Pera ni Juan

Did you know that a Cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime?

Approximately that's 22 glasses of milk a day. Enough to feed your entire family.
Or you could turn it into a business venture by delivering milk to your village or community.
Or you could process it by making cheese, butter, yogurt, and even ice cream.
Those who have sweet tooth will be floating on air to have this by-products. If you have a pastry or confectionary, having a Cow will be beneficial to your business.

The natural lifespan of a dairy cow is approximately 25 years, however in commercial farms dairy cows are rarely kept longer than five years. This is done to maximize the dairy farms productivity.
If the Cow can't produce the milk quota ( production below 12 to 15 liters of milk per day are not economically viable) they will be sold and slaughtered. It's a pity but that is how the Cows lived in commercial farms. If you can't produce get out.

A Cow will produce large amounts of milk over its lifetime. Certain breeds produce more milk than others; however, different breeds produce within a range of around 4,000 to over 10,000 kg of milk per annum. The average for dairy cows in the US in 2005 was 8,800 kg (19,576 pounds).

Production levels peak at around 40 to 60 days after calving (giving birth). The Cow is then bred. Production declines steadily afterwards, until, at about 305 days after calving, the Cow is 'dried off', and milking ceases. About sixty days later, one year after the birth of her previous calf, a Cow will calve again. High production cows are more difficult to breed at a one year interval. Many farms take the view that 13 or even 14 month cycles are more appropriate for this type of Cow.

Dairy cows may continue to be economically productive for many lactations (the period of milk production). Ten or more lactations are possible. The chances of problems arising which may lead to a Cow being culled are however, high; the average herd life of US Holsteins (a certain breed of cow) is today fewer than 3 lactations. This requires more herd replacements to be reared or purchased.

Before large scale mechanization arrived in the 1950s, keeping a dozen milk cows for the sale of milk was profitable. Now most dairies must have more than one hundred cows being milked at a time in order to be profitable, with other cows and heifers (a young cow) waiting to be "freshened" to join the milking herd . In New Zealand the average herd size, depending on the region, is about 350 cows. That's a lot of Cows.

Back here it is profitable to keep 2 milking Cows. This is more than enough to sustain your family needs. Or could help your business venture.

If only there's way to keep your Cow in your backyard. :)