THE TRYING & BUYING OF YOUR FIRST COW

(Page 8 of 9)

February/March 1992
By Lisa Faulkner 
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In the summer your cow can get along just fine living in the pasture day and night, but plan to have some shelter for her in the winter. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a simple stall or shed which pro tects against prevailing winds and keeps bedding and feed dry. Bedding with pine shavings works better than straw because it's easier to remove the "cow pies," but it's certainly not a critical matter. Just use whatever is most available in your area. Remember that the urine-stained bedding is high in nitrogen and other nutrients and should be added to your compost pile as well as manure.

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Our cow was accustomed to milking in a stanchion-the most common way of
controlling a cow-and chances are that yours will be as well.

Don't overlook a good source of fresh water for your cow as she will need a great deal, up to 60 gallons a day. If you live in a cold climate, a heater must be added to her stock tank because—even if you are careful to break the ice periodically—she'll still cut down on her water consumption and the milk output will be affected.

Putting Her Out to Pasture

We've mentioned pasture several times, and without a doubt this is the finest feed a cow can have, but it has to be real pasture in good condition, not just a weedy area that looks green. Some folks continue to feed their cows a good legume hay such as alfalfa even when they have pasture, but if you don't want the expense of feeding in summer as well as in winter—and you have good pasture—she'll get along just fine with that and some grain.

We feed a 12% protein dairy mix that we get from the feed store. The usual amount of grain to feed is one half to one pound for each quart of milk that is produced daily (that amount can be cut in half during the cow's dry period however).

She'll also need constant access to salt or a salt/mineral block. In winter (or whenever she does not have free access to pasture), be sure to keep good hay in front of her 24 hours a day. Alfalfa is highest in quality but can be mixed with grass hay if you're short of alfalfa.

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