If you have a milk cow....what do you do with all the extra milk??

[kristavws]

We are seriously considering purchasing a milk cow. We have had cows/calves before, but they were not milk breeds. My understanding is that a milk cow can produce 3-4 gallons of milk a day. My concern is that we are only a family of 4, and even if I make all of our own dairy products - cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, etc., there is still going to be quite a bit of milk left over. So, if you don't mind sharing, what do you do with the extra milk?? Do you sell it or give it away?

 

TIA,

Krista

[Tracy in Ky]

Our cow gives a little more than 3 gallons a day--it varies day to day. We are a family of four also. Although we do drink lots of it, there is still a lot left over. It is against the law to sell it in most states ( including Ky--my state). There are ways around that, but we are being very careful. Dh is a county attorney and it just wouldn't look good for him to be convicted of selling raw milk. :w00t:

 

I skim the cream off of a bunch of it (we have a Guernsey so she makes lots of cream) to make butter from. I am freezing up a large quantity of butter right now, and since that is made only from the cream, it takes a lot of milk to make a lot of butter. We don't drink much of the skimmed milk, so I either give it away, or feed it to our other animals (or pour it out, though it just hurts me to do that!).

 

I am also making cheese, and just today plan to start freezing the cheese. We will be drying her off in about a month, because she is going to calve in Sept. We'll be a couple of months without her milk, so I want to freeze as many products as I can to get us through. I am also freezing some of the extra milk for us to drink when she is dry.

 

We are also making ice cream, and it is so yummy!! And today or tomorrow I am going to make a batch of yogurt.

 

Our plan is to get a hog in the fall. I've heard that it is a good idea to raise a hog if you have a family cow, because the hog can be fed the extra milk. After she calves, we hope to fatten a pig on her milk for several months. It is amazing that a cow can support herself, a calf, a family, and a hog.

 

I've not yet made sour cream or cream cheese, though I want to.

 

That's what we are doing with the milk. I'd be interested in other ideas :)

[kristavws]

Thank you for your great reply!! My husband and I have read the book How to Keep a Family Cow, which has been very helpful, but it is always nice to hear about someone's experience firsthand.

 

If you can stand some more questions :) how long does it take you to make the various dairy products? Do you have any insider tips you would be willing to share? Have you found any great web sites - info or supply related?

 

We have had "seasonal" pigs in the past - nothing better than pork from pigs you have raised yourself. In the event you have never raised them before, you want to make sure that every one clearly knows why the pigs were purchased. The first two we had, the kids named, and played with, and my daughter used for 4-H. We ended up selling them, as they had become like pets, and who wants to eat their pet! The next two pigs we purchased, I named Bacon and Sausage, as a reminder to every one what was ultimately going to be happening to them!!

 

Thanks again,

Krista

[Tracy in Ky]

Hi Krista,

 

Making the products doesn't take too much time, but managing the milk does. Even with two refrigerators in the house, 3 gallons of milk a day take up a lot of space, and I spend lots of time working with the milk to make space, keep it rotating, and preserve it before it ruins.

 

The cheese I make right now is called 30 Minute Mozarella. I don't have a cheese press, so I can't make cheese to age. I am just freezing the cheese I make. Making butter takes a bit longer, but I can usually make about 8 sticks in about 45 minutes to an hour. Of couse, if you add in the time I spend skimming the cream to make the butter, that increases the time.

 

Making the ice cream base takes about 30-45 minutes.

 

There is a great Family Cow Message board at the following link:

 

http://familycow.proboards32.com/index.cgi

 

It is moderated by the lady that wrote a wonderful book called, "Keeping a Family Cow." She is around 80 years old and still milks. She also posts on the board :)

 

We love our cow. It is a lot of work, and we are constantly 'pushed' by it, but it is a good thing. It is just part of our family's life right now.

 

Keep me updated on your cow plans!!

[Jumping In Puddles]

 

That's what we are doing with the milk. I'd be interested in other ideas :)

 

I am so envious. I can't help it :banghead: dang deed restriction. That sounds so good - all that fresh milk and soon a pig, you are so lucky! :)

[kristavws]

Hi Tracy,

 

Thanks again for your great answers.

 

Keeping a Family Cow is the name of the book that we have read. I didn't realize that there was a Family Cow Message Board - I will definitely have to check it out.

 

I will post pictures of Eleanor "Ellie" when we finally get her. Yes, she already has a name!

 

Thanks again,

Krista

[kribby]

wow, that sounds like alot of fun, don't think they would let me have one here in the city but it does sound fun. I would give the rest to animals or maybe family but no one else.

[Colleen]

I'm so impressed with you, making all those dairy products!:) I've been too slack in that department for too long. Knowing that we'll get paid for our milk, I tend to just let the milk truck pick it up and buy pre-made O.V. products. I do make our yogurt, which is a cinch, but I've not done butter in ages. My guys all love to drink the whole milk, so I don't even skim the cream off the top. When I did make butter, I seem to remember it taking a long time. What's your process? And do you have an ice cream maker? I don't own one and have made ice cream in the past without, but I'm wondering how you go about it. Thanks!

[nmoira]

 

I am so envious. I can't help it :banghead: dang deed restriction.

Goats?

[Tracy in Ky]

I am so envious. I can't help it :banghead: dang deed restriction. That sounds so good - all that fresh milk and soon a pig, you are so lucky! :)

 

What kind of deed restrictions do you have? Could you get them changed?

 

God has been good to give me a cow. I prayed for a cow! :)

[Tracy in Ky]

My guys all love to drink the whole milk, so I don't even skim the cream off the top. When I did make butter, I seem to remember it taking a long time. What's your process? And do you have an ice cream maker? I don't own one and have made ice cream in the past without, but I'm wondering how you go about it. Thanks!

 

We drink most of ours whole too. It is so yummy!!:)

 

I make the butter in the blender, but I have learned that it can also be made in the mixer, and even in the food processor I think.

 

Here is what I do: I pour in about 1 pint of cream at a time, and turn on the blender. When the cream turns into such a thick, whipped cream that the blender blades are spinning below the cream (I can tell this is happening because the sound of the blender changes), I add in some ice and ice water, then turn it back on. After a bit, the cream thickens again, and I add a little more ice and water. From that point, I pretty much let it go, checking frequently to see if the butter has separated from the buttermilk. I know that this has happened when the butter is floating.

 

Next I pour the entire contents of the blender into a colander lined with butter muslin, and then gently squeeze the extra buttermilk out. When it gets too soft and warm, I dip it in ice water, then I finish squeezing. I then form it into long, low rectangles on wax paper, wrap, and freeze. When I remember to do it, I salt it before it finishes in the blender. But for some reason, I usually forget to do this. I'm not sure why :001_huh:

 

Here is a picture of the final product (ignore the date. My daughter's camera date is off):

 

 

For ice cream, I use a machine called a Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, and Sorbet maker. I keep the bowl in the freezer--it doesn't require salt or ice. It doesn't make a great lot at a time, but it is plenty for my family for a couple of days (I only have 2 dc). I am thinking about freezing up a bunch for late summer when Daisy is dry!

 

What I *really* want is a cheese press. I am hoping to have one this fall after Daisy calves. I think we'll be swimming in milk for a while, and I would love to store up a bunch of cheeses to age for winter :) They are expensive though!!

[Jumping In Puddles]

Goats?

 

no, I'm not allowed farm animals of any kind! Crazy because we live in a pretty rural area but when I bought here (It's a lake community) I didn't have kids and I couldn't imagine wanting any farm animals. If I'd only known.

 

I wonder if I could petition the Lake Association. hmmm...

[astrid]

I am so envious. I can't help it :banghead: dang deed restriction. That sounds so good - all that fresh milk and soon a pig, you are so lucky! :)

 

 

We've got four hens and we adore them, but not enough room (or tolerant enough neighbors) for a milk cow. How I would love one, though!

 

Astrid

[Heather in the Kootenays]

Give it to your friends - they'll be very grateful.

[Melissa in Australia]

you could get a small cow, a jersey has less mink than a Holstein , they eat less too. I have a jersey, when she has her calf( due any day) she will have 16 liters a day. this slowly decreases in amount until about 10 months after having the calf it has dropped to 8-9 liters a day.

we keep 2 liters of full cream milk , separate the cream form the milk with a separator, and give all the rest to the pigs. we have 2 pigs called snort and pickles. I don't make yogurt very often. we just don't eat that much of it. and I have tried making cheese. not with much success. I make all our butter though.

[kristavws]

you could get a small cow, a jersey has less mink than a Holstein , they eat less too. I have a jersey, when she has her calf( due any day) she will have 16 liters a day. this slowly decreases in amount until about 10 months after having the calf it has dropped to 8-9 liters a day.

we keep 2 liters of full cream milk , separate the cream form the milk with a separator, and give all the rest to the pigs. we have 2 pigs called snort and pickles. I don't make yogurt very often. we just don't eat that much of it. and I have tried making cheese. not with much success. I make all our butter though.

 

This is great to know as my dh's preference is a jersey. Do you milk 2 or 3 times per day?

 

Thanks,

Krista

[Melissa in Australia]

This is great to know as my dh's preference is a jersey. Do you milk 2 or 3 times per day?

 

Thanks,

Krista

I milk twice a day until the milk volume drops to under 9 liters a day, then I milk only once.

the other way of doing it is to let the calf with the mother all day, and separate at night. then you only have to milk in the morning;). the milk isn't as creamy then. and catching the calf can be quite a pain.

[Tracy in Ky]

I milk twice a day until the milk volume drops to under 9 liters a day, then I milk only once.

the other way of doing it is to let the calf with the mother all day, and separate at night. then you only have to milk in the morning;). the milk isn't as creamy then. and catching the calf can be quite a pain.

 

We are thinking of doing once-a-day milking this winter, after Daisy calves. From what we have learned, we have to still milk twice a day for a few weeks after the calf is born, because there is too much milk for the calf. But I guess when the calf is bigger, it can handle the milk.

 

Melissa, have you ever frozen the milk? I know that the cream in the milk may be a little flaky after thawing, but I was wondering if you have tried it. I really don't want to buy milk during the 2 months that she is dry, so I am freezing it. Even if it is less than perfect, I still would prefer it to store-bought milk. I am currently thawing some that I froze to test it out, but I was wondering if you had any experience with it.

 

And could you share your process for butter making? I hardly know what I am doing, and I am interested in learning from you.

 

Thanks!

Tracy

[Tammyla]

I'd barter or sell it. Do you know anyone with chicken? Eggs for milk?

 

Making butter is a simple option too.

[MommyX8]

We live in a cowshare state and we have 10 shares. Technically, we need a cow, but I just can't swing the work.

 

Our farmer milks once a day, which is common in NZ. He does get less milk than if he milked twice a day, but he doesn't drop down to 50%. It is much higher than that and he has more time for other things now.

 

Your butter technique is basically what I do. I use my Vitamix and I do 4 cups at a time. When the sound changes, I bump up the speed until it breaks. Then I dump it is a stainless steel strainer. I don't use muslin as the strainer does fine. I do that with all the cream for the week (usually a gallon). Then at the end, I wash it all together under cold water until I get the extra buttermilk out. It is a huge clump of butter, but it is better than doing 4 little batches. Either way my arm wants to fall off. This just saves time. I add a bit of Redmond salt (nice and sweet) and put it in pint size jelly jars with plastic screw top lids for the freezer.

 

I do make my own yogurt. I'd love to make cheese but we just don't have enough milk.

 

And maintaining milk is time-consuming. You are right. I pick up milk twice a week at the farm. We usually are out by the next pick up date, but I still have to skim some cream as once a day milking gives a bigger cream top. Sometimes there are just glass jars EVERYWHERE. :001_smile:

[kristavws]

Wow! This is great information. Thanks to all of you for sharing.

 

Krista

[Mamagistra]

I am currently thawing some that I froze to test it out, but I was wondering if you had any experience with it.

 

I have no experience, sorry. :001_smile:

 

But...a friend who is purchasing raw milk locally told me that frozen milk can be thawed to roughly cow temp (about 100° maybe?) in a sinkful of warm water. Her supplier told her that this would re-homogenize it. Perhaps you could Google it, or give it a try. :001_smile:

 

I'm soooo jealous of you make-your-own butter gals!:tongue_smilie:

[Diane~KJ]

Since you can't legally sell the raw milk and or products, it would be great if there was a resource that could help you link up with other farmers or like minded people to trade with. Kickin' it oldschool!

 

Good luck, I'm a totally displaced suburbanite, looking to get to some property to have a cow of my own someday. And to keep my horse close to me as well. :)

[Melissa in Australia]

We are thinking of doing once-a-day milking this winter, after Daisy calves. From what we have learned, we have to still milk twice a day for a few weeks after the calf is born, because there is too much milk for the calf. But I guess when the calf is bigger, it can handle the milk.

 

Melissa, have you ever frozen the milk? I know that the cream in the milk may be a little flaky after thawing, but I was wondering if you have tried it. I really don't want to buy milk during the 2 months that she is dry, so I am freezing it. Even if it is less than perfect, I still would prefer it to store-bought milk. I am currently thawing some that I froze to test it out, but I was wondering if you had any experience with it.

 

And could you share your process for butter making? I hardly know what I am doing, and I am interested in learning from you.

 

Thanks!

Tracy

 

It will only take about 4-6 weeks for the calf to be able to drink enough milk for once a day milking.:001_smile:

I have tried freezing milk, and it looked curdled. I found skim milk worked better. but unfortunately I put it into the freezer with the frozen pork sausages. they were heavily flavored with garlic. the milk took on the flavour and was undrinkable.:D

Butter is really easy. I separate the cream with a separator. and store it in the fridge. I get about 1 liter of cream per milking. When I have about 3 liters of cream, I take it out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature. I leave it out for at least 1 hour. then I poor all the cream into my wooden butter churn and put on the lid. I churn away. it should go through the thick cream stage, then the whipped cream stage then the really hard to turn stage and then the gaining stage. finally it gets to the butter floating in the buttermilk stage. I then pour it into a sieve. and start splodging it with my hands. butter paddles are better, but I don't have any. I splodge and splodge and rinse and splodge. I can never seem to get all the buttermilk out. :confused: then I salt it and put it in the fridge. the churning takes between 5-10 minutes, the splodging another 10 minutes, and you end up with a huge pat of butter.:001_smile:

the milk has to be at least 24 hours old to work.

[Guest katya]

Purchasing a cream separator for home use is a great idea. It will separate cream from whole milk in minutes and it's small so you do not have to have too much milk to use it.

Great portable separators (both electric and manual) at affordable price are sold here:

http://slavicbeauty.ecrater.com/

Amazon.com also has some for sale, just search for cream separator, milk cream separator

[Orthodox6]

Goats?

 

That was my friend's solution. They love their miniature goats, and love the milk !

[Carrie12345]

no, I'm not allowed farm animals of any kind! Crazy because we live in a pretty rural area but when I bought here (It's a lake community) I didn't have kids and I couldn't imagine wanting any farm animals. If I'd only known.

 

I wonder if I could petition the Lake Association. hmmm...

 

That's our situation, too. :glare:

I've broached the subject of chickens with my BOD president (who I consider a friend) and he FLIPPED out, ranting about how chickens cannot be pets no matter how their owner feels about them.

 

If I were to suggest a cow, I think he'd, uh, have a cow!

 

I spend a little time each week browsing the real estate listings for Warren County. Dh and I have started a new budget in hopes of getting out there in a couple years. No more fake communities for us!

 

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack. I love these threads. They keep me motivated and hopeful. My dream is for chickens, goats, maybe sheep and hopefully a cow. And dd wants ducks. (I hate ducks)

If you'd have asked me 5 years ago, 3 kids would have been plenty of animals in my book. ;)

[2squared]

I grew up on a dairy farm, and the thought of owning a milk cow gives me pains in my stomach. Those of you who enjoy it at this stage in your life, WOW!!

 

Since I've never owned chickens, goats, or horses, I expect to fill up our barns and pastures with those animals. Milk cows make me :auto:

[The Girls' Mom]

I've been thinking about this too, as we contemplate buying a house with a few acres.

 

My question is, do you get tied to your farm with a milk cow? We have family out of state that we like to go visit a couple times a year....how, or even do, you manage trips away with a cow? (Or other animals for that matter? I can see asking a friend to come check on the chickens, but I just don't know if I could find anyone willing to come milk a cow! lol)

[mom2abcd]

I've been thinking about this too, as we contemplate buying a house with a few acres.

 

My question is, do you get tied to your farm with a milk cow? We have family out of state that we like to go visit a couple times a year....how, or even do, you manage trips away with a cow? (Or other animals for that matter? I can see asking a friend to come check on the chickens, but I just don't know if I could find anyone willing to come milk a cow! lol)

 

This is my concern, too. I don't want to be tied down. If there was a neighbor who was willing to milk for you once in awhile it would be ideal.

[BeachGirl]

What I *really* want is a cheese press. I am hoping to have one this fall after Daisy calves. I think we'll be swimming in milk for a while, and I would love to store up a bunch of cheeses to age for winter :) They are expensive though!!

 

Tracy,

 

Have you ever visited the Chickens in the Road website. The author has made her own cheese press out of stuff that is readily available. I think it takes a bit of room but seems very serviceable. You would need to search for her cheesemaking posts but they are worth reading if you are interested in something other than just a soft cheese. Her website address is http://www.chickensintheroad.com.

[Critter]

We also have a milk cow and dairy goats, and yes, it does tie you down. Not just for the occasional vacation, but day to day too. We are never far away from home because we milk twice a day on a schedule. If I have to go somewhere, the kids have to take over for me. I'm trying to line someone up to do chores while we are at our daughter's college graduation. It's a lot of work keeping up with all that milk, but I love my cow. When she calved she was giving seven gallons per day. I raised her calf and an additional bucket calf for three months, then weaned them and bought two more. We also fattened three pigs on cows milk along with goat milk. It's the best pork we've ever eaten. At the beginning of her lactation, when we were flooded with milk, I learned to make mozzarella, cheddar, cottage cheese, yogurt, creme fraiche, buttermilk, and butter. We have several friends who love the milk too. One family takes 8-9 gallons per week. The milk is so much better than store-bought, and it's worth all the trouble.

[amy g.]

It does tie you down. I need to go out and milk right now, but I'm going to finish my coffee first.

 

My Jersey is still giving over 6 gallons a day 5 months into her lactation. My kids prefer to drink goat milk, so we feed animals with the cow milk. So far, she has fed 2 calves, 3 pigs, 12 goats, and a bunch of chickens.

 

My goats are also giving 4 gallons a day. I bottle one day's milk to drink. The next day, I make yogurt, the next, soft cheese, the next hard cheese. Then I start all over again.