House cow

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As they are not farmed as part of a commercial operation, house cows are usually milked by hand Milking-a-cow-past.jpg
As they are not farmed as part of a commercial operation, house cows are usually milked by hand

A house cow is a cow kept to provide milk for a home kitchen. [1] This differentiates them from dairy cows, which are farmed commercially. They can also provide manure, for use as a garden fertilizer, [2] and their offspring can be a source of meat. [3]

Contents

House cows are used in locations, usually rural, without convenient access to a supply of commercial dairy products. [4] They can also be kept for household self-sufficiency, [1] and a preference for organically farmed food. [2]

History

In England, during the 18th century, families would take their house cow, and other livestock, to graze on the local common land. [5] In the 1770s, before common land began to be enclosed as private land, it was estimated that even a 'poor' house cow, 'providing a gallon of milk per day' was worth, in the milking season, 'half the equivalent of a labourer's annual wage' to a family. [5]

Writing for an American audience in 1905, Kate Saint Maur asserted:

In fact, the country home without a cow, is like a coach without horses - so hopelessly stuck does the house keeper become who tries to provide a varied bill of fare without dairy produce. Away from city markets, a cow is a downright necessity. [4]

In 1910, during the United States' Presidency of William Howard Taft, Senator Isaac Stephenson had a house cow called 'Pauline Wayne', a Holstein Friesian, [6] sent from his Wisconsin farm to the White House to provide fresh milk for the first family. [7] After arrival she 'grazed contentedly upon the White House lot, oblivious to the general fuss being made'. [7]

In Australia, house cows were still common enough for the New South Wales government to issue a free booklet on their management and care in 1953. [8]

In the 19th century, Breton cattle, from Brittany, France, were imported into England and promoted as an ideal house cow breed because of their docile nature and small size. [9]

Shetland cattle, from the Shetland Isles, off the north coast of Scotland, are a small, hardy cattle breed, which, until recent times, were traditionally milked three times a day—morning, twall (midday) and night—to produce the maximum amount of milk, which could be more than three gallons. [10]

The Dexter cattle breed, which originated in southwestern Ireland, is small, easy-to-keep and suited for milk and meat, is known as 'the poor man's house cow'. [11]

Related Research Articles

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Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulating components in milk contribute to milk immunity. Early-lactation milk, which is called colostrum, contains antibodies that strengthen the immune system and thus reduce the risk of many diseases. Milk contains many nutrients, including protein and lactose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veal</span> Meat of young cattle

Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed; however, most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, veal is more expensive by weight than beef from older cattle. Veal production is a way to add value to dairy bull calves and to utilize whey solids, a byproduct from the manufacturing of cheese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zebu</span> Domestic species of cattle

The zebu, sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty hump on their shoulders, a large dewlap, and sometimes drooping ears. They are well adapted to withstanding high temperatures, and are farmed throughout the tropical countries, both as pure zebu and as hybrids with taurine cattle, the other main type of domestic cattle. Zebu are used as draught and riding animals, dairy cattle, and beef cattle, as well as for byproducts such as hides and dung for fuel and manure. Some small breeds such as the miniature zebu are also kept as pets. In 1999, researchers at Texas A&M University successfully cloned a zebu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal husbandry</span> Management, selective breeding, and care of farm animals by humans

Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starting with the Neolithic Revolution when animals were first domesticated, from around 13,000 BC onwards, predating farming of the first crops. By the time of early civilisations such as ancient Egypt, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs were being raised on farms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holstein Friesian</span> Breed of dairy cattle

The Holstein Friesian is an international breed or group of breeds of dairy cattle. It originated in the Dutch provinces of North Holland and Friesland and in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. It is the dominant breed in industrial dairy farming worldwide, and is found in more than 160 countries. It is known by many names, among them Holstein, Friesian and Black and White.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dairy farming</span> Long-term production of milk

Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that goes back to the early Neolithic era, around the seventh millennium BC, in many regions of Europe and Africa. Before the 20th century, milking was done by hand on small farms. Beginning in the early 20th century, milking was done in large scale dairy farms with innovations including rotary parlors, the milking pipeline, and automatic milking systems that were commercially developed in the early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guernsey cattle</span> Cattle breed

The Guernsey is a breed of dairy cattle from the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is fawn or red and white in colour, and is hardy and docile. Its milk is rich in flavour, high in fat and protein, and has a golden-yellow tinge due to its high β-carotene content. The Guernsey is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds; the other two are the Alderney, which is now extinct, and the Jersey.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dairy Shorthorn</span> British breed of dairy cattle

The Dairy Shorthorn is a British breed of dairy cattle. It derives from the Shorthorn cattle of Tees-side, in the North Riding of Yorkshire and in Northumbria in north-eastern England. The Shorthorn was for this reason at first known as the Durham or Teeswater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pastoral farming</span> Method for producing livestock

Pastoral farming is aimed at producing livestock, rather than growing crops. Examples include dairy farming, raising beef cattle, and raising sheep for wool. In contrast, arable farming concentrates on crops rather than livestock. Finally, mixed farming incorporates livestock and crops on a single farm. Some mixed farmers grow crops purely as fodder for their livestock; some crop farmers grow fodder and sell it. In some cases pastoral farmers are known as graziers, and in some cases pastoralists. Pastoral farming is a non-nomadic form of pastoralism in which the livestock farmer has some form of ownership of the land used, giving the farmer more economic incentive to improve the land. Unlike other pastoral systems, pastoral farmers are sedentary and do not change locations in search of fresh resources. Rather, pastoral farmers adjust their pastures to fit the needs of their animals. Improvements include drainage, stock tanks, irrigation and sowing clover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beef cattle</span> Breed of cattle

Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production. The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf operations, backgrounding, and feedlot operations. The production cycle of the animals starts at cow-calf operations; this operation is designed specifically to breed cows for their offspring. From here the calves are backgrounded for a feedlot. Animals grown specifically for the feedlot are known as feeder cattle, the goal of these animals is fattening. Animals not grown for a feedlot are typically female and are commonly known as replacement heifers. While the principal use of beef cattle is meat production, other uses include leather, and beef by-products used in candy, shampoo, cosmetics, and insulin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shetland cattle</span> Breed of cattle

The Shetland, known natively in the Scots language as Shetland kye is a small, hardy Scottish breed of cattle from the Shetland Islands to the north of mainland Scotland. The cattle are normally black and white in colour but there are smaller numbers in grey, red and dun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerry cattle</span> Cattle breed, native to Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cika cattle</span> Slovenian cattle breed

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References

  1. 1 2 Grant, Rose (2012-12-10). "House cow revival in Tasmania". ABC Rural. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  2. 1 2 "Keeping A House Cow". Warm Earth Organic Gardening. Warm Earth Publishing. 2003. pp. 34–38. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  3. John Webster (2008-04-15). Animal Welfare: Limping Towards Eden. John Wiley & Sons. p. 131. ISBN   978-1-4051-7145-8.
  4. 1 2 Saint Maur, Kate V. (1905). A Self-Supporting Home. New York: The Macmillan Company. pp. 33–38. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  5. 1 2 Fairlie, Simon (Summer 2009). "A Short History of Enclosure in Britain". The Land (7). Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  6. "Life Of Pauline Wayne, White house Cow Insured". The Telegraph-Herald. 1911-08-17. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  7. 1 2 "White house Cow Arrives". The Free Lancet. 1910-11-10. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  8. "The House Cow". The Land (Sydney, NSW : 1911 - 1954) . Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 27 March 1953. p. 38. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  9. Manwell, C., C.M.A (1987). "The Breton breed of cattle in Britain: extinction versus fitness" (PDF). The Agricultural History Review. 35: 171–179. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  10. "The House Cow". Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  11. "Traditional Food Skills For Tomorrow: Food Heritage In Living Memory" (PDF). Bord Bia (Irish Food Board). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-10-31.