Should I Buy a Calf or Cow?

I often read questions on discussion forums and Facebook groups from individuals asking if they should buy a calf or a cow as their family's future milker. There is not a black-and-white answer to that question, and what works great for one family might not work at all for you.
​
My first milk cow started out as a 9-month-old heifer; my second cow was a 2-year-old that was already milking. In this post my goal is to give you a few of the pros of buying a cow versus buying a calf.

Pros of Buying a Calf:

You can raise and train a calf the way you want, but keep in mind that training takes time and isn't always easy.​

A calf will often transition to a grass-based farming model easier than a cow.

When Birdsong Princess Isabella freshens in 2016, she will be 10th heifer I've trained as a milk cow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that her attitude will be better than her mum's.

Pros of Buying a Cow:

​When you buy a cow, there is little to no waiting time before you can start milking. Waiting for months and months before you can start drinking fresh milk is a test of patience!

A cow is already trained to stand for milking, which is a bonus if you've never milked a cow before. At least one of you is a pro at the whole milking process. ;)

Since a cow is already milking, you know that she's given birth to at least one calf. One risk of buying a calf is that you don't know if she is a freemartin. This is where the heifer in a set of mixed (male/female) twins is not fertile. 

And finally, you might be shocked at a milking cow's price tag, but it's nearly always cheaper to pay the extra money for a milking cow. Trust me, raising a calf from birth to freshening not cheap. 

Birdsong Summer Blossom was my first milk cow, and she arrived on the farm as a 9-month-old heifer. Thankfully she was a sweetheart and easy to train for milking after she freshened.

---

What do I recommend? ​Your choices might be limited by what's for sale in your area, but if you've never milked a cow before I highly recommend buying a trained family milk cow rather than a calf.

When you look at my Jersey Sales page, you may notice that here at Birdsong Farm I always sell trained family milk cows rather than baby calves or bred heifers. This is partly because I am building my herd, and partly because many of the families that are buying a Jersey from me are first-time cow buyers.