow care: Like all animals, your cow will need food, water, shelter, and enough space to move around at will.
   • Depending on where you live, your cow will need adequate shelter for the night and for rainy days. A barn or stable is fine for this. If your area has very cold and snowy winters, you will need an insulated barn for winter keeping.
   • Water is a prerequisite for keeping. It should be readily available 24/7/365.
   • Rock mineral salt in the form of a lick bar or in bulk is very important for your cow, as the food she eats often lacks various nutrients that her body needs to function properly.
   • You will need any type of fence for a grazing device. The fence should be strong enough to keep her within the perimeter and from escaping towards you. If you have a solid, well-built fence in excellent condition, you will only need to check its condition once a week, not every day. If you need to graze it for several days in an area surrounded by a temporary electric fence, you will have to check its condition every day.
3. 3 Health: Your cow can get sick and will almost certainly get sick. It's just a matter of time. Proper care and vaccination as recommended by your cattle veterinarian and attention to the details of feeding and grazing are essential.
   • There are several factors that negatively affect the quality of milk, which can be revealed during grazing, depending on the food, the season and its reproductive period:
     • Grass that is juicy and growing (mixed with clover) can lead to bloating; if the soil is deficient in magnesium, it can get sick with herbal tetany. During times of drought or sudden frost, forage that quickly freezes or becomes dry due to lack of moisture can cause an increase in nitrate levels; Eating such plants, she is at risk of nitrate toxicity.
   • There are other potential diseases and disorders to watch out for, from digestive to reproductive, so talk to your veterinarian in case you have any questions or concerns about potential diseases or risks your cow may be exposed to.
     • You will understand that she is sick if she does not behave normally or does not eat normally, her milk yield drops or her temperature rises.
4. 4 Feeding: The grass and mineral salts available to her in the required amount will be enough to feed her in spring and summer without additional feed. However, with the coming of winter, proper feed and supplements are required. Straw is also needed for bedding at night. A cow's nutritional needs peak in the first 3 months after calving.
   • During periods when the grass grows, grazing is necessary and you do not have to feed it daily.Depending on where you live, the general rule of thumb for calculating the amount of pasture required is that for one cow weighing 450 kg (1000 lb), with or without a calf, there should be 0.4 hectares (1 acre) of pasture per month. Check with local experts for more information on estimated grazing rates for your area.
   • Feeding in winter will be the most expensive and important part of feeding your cow. Make sure you store enough food for her to maintain her body and maintain her milk production. Have your hay tested for nutrient levels (hay is better food for dairy cows than straw) and supplement with dairy cow food if needed.
     • Hay should be the main ingredient in your cow's diet. It should be of good quality and readily available to the cow when she is unable to graze on her own. Your daily diet should include 1–2.3 kg (2–5 lb) per day of whole grains with added nutrients, as they are satisfying enough and she can get fat if you give too much of it. She may develop bloating, indigestion, and even acidosis if you feed her too much grain.
5. 5 Milking: It is important to milk the cow at least once a day. Most people prefer one milking time instead of the usual two milking times, as this frees them up more time to do other things. You will need a post or stall with a place to which she will be tied so that she does not suddenly decide to move away from you. You will also need to stick to your milking schedule. You need to milk every day at the same time.
   • Hand milking can be a little tedious at first, but as you gain skill and skill, it will become what you would look forward to throughout the day. If you don't know how to do this, ask a local farmer or milkmaid to show you this. You can also look for clues in the article "How to Milk a Cow" here on WikiHow.
   • It is better to milk the cow in the barn, since both you and the cow will not be distracted by what is happening around, which will make the process more enjoyable and relaxed for both of you.
   • It is best to always put food in front of the cow during milking, which will distract her from the milking process itself.
   • Clean her udder before milking. There is always dust or dirt on the udder that you don't want to see in your milk!
6. 6 Carrying offspring: To continue giving milk, she must carry and give birth to a calf.
   • If she has calved before, it is recommended to take a break from 45 to 80 days after the previous calving. This will give her uterus enough time to contract back to normal and enter the normal estrous cycle.
   • In order for a cow to become pregnant, it must be inseminated. One of these methods is artificial insemination, which requires tracking the mating season to determine the best time for artificial insemination.
     • A cow's menstrual cycle lasts from 17 to 24 days, and the period of sexual heat in it lasts for 24 hours. It will need to be artificially fertilized no later than 12 hours from the moment you saw the signs of heat.
   • Another way of reproduction can be natural fertilization. For this you need a bull. If you have only one or two cows, it is better to let them graze with the bulls of other farmers and that will be enough. But there is always a risk that the bull may be infertile (or the bull that produces a very large offspring, depending on the breed), or that the bull is infected with trichomoniasis or other diseases of the reproductive system that can be transmitted to your cow. For example, Jersey boulders must be fertilized by bulls that produce small offspring, such as bulls of the same breed or Angus, due to their smaller size and inability to give birth to large offspring.
     • If you choose natural fertilization for your cows, you will need to either borrow the bull for a few months to keep it with you, or give it to your owners for several months to be fertilized.
       • Therefore, it is highly recommended to opt for artificial insemination, because you want to continue to milk your cow and maintain the level of milk yield already achieved in the past.
7. 7 Pregnancy and Calving: A cow carries a calf for just under 9 months, or about 285 days. During this time, it is important to make sure that the cow is getting enough food for herself and the calf growing in her.
   • As mentioned earlier, you will need to give her a two-month rest from lactation before calving so that she can rest and direct her energies to the needs of the fetus.
   • By the time it is 3-4 months before calving, she will have a significantly higher requirement for nutritional value and feed volume. Gradually increase her diet, but be sure to make sure her calcium intake decreases about 10 days before calving to prevent postpartum mastitis.
   • Keep an eye on her when the calving date approaches and she is showing signs of it soon. She may need help with the hotel, but only help if labor has stopped. Keep your veterinarian's phone number handy in case something goes wrong.
   • After hatching, make sure the calf is alive and leave them alone for a while, making sure the cow has enough water and food.
     • The calf will need colostrum, which the cow will produce in the first 36-48 hours after calving.
8. 8 Weaning from the udder: The offspring needs mother's milk for the first 3 months of their life. But dairy-raised calves are usually weaned from the udder in the first day or two after birth. You don't need to do this with your cow, but start gradually reducing the calf's dependence on breast milk by the time he or she is one month old.
   • You can start feeding the calf at this time so that it has to crawl under the mother's belly, encouraging it to start eating calf food, feeding it while you are milking the cow, and letting it suck only when you have already received from the cow. the amount of milk you require. The calf must be weaned completely by 3-4 months of age.
     • Some people choose to abruptly wean calves from a cow when they are 3-4 or even 6 months old. Separation from the mother or the use of a spiked muzzle are two common methods of weaning calves.
       • You can keep the heifer as a second dairy cow or neuter and fatten

Tips

• Stay on schedule with vaccinations and other necessary activities to keep your cow healthy.
• Bearing period ~ 285 days
• Cows hunt every 17-24 days for 24 hours.
  • It is difficult to notice the moment when a cow enters into heat, if she is left to herself. But if she walks impatiently, reacts nervously, shows temper and even tries to butt you, these are classic signs of a cow entering the hunt.
• You need to constantly monitor the good condition of the fences. Check their condition regularly.
• Cows are herd animals and prefer to have one or two friends living next to them. If you take a cow out of the herd, she may become depressed and wither away without companionship.
  • Most people will tell you that she will get used to it, but you might decide to have another cow so she doesn't feel lonely.
• Buy food well in advance of winter. Check that the quality of the feed meets the nutritional requirements so that you know when and how much she will need nutritional supplements.
• When buying a cow, make sure that it is healthy... It is okay to buy a cow that is three-quarters productive (one nipple can be damaged by mastitis), but it is unacceptable to buy a cow that is sick, even if it does not show signs of illness at first.
  • Pale skin, drooping eyes, apathy, snotty nose, thinness (dehydration), exhaustion, fever (normal ~ 38.3 ° C), and the like are signs that you will buy a sick cow.
  • You have a wide choice of what kind of cow you want. 3-in-1 (Pregnant cow with calf), a pregnant cow or a non-pregnant cow are three options from which you can choose your first dairy cow.
• Maintain lactation for only 10 months of the year. This will give her a two-month rest before calving.

Warnings

• Your cow can get sick and sick throughout her life, and the calf can also get sick. The cow and / or calf may even die in you; this happens when you keep livestock.
• The cows are bigger and stronger than you, and they can kick noticeably if you gag.
• A cow may be overly protective of her offspring after calving, so caution is required when dealing with her.
• NEVER, EVER BUY A BULL. You will be asking for trouble if you do this. Bulls are more difficult to maintain, feed and manage than cows, and they do what they have to do, only a few days, well, a maximum of several months, in a year. They do not pay for their content and associated risks, especially if you have only one cow.