How to Get Started with Your Family Milk Cow | Shawn & Beth Dougherty

How to Get Started with Your Family Milk Cow | Shawn & Beth Dougherty | HOA Podcast

Рет қаралды 21,919

Жыл бұрын

The family milk cow is quickly becoming the new backyard flock of chickens. More and more people are realizing the amazing benefits of adding a dairy cow to their homestead.
This month on the podcast, we are focusing on all things dairy cow. Shawn and Beth Dougherty are the perfect couple to lend their voice to this conversation as they have over four decades of experience farming and perfecting the art of grass conversion through dairy ruminants.
If you are considering adding a family milk cow to your homestead or are new to the world of home dairy, this discussion is for you. We dive into the most commonly asked questions when it comes to getting started with dairy cows: breed, acreage, feed, health, and more. If a dairy cow is in your future, start here!
In this episode, we cover:
Making the switch from dairy goats to dairy cows
What breeds make the best dairy cows
Other factors that may be more important than breed
What’s the big deal about A2A2?
Is your land appropriate for a milk cow?
The practicals of feeding a 100% grass-fed cow
Top features to look for when purchasing a dairy cow
What makes a perfect milk cow for a first-time owner
How important is disease testing?
ABOUT SHAWN & BETH
Shawn and Beth Dougherty have been farming together since the 1980’s, for the last twenty-six years in eastern Ohio, where they manage 90 acres, much of it designated by the state as ‘not suitable for agriculture’. Using intensive grazing as the primary source of food energy, they raise dairy and beef cows, sheep, farm-fed hogs, and a variety of poultry, producing most of the food, feed and fertility for humans and animals, on the farm. Concerned that farming is so often dependent upon multiple off-farm resources, from feed, fuel and fertilizer to water and electricity, their ongoing project is to identify and test the means by which farming was done for centuries with a minimum of off-farm inputs. Their research has led them to identify grass conversion, especially the daily conversion of grass into milk by dairy ruminants, as a key to whole-farm sustainability, combined with the integrated nutrient feed-backs that are possible with a community of diverse animal and plant species, domestic and native. They are the authors of The Independent Farmstead, Chelsea Green Press 2016.
RESOURCES MENTIONED
The Independent Farmstead by Shawn & Beth Dougherty: www.amazon.com/stores/Beth-Do...
Independent Farmstead Field Guides to Inputs-Free Farming and Homesteading by Shawn & Beth Dougherty: www.lulu.com/search?contribut...
How to Raise a Dairy Cow on Pasture by Beth Dougherty: homesteadersofamerica.com/how...
CONNECT
Shawn & Beth Dougherty
Website: onecowrevolution.wordpress.com/
The Healing Land Conference: www.thehealingland.com/
Homesteaders of America
Website: homesteadersofamerica.com
Instagram: / homesteadersofamerica
Facebook: / homesteadersofamerica
KZfaq: / homesteadersofamerica
Pinterest: / homesteadersusa
Join us at the Homesteaders of America Conference in October 2023: homesteadersofamerica.com/hom...
GET MORE FROM THIS EPISODE
View full show notes and transcript on the blog: homesteadersofamerica.com/how...
Listen to this podcast episode: anchor.fm/homesteaders-of-ame...

Пікірлер: 50

@coramdayo Жыл бұрын

Shawn and Beth may not realize it but they have been our mentors for several years now both in the preparation for and even during the purchase of our current milk cow, Buttercup. They took the time to speak personally with my husband and me on the phone when we were considering purchasing this cow last October, and based on their advice we decided to go for it, even though at the time she was not bred. We brought her home, had her AI'd, started moving her around the property (we are currently renters on this property) and letting her get to know us and us her. We even have pictures of her grazing our front yard for us when our push mower broke. It was great! Just a few patties to pick up but the yard got mowed for free! Buttercup calved on October 17th of this year and now we have a beautiful calf that we are raising to be our next milk cow. We are calf sharing which has been awesome when I need to go to an early doctor's appointment or be out of town. I am enjoying figuring out what to do with all the delicious milk (3 gallons a day) and the glorious cream! So far, I am making and freezing butter, we are feeding our chickens thus reducing our inputs and even the cats are enjoying a bowl of warm milk in the morning. The only real challenge has developed in the last couple few weeks which is my right hand is experiencing carpal tunnel symptoms but I just don't want to give up hand milking because I don't want to deal with cleaning hoses on a machine. Trying to figure out what I can do to help mitigate this. If anyone reading this has suggestions please comment for me! Having my own milk cow and the freedom from being dependent upon the grocery store for my dairy products has been a dream for 5 years, and it's so satisfying to have finally achieved it. We feel super blessed. Thank you Shawn & Beth! ❤

@Forage_and_hunt 7 ай бұрын

Try castor oil ❤

@coramdayo 7 ай бұрын

@@Forage_and_hunt It ended up passing as my hands and wrists got stronger with milking everyday. Castor oil is a great idea though

@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123 10 ай бұрын

Oh how I wish I would have had the chance to have a dairy cow during my lifetime. Blessings

@jodsterf 5 ай бұрын

Maybe this has been mentioned before but having grown up on a mixed farm, milking 12 holsteins a day with a herd of simmental and charolais range cattle I can share my experience when it comes to calving. On average we lost over 50% of holstein calves every year due to their size and the difficulty in giving birth those cows have. My dad had been a veterinary assistant and we had to pull every hostein calf. The other cows had no trouble birthing on their own and most of their calves lived. We calved in February in Alberta, the coldest month of the winter. The only cows that gave birth in the barn were the holstein milk cows because they always needed help and we took the calves away into pens right away and started milking mamma

@rroulette2660 4 ай бұрын

In my experience I know if you breed any cow with a bull who has high birth weights in thier genes , you will have calves too big for the mama cows to birth. You can AI your cows with smaller birth weight bull sperm

@beth4775 Жыл бұрын

I could listen to Shawn and Beth for hours! Great speakers!

@bethdougherty4014 Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Can I share that view with my children?

@beth4775 Жыл бұрын

Yes! Yes you can! I will shout it from my Middle TN rooftop,if need be! Lol

@barbarabrand190 Жыл бұрын

Good animal husbandry goes a long way in keeping healthy animals. Common sense is key as well. This vlog has been a great confidence builder for me. I have been keeping cows for 12 years, mostly on dry lot feeding as I live in the dessert. I do have some pasture they are on weekly. I feel like the fresh feed has more valuable nutrients in it, though limited in amount, is the best I can do. God bless.

@doriegeorge6686 Жыл бұрын

The Dougherty's are such a wealth of information. I try to watch and read everything they put out.

@jbbrown7907 Жыл бұрын

Your answer to the A2 A2 question is just the same as I would answer that question. Good answer!

@kathleensanderson3082 Жыл бұрын

We had a family cow for a while when I was small (a big old Brown Swiss); then I milked goats for most of the last forty years. I also raised a couple of Jersey bottle calves on goat milk in that time, but never kept one past a few months old. Now I'm raising another Jersey heifer on a bottle, and this time I'm seriously considering keeping her, even though I also have Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. (If I do keep her, when she freshens in a couple of years, the goats will get sold.) So I'm doing a lot of research, trying to decide for sure whether or not to keep Dulcie. She was a sale barn calf, originally from some big dairy up in NY (we are in KY), so probably doesn't have grass-fed genetics.

@sheilamclaughlin963 3 ай бұрын

If u put her on grass as soon as u have grass she should adapt, her production may be lower than on hot feed, we fed a gallon of grain, pellets mix, the grains were oats, barley, wheat cleanings, some times a little corn and Milo, some times rolled or ground, made them more willing to go into the sanction and be calm for milking, I got to where I could milk that 2-2 1/2 gal of milk by the time they were out of grain, the Jersey Hereford was a cream machine, 6%+/- butterfat, angus Holstein would run 4-5% butterfat with more production,we milked 4 all the time I was growing up stightered calving times only 4 along as we were drying up one and getting a fresh one along throughout the year, used angus bulls as that is what we had, for the rest of the cows, they got the hay thattherest got, wheat, cane, millet etc worked for years, I had a hard time drinking store bought milk when I left the farm, nothing better than fresh milk!! Calves got the left over milk and provided beef, also fed a few hogs, milk fed hogs were very good pork, big garden and we ate very well growing up!!

@morningglory3365 Жыл бұрын

I have listened to this over and over. So much knowledge and wisdom. Thank you.

@ka6148 9 ай бұрын

Our first milk cow was a crazy wyoming Limousin range cull cow With hard work, she became a fantastic milk cow, came in did her milking time and disappeared until the next milking

@spoolsandbobbins 4 ай бұрын

What was available to us was a Holstein calf 🤷‍♀️ and low-line angus who’s in milk. We’ll grow them together and see how they do. So far we’re loving it. Such a joy!!

@geoffoutdoors 3 ай бұрын

Met Shawn & Beth last year at Lehman's ... very helpful and local here in Ohio! Two Thumbs up here - Cheers

@tommartin8155 Жыл бұрын

What a great interview. Next year we're getting our first cow. This gives me a lot of confidence.

@nancyseery2213 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this information. It has been very useful. It is a great starting point for getting into purchasing a milk cow.

@Longfamily3 Жыл бұрын

As always, a wealth of information!! Thank you Shawn and Beth!! We're getting closer to this purchase so this was timely and oh, so helpful!!

@ThinkAboutIt-2x Жыл бұрын

I can understand getting away from goats as many are ornery. It takes going through many to find goats that are less ornery to keep. Goat's milk is 2Xs more nutritious than cows. The Lamancha (earless goats) milk is indistinguishable from cow milk taste. But better than going to cow is going to milking sheep which are 4Xs more nutritious for humans than cow milk & it tastes like cow milk. They are also not ornery like goats. None of the dairy breed sheep are hair breeds but you could try crossing them on hairless.

@gustyattaway6419 Жыл бұрын

Thank you,wonderful program.

@ladyryan902 Жыл бұрын

Amy I appreciate this information.

@arg6193 Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Great interview!

@donobrenski630 Жыл бұрын

So knowledgeable! Thanks for your help

@michaeleeten7783 6 ай бұрын

This was wonderful. Do you have someone like them who talk about dairy sheep?

@24-Card 11 ай бұрын

Did this sort of thing when my wife and I were younger. I am retiring. Looking at options. TY!!!

@FaithNFarmstead Жыл бұрын

Super encouraging! Thank you

@thomasreto2997 Жыл бұрын

You two are a fantastic resource. I happened to see you at the HOA conference in Va. The book is excellent as well.🤙

@DianeZeisler Жыл бұрын

Brilliant content!

@justeph79 11 ай бұрын

Great video!

@hazelbellefarm476 Жыл бұрын

Great info and I’ve learned much from this couple. However, a lot of this info is quite personal preference.

@user-xt3rm9fc7d 2 ай бұрын

How much pasture needed for a mini milk jersey?

@JF-ey7yg Жыл бұрын

Great video, are the farmstead field guides available somewhere online?

@ladyryan902 Жыл бұрын

Question for next time: if the cow is not being bred does it produce milk all year. Thx

@bethdougherty4014 Жыл бұрын

A cow can produce for multiple years on a single calving, but cows vary, of course. One reason for breeding every year is so you get a calf every year; another is that a cow's milk production tends to decrease over time.

@melindafox13 10 ай бұрын

What if you do not have grass to graze on? We only have hay that we grow on a field we lease. We normally grow beardless wheat.

@CarisaRae 10 ай бұрын

❤❤❤❤❤❤

@dagardener Жыл бұрын

What kind of cow does best on an all grass/hay diet?

@spoolsandbobbins 4 ай бұрын

Probably those cows whose parents were raised on grass.

@rebeccagrrrl2699 Жыл бұрын

Newbie here: How is the cow going to calf every year? Does this assume you have a male on your farm as well? Feels like an obv answer, but I’m a newbie.

@coramdayo Жыл бұрын

Some people keep a bull on their farm but others will take their cow to another farmer's farm to be exposed to a bull for a month or two. Or, they may borrow a bull from a local farmer and bring it to their farm for a couple months then take it back to its originating farm. Finally, you can have your cow artificially inseminated by a veterinarian.

@spoolsandbobbins 4 ай бұрын

We AI our cows!

@janejohnson852 Жыл бұрын

You can not consider the cow producing all year, there is time that cow needs to be 'dried-up' so they can get ready for a new calf.

@bethdougherty4014 Жыл бұрын

This is a very common misconception! Actually, there is no hard-and-fast necessity of drying off a cow before calving. There can be a number of reasons in favor of, or against, drying off a cow before calving. We often keep a cow in milk right through her next calving, depending on how much she's making, what kind of forage she is on, her age, and so on. Just like humans, cows can 'tandem nurse'.