Best breed for house cow?

[vinca]

Hi there,

I am new to this forum but am anxious to learn about the best breed for a house cow. I am given to understand that a Kerry cow or Dexter would be ideal, however as these are both rare breeds I guess they'd be expensive.

Ideally I would be thinking about a cow with either a calf at foot, or a pregnant cow so as to have a calf at foot! Gosh that sounds really knowledgable doesn't it? I am thinking about long term meat production and short term dairy.

My partner is from a farming background, but he isn't used to smaller scale farming & all that it entails, so while he will be useful re herd no's & stuff like that, in terms of basic advice he's limited due to the difference in scale.

Does anyone have any sound advice for a total novice in this arena?

Thanks!

Polly

[farmerdrea]

We started out with a Jersey/Friesian X cow, in-calf. That was 3 years ago. Now we have a second house cow, a purebred Jersey, who was also in-calf when we got her. The plan is to have one cow in-calf and one cow in milk, raising 2 calves, her own and a fostered one (both are brilliant foster mums). So, first cow goes to the bull next month, second one we milk and she raises meat for us. We do beef at 11 months, one at 22 months (so they don't go through the winter). Dam-reared runner veal is beautiful eating, and grass-fed more mature steer is also quite lovely. We make cheese, ice cream, butter, etc.


Cheers
Andrea

[Stonehead]

We looked into a house cow, but decided that I have a few too many jobs on my hands as it is. It might be feasible when both the boys are at school.

Anyway, we narrowed it down to the Shetland - a breed not many people have heard of. They're a small, hardy dual-purpose breed that does well on poor grazing, lives a long and productive life (still producing calves into their late teens/early 20s), and has strong natural disease resistance.

They're also very placid as they were bred to be housecows handled by women and children. And we think they're gorgeous as well!

They are a rare breed (critically endangered according to the RBST), but all the more reason for creating demand for them.

We'll get one should we decide to go down the cattle route.

Shetland Cattle Breeders Association

The Irish equivalent would be the Irish Moiled, also very rare and a dual-purpose breed descended from Viking cattle (as the Shetlands are too).

The Irish Moiled Cattle Society.

[ina]

Personally, I like the Shetlands, too. (I know, it's getting boring - I like all things Shetland! ) As Stoney said, they are dual purpose, which is great if you want both meat and milk.

The Jerseys aren't much good if you want meat; I mean, they do have some, of course, but don't expect much... On the other hand, they'd be "better" than Friesian, as they are smaller and probably easier to handle on a smallholding. You could always go for a Jersey that's in calf to a meat breed. I wouldn't go for a heifer in that case - you might get a bit of a problem with calving, if the bull was large framed!

[vinca]

Gosh, that was quick!

I have heard about Jersey's (& Guernsey's), but not about the Irish Moiled or the Shetland. I'll look into all three next time I get chance.
The Shetland sounds cute, although if she's anything like the ponies mind the fingers! They prefer them to grass!!

Thanks a million for that,

Polly

[farmerdrea]

I should perhaps mention that our J/F cross is Jersey-sized, and our Jersey is smaller than your average Jersey (which is a small cow), so they are both very manageable, having been hand-reared and well-handled before we got them.

We take them to the neighbours Angus (small birth size and weight calves) bull for servicing. Jersey steers have a surprisingly large amount of meat to bone, and the meat is really nice, if you can get past the yellow fat (which I don't even notice anymore).

Cheers
Andrea

[ina]

We take them to the neighbours Angus (small birth size and weight calves) bull for servicing. Jersey steers have a surprisingly large amount of meat to bone, and the meat is really nice, if you can get past the yellow fat (which I don't even notice anymore).

That's ideal, of course. Just be a bit wary of those Continental huge bulls... Good to know about Jersey steers, too - must admit haven't seen any around here!

[vinca]

I'll tell you what; you guy's are terrific! Thanx.

Polly