THE TRYING & BUYING OF YOUR FIRST COW

(Page 4 of 9)

February/March 1992
By Lisa Faulkner 
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They pointed one out and said she was the gentlest of all their Jerseys, just four years old and carrying her third calf. We knew that four was an ideal age and that it's great if you can find a cow carrying either her third or fourth calf, as she is still young but already a proven producer.
Sensing our mounting interest, the dairy owners asked if we would like to milk her. As I had never been that close to an animal of that size, I volunteered my husband (whose experience included milking a goat—once). After some struggle, he did manage to get some milk out of the cow (and guess who now milks her 98% of the time).

Despite our inexperience, our hands-on road test taught us some important things: She didn't kick, her udder and teats were okay, and she'd been tested monthly at the dairy for disease. So far so good, but we had to take their word about milk production. Their estimate was four gallons a day but we later discovered she'd give five gallons a day on good pasture in the summer. (If you can see milk production records on a cow, so much the better.)

Bear in mind, though, that a cow always gives the most milk for the first few months after she freshens (or gives birth to her calf), and then drops her production as she ends her lactation period—especially if that time corresponds with winter.

We were pretty excited when the truck arrived with our new cow, but it brought
some problems as well.

How Much?

We liked everything about our gentle Jersey, and arranged to buy her. Okay, you might ask, what's that worth? A producing milk cow is generally worth $600 to $800 depending on her age, her quality, and who you buy her from. That's a lot of money for any household, but remember that an investment is being made that will pay dividends for years in milk, butter, and a variety of other products. In addition, should you wish to breed her, your investment will pay off with a calf once a year.

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