I shutter think of all those cold mornings going to the barn and milking up to 3 cows Ice or cold rain dripping off them. Good luck on your search we had a few guernsey cows gave good milk and were tougher than jerserys. Check with vo ag teachers and OSU dairy department about guernsey breeder and sales

This post was edited by oldokie on Tue, Jan 21, 14 at 15:16

I know I dont really have time to milk and I stink at it. I am very slow. But I think it is so much better for us that I am willing to try. May not be able to afford a guernsey though. Thanks for the ideas I will try them. Sheila

you have to milk twice a day every day seven days a week except when the cow is dry which is about 60 to 90 days before calf birth no vacation or skipping a day. that is the reason i don't . i can go watch 4;30 to9:00 high school basketball games like i did tonight absolute confining that old cow does not care what your needs are as long as u feed her and milk her. spent 30 yrs doing that no more sorry if i sound over the top just been there

you have to milk twice a day every day seven days a week except when the cow is dry which is about 60 to 90 days before calf birth no vacation or skipping a day. that is the reason i don't . i can go watch 4;30 to9:00 high school basketball games like i did tonight absolute confining that old cow does not care what your needs are as long as u feed her and milk her. spent 30 yrs doing that no more sorry if i sound over the top just been there

Sheila,

I milk goats. Just an idea, you might consider starting with them. They hurt a lot less when they step on your foot ;) Also, the production is less per animal. Typically, I get about 1 1/2 gal a day from a good milker. Goat milk DOES NOT taste goaty... unless either it isn't processed correctly, or very occasionally, because it comes from an animal with Toggenburg in its lineage.

Disadvantages to goats for milk are:

1) the cream separates way slower in goat milk than in cow. I can't bring myself to try to make butter, as it just takes too long.
2) Goats are much more demanding when it comes to fencing.
3) You need more of them to match the milk production

Advantages:
1) By milking more than one you "don't have all your eggs in one basket."
2) Goat milk is a bit easier on the digestion (especially for certain individuals) than is cow milk.
3) Goats eat brush and weeds, more than do cattle.
4) They are easy to handle and sweet.

I will pm you the names and contact info of two friends who might know someone with Guernsys.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Okay, well PM me through Gardenweb. I see you don't have an e-mail option on your profile.

George