Full-Time Tethering a Milk Cow?

[bubba1358]

Anyone do it? Can't afford the fence, and I have heard that this is common practice for family milk cows, particularly in underdeveloped countries. I have plenty of trees to tie to, including cedar which can be cut into posts and installed at tethering intervals. I have my donkey on a half tether, half fenced system now, depending on what areas need mowed.

Curious to know of anyone's experience with a milk cow. I'm thinking Jersey. A tethering system would mean I *could* start with a cow in the spring. ::excited!::

Thanks in advance for sharing!

 

[heatherlynnky]

I have a jersey. Maybe it would be different if they were used to just that since birth. Mine would just pull the posts out. She is a fairly small framed jersey and she takes huge cedar posts ( thicker than a telephone pole) and pushes at them. That was when we had her in a smaller field while we were refencing a field. I would hate to see you invest and then find out it will not work.

 

[bubba1358]

Thanks. I'd start training on trees until she "got it" before switching to posts. I have plenty of trees with a good distance to the next. I'd also dig down a few feet and concrete the posts in.

Anyone else try this?

 

[Beekissed]

You'd need a tether post driven into the ground that lets her graze in a circle around the tether without getting tangled or she will just pull down whatever she is tied to. Some people place a bucket over the metal stake so that she cannot get injured on the peg.

Some people hook them to a run line like one would a dog so that they get more total grazing area than in a circle.

I'm thinking it would be easier to contain her with a temporary, moveable electric fence of a single line, or of electric netting, that is easily moved to fresh graze because a cow can eat up the grass pretty quickly.

 

[bubba1358]

I'm thinking it would be easier to contain her with a temporary, moveable electric fence of a single line, or of electric netting, that is easily moved to fresh graze because a cow can eat up the grass pretty quickly.

Thanks. My land is REALLY rocky. Like, I can't insert a step-in post rocky. The trouble with a movable pen is getting it where I would need it. There's some very rich grass on a bout 2" of very good soil with a giant rock underneath. :/ I can't set up a post there. BUT, 40 feet away I can dig a hole.

You'd need a tether post driven into the ground that lets her graze in a circle around the tether without getting tangled or she will just pull down whatever she is tied to. Some people place a bucket over the metal stake so that she cannot get injured on the peg.

Good advice, thanks!

 

[bubba1358]

Bump. Searching for some more feedback on this. Thanks.

 

[~gd]

Bump. Searching for some more feedback on this. Thanks.

Searching? sounds to me that you are asking.

 

[bubba1358]

Searching? sounds to me that you are asking.

Well maybe. Pretty please???

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I don't know nuttin' about no cows!

But, when I was younger my folks adopted a couple of BLM wild A$$ mustangs. The mare learned to appreciate civilization very quickly, but the brand new gelding - not so much!

In order to teach him to tie without killing himself my dad fastened an innertube to a tree and we'd tie the tether off to the innertube - that way there was some give to it and the idiot didn't break his neck....cuz before we figured out the innertube trick he darn near did kill himself. He hit the end of the rope so hard one time that he back-flipped himself...don't know why it didn't break his neck, but he continually proved what a tough critter he was. He eventually turned into one of the best riding horses we ever owned. You could NOT wear him out....we pulled logs with him, rode every kid in the neighborhood double or triple...when it snowed we'd pull kids on ski's (our redneck version of snow skiing - cuz we lived on totally flat land). He didn't know the meaning of quit.

Anyway - don't know if that would help in the initial training of a cow but thought I'd throw it out there - justincase.

 

[bubba1358]

Anyway - don't know if that would help in the initial training of a cow but thought I'd throw it out there - justincase.

That does help, thanks. The inner tube is a great idea. Was it an old tire, or something different? Trying to get a visual....