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Author Topic: House cow  (Read 3027 times)

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
House cow
« on: December 11, 2009, 09:54:04 pm »
Now we'll have space, I realy would like to have a house cow. I planned to get Shetlands but they are quite expensive. I know a dairy farmer who has proper Friesian cows ie no Holstein blood. Sometimes he uses beef breed semen - Limousin or Belgian Blue. Actually, it's mixed semen and you don't know what the sire is until the calf's born. Anyway, I wondered about getting a couple of Lim x Friesian heifer calves and rearing them so they are nice and well handled, then putting them in calf to a beef bull. I will take some milk and the calf can have the rest; calf goes for beef eventually.

Thoughts on any aspect of this plan?

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
    • ABERDON GUNDOGS for work and show
    • Facebook
Re: House cow
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2009, 10:40:02 pm »
Sounds a good Plan A to me.  What's Plan B ;D ;D ;D
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

VSS

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Pen Llyn
    • Viable Self Sufficiency.co.uk
Re: House cow
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2009, 01:43:25 pm »
I would seriously recommend you go for a BBX heifer rather than a LimX. BB's are really docile, whereas Lims are more flighty. We have had four BBX house cows - 2 BB X Jersey, 1 BBX Freisian ! BBX Holstein. BB's are actually quite milky too.

Definitely the BBX and well done for being sensible enough to go for a cross- bred. By definition you will get milk and a decent beef calf too if you cross back to a beef bull.
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