How many of you have a few acres of land and have thought I'd love to keep a cow/pig/goat/sheep but don't have enough space or experience ? [don't all shout at once . . .]
First off, I believe we humans have an unspoken contract with any creatures in our care. We don't own them, they're not our chattels to do with as we wish, they stay with us and provide us with milk, meat, wool, etc, and we provide them with housing, food and water on hand 24/7 and plenty of TLC [Tender Loving Care] as well as medical treatment when they are ill.
So, you have at least an acre of land [1 acre = a football pitch] with hopefully grass on it. It should be free-draining and not liable to flooding. You will need to have it securely fenced both to retain and prevent outsiders coming in. Check the grass type, it ideally needs to be a livestock mix which should contain Ryegrass [there are many excellent hybrids around] it will have reddish roots, Timothy, this has bulbous roots and maybe also some Fescue. If the land is prone to Nitrogen leaching [loses Nitrogen] include Clover [White or Purple/Red] as this helps retain and produce Nitrogen. Clover is also liked by your animals so is worth including anyway.
Don't use any Herbicides or Pesticides, these really don't help and if you have got your grassland balanced it'll look after itself.

Housing
You'll need at least a large/double garage sized building to house your charges in. It should have good ventilation so that there is a constant supply of fresh clean air available, you don't want a stagnant atmosphere, this will cause all sorts of respiratory ailments and a fortune in vets bills.
Get to know your local farmer as you'll need a supply of good dry clean straw for bedding and also some good quality hay for feed during the winter months.
Don't stack damp or wet bales together without allowing plenty of room for drying, damp hay can have a chemical reaction and burst into flames. Believe me, I've seen it !
So, you've got a field, a little house, what next ?

Feed
First off don't buy cheap special offer materials unless you know for a fact they are of good quality !
Feeding poor quality food is a false economy and is not fair to your new friend.
You need to provide a balanced diet that will give nutrients for growth [and if a milking or in-calf cow] production.
Feed should be available 24/7, animals don't know about breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it should be given in a clean trough or special area that prevents it from being spoiled by feet or waste products.
You may think that your grassland is food enough, not true. Growing grass does have nutrients but even then your charge will probably require supplements and during the winter will need complete ration feeding.

Water is vital too, it must be clean and fresh and not allowed to go stagnant. Ensure a constant supply is available, if you must run a length of plastic pipe to the field to make it easier for yourself. You do not want to be constantly running around with buckets of water.

Right, you have the field, house, food and water sorted what's next ? How about your new friend ?!


Hold on, one last thing to do !
You need to obtain the permission from both local council and government agencies who will require certain standards/regulations be met. [these will differ from county to county, country to country]
This will probably entail a visit from one of their local officers, you may not get on or even like them as some can be quite officious, however, don't show your contempt, hide it.
If they say no your dreams are scuppered so go along with them giving them your best smile and assure them of your full compliance.
If you've followed all my suggestions you should have no trouble. One thing I should also add is that it's a good idea to have not only your local supplier of food and bedding available [Full details, etc] but also your local vet. There's a well known custom in the UK of each christmas giving a bottle of scotch to all your suppliers, it won't hurt to do it when you start up as well ! [if you can't afford it charm by the bucketload costs nothing . . .]
Once you've had your visit and satisfied all their requirements see if you can find someone who knows cows.

If this is your first time you want a cow that has had at least one calf, you really don't want a 1st calf heifer, she'll give you more trouble than you can handle.
I should just also let you know that not all cows just stand there to be milked, some will kick and behave like little monsters, I've been kicked unconcious and had my cheekbone broken by one such young lady so beware !

You also need to decide do you want lots of fresh milk [cheese and butter] or just meat. In other words a Dairy or Beef cow.
If you want milk you need to learn how to hand-milk, it really is'nt worth the expense of buy a portable milking-unit for just one cow, however, if money is no object . . .

1313 Views