The Best Cows for Milk on the Homestead [Top 7 Dairy Breeds!]

Are you trying to find the best cow for milk – or the best dairy cow breed for your homestead? If so, then finding the perfect cow breed is trickier than it seems!
Each milking cow breed has unique strengths and weaknesses that might play in your favor – or work against you, depending upon your homestead, your resources, your needs, and your land!

So, let us go over our top picks for the best dairy cows for your homestead’s milk supply.

The cow breeds that we have named as our top picks are perfect for homesteaders! Some require prior cow handling experience. Others do not – and are easy to handle.

We’ll also discuss the most critical cow breed nuances in further detail – so you choose the best dairy cow breed for your situation.

[petewerner]

For a homesteader like myself, I have a Jersey, I found that a Holstein will eat you out of house and home. Also Jersey have A2 milk where Holstein has A1. Big difference in milk quality.

[joesaxon]

Please take a long hard look the Heritage ( 100 percent Shorthorn from England ) from the 1822 Clare’s herd book! They are SO docile, produce delicious milk, some even have Heritage Shorthorns have A2A2 milk! They produce beef that will marble by feeding grass only! Tender and flavorful, even on less high quality forages than any other Heritage breed! You can have it all - they have many beautiful color variations to expect!

[GermanShepherd]

We homestead with four Jersey girls. Excellent cows.

[quin]

All I heard was "Friendly and Docile" and "Great for Cheese and delicious milk". All of them are great, just different flavors haha

[marlenevideos]

What about the white cows, originating from France to America in the 1800's. They are good for meat & milk. The Charlimae or something like that. Sorry my spelling is incorrect.

[gretaferebee]

Only know about goats, which are an incredibly efficient choice for a dairy animal. Goats can survive and thrive with much less of an investment into feed and prime land. I kept and milked the Nubians which gives a larger amount of milk, and the milk is also richer. Many choices in the world of the goats. The word capricious comes from tge goat, goat is Caprine. Very playful and gentle animals. Good for tge smaller homestead.

[annaoslo]

Is it true that the baby calf is taken away from the mother right after she gives birth, in order to take her milk?

[qazifahad]

Add Fleckvieh next time as dual purpose breed

[poolmotorrepairguyFL]

jerseys with their 40-60%. I milked them and it was amazing. How much fat was in that milk the girls were easy to take care of but the Bulls like nobody and they could be mean like other boy cattle to me girls their number one.!!!

[victorcampos]

Do you have information about mountbeliard cows???

[cedricgates]

listening hin to miss pronounce is enough to make me not watch

[douglasmacarthur]

Everytime I see a picture of dairy cows with horns I
Dangerous to humans and other cows.