[MorningSun]

I would be glad to help you. I have had a Jersey dairy cow for 12 years. She has given us more milk, cheese, butter, sour cream, meat and etc then I can count. She is lovable, a tad stubborn, but worth every bit of time I have put into milking her. What questions do you have? I will do my best to help!!

[Brake3476]

Are there any health issues I need to watch for? I knew what to watch for in the goats but not sure about cows.

[MorningSun]

Typically, Jerseys calve really easy. Of course, there is always the probability of problems. My cow has had 9 calves and always did fine. My cow’s problems have always come after calving. Milk fever can show up within 24-72 hours after calving. This is due to such a large bag, depleting the calcium in their system. Symptoms will be stumbling, not chewing cud, no interest in protecting the little one. I use a Calcium/Magnesium Gel. It comes in a caulk like tube. Pick this up online or at a local farm store. Just use a stick to push the contents into the cow’s throat. There is also an under the skin IV. This is a liquid Calcium that will quickly help. If the cow is lying down and cannot get up, the IV must be put into a certain vein. Since you are not familiar with cows, a vet will be your best opinion. This is an ASAP situation. Jerseys are prone to this illness. I usually wait about two weeks until I began milking. I pin the calf away in the evening, about 6pm, and milk at 6am. Sometimes they will not let their milk down, so you may need to let the calf nurse from one side and milk from the other. Mastitis is always a concern. This mostly happens when the calf is weaned but can happen anytime. I have found that when mastitis shows up, milk her more often. I usually milk three times a day. Within three or four days it clears up without any medicine.

[Carter]

My jersey hasn’t been milked in 2 weeks. Calf has been seperated as well. However she is not drying off. She is not super full, but definitely has milk still there. We have changed her routine and move her location so she doesn’t have access to the barn where she was milked. I know there are products that can be used. But why isn’t she drying up on her own?? She does not seem to be in any discomfort. Not fever or hard spots on the utter. Anybody have some advice?

[MorningSun]

No grain for her at all, if you feed her grain. Lard put on the udder will help dry her up. If she is showing no discomfort, I would just leave her alone. From my experience, if she is showing no discomfort, she will be fine.

[Toni]

Sure. What do you want to discuss? Anything in particular?

[Carter]

I’ve been looking into milking machines. Does anybody have any advice? I seen Lehmans, valley vet and others carry one called The Ultimate EZ Milker.

[Toni]

Have you looked at Hamby’s Dairy Supplies? I would never personally use a milker without a pulsator because of the damage it can do to the udder. I like the old Surge bucket milkers, but there are several good brands out there. Have you checked out the Keeping a Family Cow forum on proboards yet? They have several good threads on the pros and cons of the different milkers and many people who can answer in real time about their experiences with each of them.

[Carter]

Yes I have looked into Hamby. And I had the chance to buy a surge locally but didn’t get to it quick enough haha. And yes that’s what I’m wondering, how does it milk without a pulsator. Most videos I’ve watched online say a milker doesn’t have to have the pulsator. But for every one of them comments, there is a farmer who says other wise.

[FaintlyArtistic]

My husband used to rebuild and sell the old Surge milkers when we had Jerseys. If you are mechanically-inclined, it is pretty straightforward. He would buy used rotary vane vacuum pumps and Surge buckets on Ebay, refurbish them and sell them locally. He built one for us that would milk our 2 cows at the same time.

And, yes, you absolutely want a pulsator. You don’t want constant suction on the teats. Think about how a calf sucks or how you hand milk…

• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  FaintlyArtistic.

[MannaHollow]

We have a bucket milker from hamby dairy https://hambydairysupply.com/cow-milking-equipment/https://hambydairysupply.com/cow-milking-equipment/

It has worked great for us, it is a little pricy but not something you want to go cheap on. We have multiple extra parts on hand just in case. I would definitely stay away from the amazon options. Keep an eye on craigslist sometimes you can find good deals on milking equipment.

[Toni]

Great advice! EBay has some come through fairly frequently also.

[Brake3476]

I had a nice herd of goats which I loved. I soldier them for more quantity obviously. I have no real history on these girls. They are fairly gentle and I have been working on a routine with feeding. Gave them a pee test to check on pregnancy and as far as I can see they are mid to late term just barely bagging. Never had milk cows. Is there anything I should watch out for since I don’t know their history?

[Carter]

If they give birth at the same time, you definitely will have the quantity 😃!!

[Brake3476]

I know! Right!

[MorningSun]

Halters for each of these girls may not be a bad idea. It will help to get them into the milking stall or bring them in for milking until a routine is established. They are beautiful!!

[Brake3476]

Not sure I can get one on them yet. Was thinking collars at least until I can get the halter on.

[NomiR]

Be aware of milk fever and ketosis with jerseys. I would supplement with calcium immediately after calving just to be on the safe side. My jersey has a tendency to hold back a lot of milk if I calf share with her, so maybe have a plan in place in case that happens. I love my jersey. She’s had a lot of health issues but I’ve kept her around anyway because she’s so sweet and produces so well. She’s on her last lactation now. I’m raising up her last calf to be my next milk cow. We will see how she does.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  NomiR.

[Brake3476]

I will be watching closely.

[Toni]

Not disagreeing just to disagree, but I would strongly caution against supplemental calcium after calving if not needed. Milk fever is a complex mineral imbalance and adding calcium if not needed can make a bad situation worse or a fine situation into an unnecessarily bad one. The simple act of taking the cow’s temp and watching her behavior can give you all the information you need to make a decision. I would suggest, if you have not done so already, to look on proboards.com for the Keeping a Family Cow forum and reading what is already posted there and/or joining and asking this very good question there. There are family cow owners from around the world who are committed members and many of whom are either professionals or vets who give their time and advice freely at all hours of the day or night. They also have a 911 thread that is constantly monitored to help anyone with an animal emergency. They helped me save the lives of several of my cows when I was new to it and many I consider my dearest of friends. Please consider this.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  Toni.

[Brake3476]

I have good minerals and give a handful of calf manna to help with the calcium. Not to much. I don’t jump in unless I see problems generally speaking. I have joined the FMC. I like to hear and learn from others.

[Toni]

Very nice! I believe you will be glad you did. Your girls sure are beautiful!!

[NomiR]

You’re probably correct. I have had a lot of issues around calving with my girls which makes me very cautious. The advice from my vet was to give calcium, but in general it’s probably better to wait and see.

[Toni]

It is so scary when that happens, isn’t it? What I have come to learn through the years is that while many common situations can be easily addressed, when it comes to Jerseys and calving, none of us knows as much as all of us! And we can do so much more together than any of us alone. Have you checked out the proboards forum too? It would be great if this community pulls together well enough to address serious issues like calving, etc also, but we’re not there yet, and in the meantime the other forum is as good a resource as I am aware of. My nic is bnb87 over there, just in case you join and I jump in to say hi 🙂

[thewildingslanding]

I don’t have any advice, just wanted to say how pretty they are!

[Brake3476]

Thanks!😊

[Brake3476]

So excited.! Finally have our milking stantion finished! The girls were a little apprehensive but a little feed goes a long way for persuasion.🤣 Now waiting on replacement gaskets for the milker. Then it’s waiting for calves.🐂🧈🧀🍦🥛

[Milknhoney]

I would love to see your stantion! We are about to build one

[Pukalani-Farm]

I would like to see the stanchion too. We are going to build one this winter.

[MulberryGardens-Christina]

I want to be in this conversation. We are finishing building our perimeter fence and then we get to begin shopping for our first milk cow. What are things I should look for in a first time milk cow?

[Brake3476]

Cool. By from the original owner for sure. I got my girls from a sale and now we have to get them bred. They were not pregnant. But I at least know what they will have.

[BeaverCreek58277]

Some things I have learned…look at their udder and teats. If you are planning to hand milk, you will want them long enough when you wrap your hand around the teat the bottom of the teat lines up with the bottom of your pinky (palm area). If you plan on machine milking that the back teats are spread out and not touching. Make sure the owners have tested them for brucellosis (if not bangs vaccinate), Johnes, and BDV. Also if they are currently being milked, they allow you to milk them. I ended up buying one (taking owners word) and she had a blind quarter plus had a history of mastitis.

[MuddyMess]

My girl will be calving in about 3 weeks. With the suggestion of a few dairy cow owners im trying a product called x-zelit. It’s given everyday ( in with her feed) for a few weeks before calving to prevent milk fever. She’s never had it, just trying to be pro active. It’s used up north and Canada on dairy farms, I’ve never heard of it down here in the south until this year, I had to order it because I can’t find it down here.