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Part II : The Cow

• 2.1 Temperament & Training
• 2.2 Health History
• 2.3 Production
• 2.4 Milk Protein : What’s the Deal With A2A2?
• 2.5 Diet, Genetics & Epigenetics
• 2.6 Dry, Freshened, Bred or Open
• 2.7 Horned or Polled
• 2.8 Breed & Confirmation
• 2.9 Once a Day vs. Twice a Day Milking
• Conclusion

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2.1 Temperament & Training

Temperament is arguably one of the most important factors to consider when buying a large, powerful animal with which you will be working in close, personal proximity.

If you’ve never milked before, you’ll be quite surprised how far underneath the animal you need to get, especially if hand milking, and in how vulnerable a position. There is no way I would chance it with a dangerous or overly flighty animal. Be sure you question the seller on this matter, especially if you will have children around; I’ve heard some cows don’t do well with children.

However, temperament can be a nuanced quality. (If you’re a woman, you’ll understand that statement. If you’re a married man, you may also get it.) Your Expectations of Part I illustrates the point.

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2.2 Health History

The healthier the animal, the less she will cost you in the end. Find out whether she has been disease tested or not. Ask for copies of records, or better yet, ask for them to be sent directly from the vet. We have never had problems with someone trying to falsify documents, but we have heard of it being done.

Here is a list of question you might want to ask the seller:

• How old is she?
• Has she been disease tested?
• Is she A2A2, A1A2 or A1A1? (See section below entitled Milk Protein)
• What is her cream line like? (If it matters to you)
• What is her disposition? Is she safe around children?
• How many lactations has she had? (What’s her training/experience level.)
• Was she bottle fed as a calf? With raw milk or with replacer? Was she with her mother/nurse cow? And for how long? (See 2.5 Diet, Genetics & Epigenetics below)
• What is her mastitis history?
• If she has had mastitis, was she treated with antibiotics?
• Was she treated with antibiotics for any other illness? (Antibiotics can wreak havoc on a rumen, something to consider.)
• How are her hooves?
• Does she calve easily? Has she required assistance in calving? (Damage to the reproductive tract could occur during calf pulling. You want an easy calver.)
• Has she ever experienced metabolic issues? (Such as hypocalcemia after calving, which tends to happen to very heavy producers)
• Does she breed back well? With A.I. and/or live cover?
• Utter health: are all four quarters good? (It’s okay if you’re okay with a three-quarter cow, but be sure the price reflects this, and consider that she may be predisposed to problems if she’s already had a serious problem in the past.)
• Teat health and confirmation: are her teats in good condition? Any injuries or scars? Are they an ideal size for you if you’re hand milking? Or for machine milking?
• Has she been grass fed or grain fed or both, and to what extent? (You can expect to maintain her current dietary needs, as it takes a long time to influence a rumen’s microbiome and drastic dietary changes will not be well tolerated. Genetics are also a limiting factor when it comes to diet and metabolism. See 2.5 Diet, Genetics & Epigenetics below.

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2.3 Production

There isn’t really a right or wrong answer here. Your cow’s production should ideally match your needs.

Her production will come on strong after a day or so of initial colostrum, and it will continue to slowly increase over the next few months. She will hit peak lactation and then slowly taper off over the next few months, or until you “dry her off.”

Besides considering the volume of milk you are wanting/prepared to handle, also keep in mind that very high producers are more susceptible to health risks such as hypocalcemia and mastitis from the extreme demand put on their bodies by their production. It may also be worth noting that they will likely require more calorically, as you must feed to meet the production demand before the cow’s body condition is affected. In other words, the milk bag eats first, and she gets what’s left. 

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2.4 Milk Protein : What’s the Deal With A2A2?

Buckle up Buttercup…

Milk is primarily made of lactose, fat, protein, minerals and water.

Protein is comprised of whey and casein, but mostly casein.

Casein has subtypes, one of which is beta-casein, which makes up about 30% of the total protein in cow’s milk. Okay, keep all of that in mind.

Just so you know, cows genetically have either A1A1 beta-casein, A1A2 beta-casein or A2A2 beta-casein. Most heritage breed cattle are A2A2. Cattle of modern breeds are predominantly A1A1 or A1A2. However, that is a generalization, not a rule. Any cow could potentially be any of these.  

So what does it matter? This is where it gets a little too science-y for me, so I will refer to this excerpt from a notorious book on the subject, Devil In The Milk, by Keith Woodford:

“The sole difference between A1 and A2 amazingly takes place at amino acid position 67, where histidine is substituted for proline. The proline forms a tight bond with amino acids on either side of it, but histidine does not. In our digestive tracts, because of the weakness of the peptide bonds with histidine, a peptide consisting of 7 amino acids breaks off. This peptide is BCM-7 and is also an opioid peptide.”

So, “the devil,” as Woodford points out, is the peptide BCM-7 (Beta-casomorphin-7). It is credited with the adverse effects many people experience from consuming milk: stomach discomfort, delayed gut transit, and increased gut inflammation and more. Woodford’s statements even attribute more serious issues like diabetes, heart disease and mental issues to BCM-7. If you’re interested in reading more, consider acquiring his book, or take a look at this interview.

Keep in mind that all of the dairy products you’ve ever consumed from a grocery store were predominantly A1A1, and you are still alive. So take it for what it’s worth.

As a cow owner/breeder though, it is worth knowing that a calf will inherit one set of genes from each parent, so logically if both parents are A2A2, then so will she be. And if both parents are A1A1, so will she be. And if there are one of each, then you get the combo. And when A1A2 cows are bred with others, you can see where there would be some guess work. However, there is a simple blood test to confirm which type a cow is.

In the end, it is a matter of personal opinion which type of cow you choose to keep and breed. We chose to buy A2A2 cows, and to build a herd on those genetics, and I am glad we did. I know that’s what I want in the future, so it’s nice to start out our program on the right foot. But I also understand procuring a family cow is a multifaceted venture full of hurtles, and you must decide what’s right for you.

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2.5 Diet, Genetics & Epigenetics

Your cow will be both genetically and epigenetically predisposed to certain dietary requirements.

• Genetic– describes traits, features, or conditions passed down from parents to their children through DNA
• Epigenetic– refers to changes in gene activity and physical traits that happen without alteration to the core DNA sequence; environmental factors such as feed, stress, or temperature turn specific genes “on or off.” These chemical switches dictate how genetic traits are expressed in the animal’s lifetime

Genetically she will be placed on a spectrum of performance where one end is starvation on forages alone and the other is fat and healthy on forages alone. You will have to supplement her with grain according to where she falls on that spectrum. Spoiler alert: dairy cows are far more likely to require grain supplementation than beef cows for the obvious reason of their outrageous production.

But remember, there is also the influence of her epigenetics at play. If she was raised on grass, nursing from a grass-eating mother (the longer the better) and learning grass-eating wisdom, she will have a heavy grass-eating influence on her genetics. And this trend is strengthened with each generation after this pattern. And the opposite is also true.

During the first months of life, the rumen bacteria is established, and it is largely responsible for what she can use out of what she eats; that is to say, her efficiency. This is part of her epigenetic (or environmental) experience.

So even a cow with grass genetics may not do so well if she has an underdeveloped rumen digesting her intake. How do they develop a healthy rumen? Nursing. More than enough colostrum and mother’s milk, for plenty of time.

What Shall We Feed Them?

When it comes to what to feed your cow, as it turns out, that is a highly debatable subject, the answer to which is kept high above the clouds and out of the greedy reach of mankind.

I can tell you what we feed our lactating cows for reference, but considering I’m in Florida and you may be in Idaho, I’m not sure how helpful that will be.

We allow our cows on “grass” almost 24/7 (planted Bahayah and native forages) and offer Alecia hay and perennial peanut hay as needed based on the seasons. They are also given the following ration daily:

• Roughly 4 lbs pelleted alfalfa
• 9 lbs Tucker Prime Dairy & Lactation feed
• 2 lbs Unbeetable Complete feed, made of alfalfa, beet pulp and flax.
• plus mineral and salt

This ration comes to 17.5% protein and 3.9% fat, which is within the recommended parameters. This feed calculator was helpful!

Further resources on this topic are:

• Steve Campbell of Taylor Made Cattle, particularly in this podcast
• Dairy Farming the Beautiful Way by Adam J. Klaus
• Keeping A Family Milk Cow by Joann S. Grohman … Probably the most valuable book I’ve encountered for family milk cow owners

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2.6 Dry, Freshened, Bred or Open

If you’re buying a dairy cow, I’m guessing you want milk. And the only way for a cow to make milk is to have a calf.

The question is, are you buying her:

• “In milk” no calf
• “In milk” with calf
• “In milk” (with or without calf) and “bred back”
• “Dry” and “bred back”, or likely “heavy bred”
• “Bred heifer”
• “Dry” “open” cow

            Buying a cow in milk without her calf is pretty straight forward. You won’t have to wean or have any of the complications of calf sharing, and she’s already in milk, ready to go. You will however, be responsible for 100% of her milk, which could mean twice a day milking if she is a high producer or is prone to mastitis. You will also need to be ready to hit the ground running- no time for getting to know each other! Milking will have to happen that same day, for better or worse. Be sure your milking area is ready! Another huge factor in this scenario is the fact that you’ll be responsible for getting her bred back soon, ideally 2-4 months after calving. This could be no big deal for you (you have a bull close by or a trusted local vet or friend to A.I.), or it could be the bane of your existence. I don’t mean to be dramatic, but it has been quite a year for us. We’ve gone way too long because of the difficulty of both securing A.I. services in our area and being limited on breeding season by the intense heat of summer. Just keep those things in mind.

Buying a cow in milk with her calf offers the advantage of a smoother transition (emotionally, for the animal), once a day milking (if you’re calf sharing) and, most importantly, the look delightful in your field. However, you’ll have to face the challenge of weaning down the road. And if the animals are extremely bonded, they can be more difficult to work with. A cow is prone to withholding cream for her calf. Yes, they have the ability to deny you cream and save it for their calf! (The same breeding considerations will need to be addressed as mentioned previously.)

Buying a cow in milk (with or without her calf) and bred back is just like either of the previous two scenarios, but with the added advantage of being bred, so you don’t have to beat the streets for a vet to A.I. your cow in a few months. Of course this is an added value (assuming it’s confirmed by a vet) and the price will reflect it. The only disadvantage might be that you may not like the sire she was bred with. But, honestly, calves are easy to sell and she can be bred back to a different sire in the not-too-distant future, so really it’s not a big loss.

Buying a cow dry and bred back, or heavy bred has the advantage of allowing you a little time to get her shipped and settled in before needing to get too handsy. It also comes with the risk of calving and the sort of get what you get as far as the calf goes. Assuming the calving goes smoothly and a healthy calf is born, you will have the added option of calf-sharing. Your “stocks” will have “matured” as well. This is the scenario in which we successfully started our dairy cow adventure. Cinnamon was dry and heavy bred when we brought her home. This was great because traveling took all day. We got home very late at night and our stanchion wasn’t yet complete. We had plenty of time to finish getting set up. Or so we thought. She calved three weeks early, but at least she calved unassisted and everyone was healthy. We calf shared for seven months after that. (More on calf sharing later.)

I wouldn’t recommend a bred heifer if this is your first rodeo … ask me how I know. Technically, our very first milk cow was a cute little jersey heifer we found on Craigslist. The sellers said they acquired her from a dairy barn that was liquidating. She was supposedly bred, but we had no way to confirm. We bought her for a low price and brought her home with the sort of naive optimism in our eyes that is closely followed by disaster. When we pinned her up to get a blood sample to perform a preg test, she leapt out of her enclosure, crushing cattle panels as she landed and managed to entangle her leg in one. Justin, in one of those testosterone-induced blind-instinct-moments, jumped on the panels and used his body weight to shake the whole thing apart and free her foot. There was blood. There were noises. Everyone made it out okay. And he said, walking away from the scene, “She goes to the sale next week.” The moral of that story isn’t don’t buy a bred heifer. It is: be sure your infrastructures can match your energy. We had no business with an untrained animal at that stage of infrastructure. Rooky mistake.

And lastly, you could buy a “dry” cow, open. This latter option means she has been dried off and was not bred back (or else miscarried if she had been). From what I hear, a dry, open cow is not a good bet. These animals are meant to be nursing or pregnant or nursing and pregnant. Their bodies, contrary to what you might think, actually work best in production mode. They are meant to do a sort of continuous hormonal “leap-frog” of: calve, lactate, breed back, go dry, calve, etc. To go dry without having been bred back could indicate either a lapse in fertility (potentially treatable) or simply poor management which might set the cow up for a lapse in fertility due to hormone ebb. Also, breeding back soon after hauling/relocating is also a risk. Some cows, especially if moved to a colder climate, will skip estrus for a while. It’s not the worst, but it’s not ideal.

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2.7 Horned or Polled

Polled: naturally without horns

This is an obvious observation with obvious ramifications.

We chose to go with polled cows for the sake of safety, working in close proximity, having children around, trailering/transporting safely, etc.

Even if you’re not overly concerned about yourself interacting with a horned cow, consider that mixing horned and polled cows together in pasture can get dicey. The horned ones definitely have the advantage, and if they’re bossy or pushy anyway, it could lead to injuries. Injuries = vet bills.  

Some people might wonder, but can’t you remove horns? Yes, you technically can, but, do you really want to? It’s not a pretty process! They must either be physically removed with heat and force, or chemically removed with acid, which will eat through anything it accidently encounters (the animal’s eye for example). Dehorning is something that, if it’s going to be done, should be done when the animal is very, very young, days old. I personally would not subject an older animal to the gruesome experience.

One more thing to think about: if you plan to retain calves from the cow you buy, and you don’t want horns, what are the chances she will throw a calf with horns? The key genetic types of cattle are homozygous polled (two copies of the polled gene), heterozygous polled (one polled and one horned gene), and homozygous horned (two horned genes). So knowing what your cow is and what your bull is will tell you what your calf is likely to be.

Missouri Black Herefords offers more detailed and interesting information on this topic.

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2.8 Breed & Confirmation

I have precious little to say about breeds, other than I would only consider a heritage breed. I don’t even consider modern breeds as an option for a family milk cow. This would include breeds such as: guernsey cows, heritage shorthorns, Ayrshires, American milking devons, brown swiss or the original braunvieh, jersey cows and more.

We have one brown swiss and two jerseys. We love all three of them. While jerseys are known for their luscious cream line, I can’t say ours are very remarkable. All three of our cows give comparable cream lines, quality and volume with the one jersey offering a bit more in volume. They all have great dispositions, though the swiss is definitely herd boss. All three of them also seem to be stressed by the intense heat of our Florida climate, unfortunately.

In my opinion, confirmation matters more than breed to an extent. I have devoured much content by Steve Campbell of Tailor Made Cattle on the subject of cattle confirmation, and I find it fascinating! His breakdown of the valuable physical traits of cows and how to identify them is a treasure trove of wisdom for selecting a cow that can do what you’re looking for. While he focuses on beef cows, much of the information is applicable to dairy. Even if you’re set on a specific breed, this information can help you choose a promising cow and hone down your breeding decisions.

This is a video presentation by Steve on his coined, “Solo Cup Cow”

And here is his website. (Don’t be fooled by the no-frills aesthetic. His knowledge, and the sources he points to are extensive.)

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2.9 Once a Day vs. Twice a Day Milking

Once a day milking (OAD) or twice a day milking (TAD), that is the question.

I love once a day milking, but it is admittedly terrifying to transition to. It is akin to riding a bicycle without training wheels for the first time; exhilarating freedom mixed with hyper awareness of risk.

When our cow freshened, we committed to TAD milking along with calf sharing since she freshened with mastitis due to heavy edema. Yeah, kind of a curve ball. At times, we even did a third milking, along with massage, warm compress and oral supplements. We did everything we could to avoid antibiotics, and thankfully, it worked. But then of course we were scared to drop the second milking, even though we were also calf sharing. Eventually, as her health seemed to be stayed and production became predictable and the edema faded away, we got up the courage and made the call.

That experience was enough to teach me the value of OAD milking. Perhaps your life and schedule will afford TAD milking if that’s your preference, but for us, it was a stretch. Justin works, I homeschool, we have other weekly obligations at church and of course, somewhat of a social life, birthday parties with family, holidays, etc. It was no fun missing out, or always rushing just to be late, or worse, having people waiting on us or changing plans to accommodate our rigorous milking schedule. 

OAD milking allows us to keep three cows in milk and maintain all of our other obligations.

Two of our cows are moderate producers at around 3-4 gal/day, on a OAD milking schedule (their calves are weaned) and they’re doing great! While they began lactation with TAD milking, we then transitioned to OAD with calf sharing, and finally OAD exclusively.

Our third cow, Rose Mary, is a heavy producer at 9 gal/day, and was accustomed to TAD milking when we bought her. We are milking her in the mornings along with the other two cows, and then giving her two calves to nurse during the day, from mid-morning until evening, effectively acting as the second milking. (We separate the calves from her at night so she can produce milk for us. More about this in Calf Sharing.)

This arrangement is working beautifully now, but when it comes time to wean Rose Mary’s calves, we will have to decide whether to try and graft a new calf to her to cover the evening milking, or to transition to OAD. It is a hard call with her production, but I feel if we do it wisely, her body will adjust.

Lanes End Creamery offers a useful resource which I will be referring to at that time.

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Udder & Teat Confirmation

If you plan to hand milk, I cannot express to you with what intimacy and familiarity you will come to know each of those four teats.

Udders and teats are not uniform. They are not standardized. There is no silicon mold from which they are assembled in efficient conformity. They are as diverse and varying as noses on people’s faces. And some you will come to like better than others.

The most obvious consideration for the hand milkier is teat size; you’ll want to be sure you can get your hand around the thing, and that it is not too small to evade an effective three fingered (+ the thumb) grip. For me, this is less of a problem, but for my husband, the small back teats of the cows would be a real challenge for him to hand milk. And the more difficult it is, the longer it will take, the less patient the animal will become, the more fatigued your back and hands will become, the more likely the milk in the bucket is contaminated via exposure and the less likely you really do a great job, resulting in milk left in the udder, leading to lowered production or even mastitis. Quite the slippery slope of pessimism, right?!

Another important variable for the hand milker to contend with is orifice size. While a larger teat orifice means a larger milk stream and faster, easier milking, it can also mean more bacteria going in. The orifice closes soon after miking (or nursing) to prevent pathogens entry into the teat and udder. Very large and loose orifices can fail to do this, again, potentially resulting in mastitis.

The machine user will also want to make his own considerations too, though. Some teats are too large, too small, or too oddly shaped to fit well or be milked efficiently by the cups of the claw. Be sure to acquire photos from the seller of the cows udder and teats and ask about their experience with them.

If you are unsure which method you want to use, maybe this excerpt from Part I would be helpful to consider.

There is a classic work from the 1860’s which is hailed as an authority on udder confirmation and more interestingly, the things you can learn about a cow and her quality and production by observing her confirmation. It is a book called “Milch Cows and Dairy Farming” by Charles Louis Flint. I have heard it quoted on multiple podcasts and referenced in dairy books. I have recently purchased the book and am looking forward to digging in.

            Because it is so valuable, a copy has been made available to the public for free.

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Conclusion

I wish you the best on your search for the ideal family milk cow. These animals are so incredibly personable and productive, I’m sure you’ll end up with one you love.

(As long as she doesn’t jump panels and get a leg hung).

Remember, enjoy the journey!

See you in Part III

-Courtney