How to Know When You Can Start Collecting Milk From a Cow

The price of milk keeps going up making some people think that it might be cheaper to start collecting milk from their own cow. If you collect milk from your own cow, it will also be hormone and steroid free. That is as long as the feed you provide to your cow doesn't have those additives. How can you know when you can start collecting milk from a cow? Unfortunately, cows like humans, do not produce milk until they give birth. Mother Nature gave cows the ability to produce milk to feed their young, just like all mammals.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A cow
• A bull (or artificial insemination straws)
• Hormones if using artificial
• A bucket
• A 5 to 10 quart cooking pot
• Heat source

1. Have your cow bred when it is a minimum of 15 months old because there is no other way to get your cow to give you milk. A cow needs to be at least two years old before it gives birth to a first calf. Cows, like humans, are pregnant for nine months.

2. 
   Artificial insemination tools

   Take your cow to a bull to be bred, or keep your own bull, or purchase artificial insemination straws from a famous bull. If you plan to artificially inseminate your cow, you will need to purchase hormones from your veterinarian to cause the cow to ovulate so you can know exactly when to breed it. Those straws aren't cheap so you do not want to waste them by guessing if your cow is ovulating.

3. Feed your cow and care for it for nine months until the cow gives birth to its calf.

4. Allow the calf to drink all of the cow's milk that it produces for the first three days. This milk contains the colostrums that a new baby needs to protect if from illnesses. This milk is not good for you to drink. Some dairy farmers throw it away if they do not let their calves nurse at all.

5. 
   Milking a cow

   Begin milking your cow on the fourth day after she gives birth. Dairy farmers buy milk replacer at the local agriculture store to feed to the calves so they can sell all of the cows milk. You should wash the cows teets with soapy water before milking. Boil the milk to remove bacteria and then refrigerate.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have one or two cows, artificial insemination will be less expensive than owning a bull and safer for your family.
• Bulls typically become mean after a couple of years and have been known to seriously injure people.

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[keisha1982]

on 12/28/2008 THIS ARTICLE WAS VERY HELPFUL. THANKS!

[Felicity]

on 6/13/2008 This is great, especially with increasing milk prices. Thanks for sharing the info here!