How to Raise Small Breed Milk Cows

Small-breed dairy cattle are useful for those who want to obtain milk for their own use or start a small scale dairy operation. Small-breed dairy cattle have the advantage of having lower input costs, such as pasture and feed. They are also easier to handle. Small-breed Jerseys are the most widely raised miniature dairy breed (Reference 1), as other small-breeds are less common. Raising small-breed cattle is similar to raising standard breed dairy cows.

Things You'll Need

  • Pasture
  • Fencing supplies
  • Watering tub
  • Hutches
  • Colostrum
  • E.coli vaccine
  • Iodine
  • Milking supplies
  • Hutch
  • Hay
  • Grain
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Instructions

    • 1

      Feed the newborn calf about a pint of colostrum within 24 hours of being born if it has not drank from the mother. Colostrum is the first milk a cow produces after giving birth and has special antibodies to pass along immunity. Colostrum can be stored and given to other calves.

    • 2

      Dip the calf's navel in iodine to prevent infection. Vaccinate it for E. coli. This is generally done orally. Read on the label or contact a veterinarian to determine if the full vaccine amount is appropriate for the small-breed calf.

    • 3

      Raise the small-breed in a calf hutch for about 4 months. Make sure the face of the hutch has an opening low enough for the calf to stick its head out. Bed the hutch with hay, providing enough for it to eat as well. Feed her a pint of milk twice a day and slowly increase the amount as she grows. The calf will grow faster if you provide it grain. Start with a few handfuls a week after birth and increase the amount to several pounds at 4 months.

    • 4

      Place the heifer on pasture. The simplest way is to tie it to a tire, allowing plenty of lead, and moving the tire daily. It is better, however, to build a pasture that has at least one acre for every small-breed animal that will be raised on it. The strand of wire in the pasture should be at a height just below the brisket on the majority of the animals kept in it. Make sure it has a water source, such as a watering tub which is filled regularly.

    • 5

      Breed the small-breed heifer at about 12 months of age. It is generally best to do this artificially, due to the low availability of small-breed bulls. Contact a local artificial insemination technician and ask if he has small-breed semen available. Have him breed the heifer when she is in heat. Signs of estrus, or being in heat, include riding other heifers, standing to be mounted, and mucous on the vulva.

    • 6

      Milk the heifer once the day after she calves, and then at least once a day after that, although she can be milked twice a day if desired. Most small-breed owners will have to milk the cows by hand. Secure the cow by placing a halter on her and tying the lead onto something solid. Strip the milk into a clean bucket by making downward squeezing motions with your hands. Breed her again about 60 days after she calves.