Frugal Tips for our Livestock

[BarredBuff]

I do agree husbandry should be as easy care as possible but when we get this cow my practices will need to be amended some. The pasture needs built up with her manure, and need some more cover crops sown in. To help add more nutrition to it, for the time being all of my animals need grain or ration. But I try to do it in an economical way. I plan to mix a feed for both the cow and chickens that meet the protein requirement for both. Even if we have to spend 50$ on grain a month for this cow it will be worth it economically in the long run. REAL butter is 4 dollars a pound and we use a lot of butter, milk is close to 5 dollars a gallon. We probably buy close to 40 dollars worth of milk a month and probably 15 or 16 in butter. Then you figure in the money saved with using the milk to feed the chickens, a pig, and potentially raise a beef calf. So yes thats why I think we will stay out of the red, if we utilize the services she will provide.

 

[Beekissed]

Hey, BB...are you going to milk by hand or are you going to get a bucket milker? Are you going to leave her calf on her or take it off? I never got to ask you on your other thread about your cow!

 

[BarredBuff]

Hey, BB...are you going to milk by hand or are you going to get a bucket milker? Are you going to leave her calf on her or take it off? I never got to ask you on your other thread about your cow!

Milk by hand for sure. I will be taking the calf off and bottle feeding it. I am really excited about this project! I cant wait to have her hear and get to make a "pet" out of her. I just hope we find a good, docile cow for our needs. It will be a Jersey by the way.

 

[Beekissed]

Lovada Jerseys! You are going to have really tired hands!!! They make a lot of milk! One day a girl will snuggle up next to you and coo, "Oh! You have the strongest hands!" Ca-ching! Extra perk!

 

[BarredBuff]

I know my hands will be horribly sore but in the quest for butter!! And yes a perk

 

[mandieg4]

I have found with my Jerseys that grain has nothing to do with production. About two months ago I went from getting 4 gallons a day to less than 1 gallon because all of our summer grass was dying off. I upped the grain amount, upped the protein, made sure they had free choice hay, did everything I could think of to increase production without any luck. One cow dried up on me, only 7 months after calving. Then about two weeks ago our winter wheat was up high enough to turn the cows into and now the one cow that is still milking is giving me 2 gallons a day while she fosters two calves now instead of just one. I do still give the cow that is milking grain every time I milk, but it is purely for body condition rather than production. The biggest problem/advantage (depending on how you look at it) with Jersey's is most will keep on milking even with poor grass at the expense of their body condition. If you have to run a dry lot because of space issues or weather issues this can be a good thing as long as you can keep up with the cow's nutritional needs. Personally, I'd rather not have to change feed on a regular basis. Where I live, I have very little choice in what I can get feed wise. None of the feed stores near me have any type of dairy supplies or feeds, only one of the three carry a loose mineral that can be given to lactating dairy cows. I simply can't afford a high-needs animal and I don't have the money, the patience, the know how, or the time to learn. I want a cow that can survive on what I have, when I have it. That being said, I'm lucky because of living in the South we can grow grass year round. Next year I will just have to make sure I get the wheat planted earlier so I don't have so long in between summer grass and winter grass.

 

[mandieg4]

I guess the tip for my long-winded story is to make sure you have animals that best fit your actual situation and not try to make the situation fit the animal. If you don't want to feed grain, find an animal that does well without it because not all will.

My second tip is learn about pasture rotation. I'm still trying to figure it out and I'm sure it's going to take several years to get it right, but I can already see how important it is.

 

[FarmerChick]

another tip is CULL

when needed. hard to do but do it. when you are in this as 'livestock' it is best. If pet status you are screwed and it costs bucks to save large animals.

 

[FarmerChick]

another tip is: barter and use someones pasture if close to your home.

Hey, pasture is key for keeping costs down. Don't be shy. If an unused, fenced pasture is nearby...ask the owner. You never know.

 

[Beekissed]

Sage advice all around. Being SS, for me, is about finding ways to subsist without too many additives. Feed purchases are just such a thing, since I don't have the land to raise/grow my own. Hay is something I can shop around for, barter my way into, even pick up for free in some cases....grains/feeds are not quite so easy to find where I live.

The biggest grain crop in this area is corn...and now it is all GMO corn.

Grass is still free at my place and hay is the cheapest winter feed I can purchase...so frugality and the need to try and stay SS as long and as often as possible are key factors for me in choosing husbandry practices and livestock choices.

I found the Jersey cow I had produced so much milk on just grass that I could let her calf nurse all day and I could separate them at night. The next morning's milk was all I could handle...but then, my family are not big milk drinkers like BB's and most other families.