not gonna have much luck pulling a plow with a dairy or beef cow. get a couple of equal bull calves and steer them young so they will become oxen. then before they get big break them to yoke. probably going to need all 5 acres for your cow and then plan on winter feed also. a good jersey cow should be able to provide for your family and a few pigs and chickens. remember to get one with four good quarters and decent tits. or get a dairy goat. an alpine makes mild milk and they don't climb or bawl all the time.
I think your milk goat recommendation may be the right path. OP, I think if you’re trying to buy an animal for milk and draft work you’ll be let down in both categories. Cattle are better suited to larger tracts than what you have at your disposal. If you plan on not having equipment at your disposal long term, look to those who live these lifestyles already - most cultures without a good standard of machinery utilize goats. Meat and milk production out of smaller, more easily managed AU.
it is possible to keep a cow on 5 acre probably, but she will most likely need supplementation to work,especially since there are other livestock on the ranch. and then there is winter feeding and the possibility of her calf. i would plan on buying some hay. after a while the 5 acres will probably fail from constant grazing and the whole thing will fail but could take a couple of years. but you can do it if you plan on buying hay for her. something needs mentioned---- an underfed or improperly fed cow will give milk with alot of white cells or puss in her milk. can make you sick.
Most of that goes without saying. Cows won’t pull a plow but her baby bulls will if I need them down the line. Good to have options. I’m planning our preps for my children’s adult lives as well as our own.
I thought I had mentioned earlier that we’re looking specifically for mini breeds, but it’s been a busy day and it looks like I left that out. For the plot we live on we won’t try to run a full size cow-miniature/small breeds only.
We have a 40 acre hunting lodge on the Washita near Mountain View that we will hay. It’s pretty densely wooded but there’s a ton of grass out there and I’ll probably grow some alfalfa out there too. Otherwise we’re already stocking winter hay for our sheep so we have that covered (literally lol).
And as far as mini jerseys…seems like they are out of the running. Closest place to us that I can find that sells mini jerseys is in Texas and is fully booked until 2025. My wife does the Facebook thing and she’s looking in some of the local groups.
As far as goats-I will not own a goat.
Never ever. Been there, done that, never again
@THAT Gurl Timmy N Teresa have 00 frames aka mini's although our bull may inch into the 0 frame. 42" and under for 00.. We have Hereford and Lowline angus developed in Australia.. @Grendelshooter Your train of thought is ours as well. A dairy breed is meant for production and means the peep had better be on top of milking no if ands or buts about it, they better be milked.. Your thought of Dexter was ours as well but I came upon an sweet deal on what we're working with and happy with our choice.. We're running 9 head on roughly 8 acres but divided and rotated and they have more grass then they can eat.. We have 2 steers on feed with an August date 1 will go and the yearling will be kicked back to the pasture to age more.. Our angus animals are the bomb, cows have big bags for being a beef animal, and we'll in time put 1 or 2 in the milk shed if or when I build one.. We'll have 2 bull calves for sale come fall Tom & Jerry..
My sister-in-law wanted a milk cow, and they're now on their second Jersey. The first one was, umm, a learning experience in horse tradin'. She was significantly older than advertised and only ran on three spigots, and when she went to the processor a few months ago, she didn't weigh out enough to make their minimum. They went ahead and processed her, but I'm pretty sure she came back as all hamburger.
The second Jersey has been a good milk cow, was as advertised, and isn't terribly big. They got her and a calf from an outfit around Claremore last year.
@Grendelshooter , the 3 we'll have to offer this year..
https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/grd/d/prague-miniature-cattle/7349290219.html
https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/grd/d/prague-miniature-cattle/7349290219.html
Having owned a Jersey milk cow I offer these observations.
Having a milk cow is an anchor chain in so much as morning and evening milking chores.
She made lots of milk, way more than we could deal with in our small kitchen, befor long spoilage was a major pain. We tried making cheese, butter, yogurt, fed pigs wheat shorts and milk, gave away gallons of milk, buttermilk, and the yogurt and milk cheese curds.
We couldn't get rid of it all fast enough. The whole house smelled like sour milk.
She was a very sweet disposition, cooperative milker, gentle and I enjoyed warmth of her while milking at 5am on cold mornings before I had to go to work.
Her calf was an ******* about everything, butted me in the head one evening and really knocked the crap out of me, plus Jersey milk is so rich you can give the calf scours very easy. By the time we got him weaned I was ready to shoot him and call him fajitas
Having a milk cow is an anchor chain in so much as morning and evening milking chores.
She made lots of milk, way more than we could deal with in our small kitchen, befor long spoilage was a major pain. We tried making cheese, butter, yogurt, fed pigs wheat shorts and milk, gave away gallons of milk, buttermilk, and the yogurt and milk cheese curds.
We couldn't get rid of it all fast enough. The whole house smelled like sour milk.
She was a very sweet disposition, cooperative milker, gentle and I enjoyed warmth of her while milking at 5am on cold mornings before I had to go to work.
Her calf was an ******* about everything, butted me in the head one evening and really knocked the crap out of me, plus Jersey milk is so rich you can give the calf scours very easy. By the time we got him weaned I was ready to shoot him and call him fajitas
