Family Cow (Garden Way Publishing Book)

Proper care for milk cows is important. This book tells it all.

It doesn't give enough relevant information to a person researching the family cow option. It was great for it's publication time just not as good for today.

Simply outstanding. If you ever wondered how to feed your cow by procuring your own feed then this is the book for you. If you of persuasion that true farming , in this case keeping your own cow, means being as independent and self sufficient as possible then this is the book for you. This is not the book that expounds the "virtues" of emptying your wallet on the formulated feed for your cow and being nothing more but a cow motel proprietor.Packed with information, the newly gained "know how" can be easily applied to a "small" dairy venture with the only difference being that of scale. This is the book that tells you how it was done, and in a better way, not too long ago.And finally, if you refuse to follow the poultry farming model where your only job is to provide some space for you animals with everything else being controlled by everybody else then this book is for you.

I have several books on raising and caring for cattle, but purposely didn't buy "The Family Cow" because it seemed cheesy. I was wrong. The other books in my collection are focused on larger scale beef or dairy operations, calving and veterinary care. I couldn't find information on how to feed and handle one or two cows that are kept for dairy and possibly beef. "The Family Cow" was the book I was looking for. The dynamics and considerations for a hobby farm-type situation are entirely different than for keeping a large herd. The book doesn't go into nitty-gritty detail, but provides a nice level of information for the close level of interaction you have when you are hand milking, mixing feed and monitoring the health of a couple of cows. I would recommend this book for anyone at the beginning to intermediate level of livestock keeping.

This book was not only inspiring and reassuring to read the first time for first time milkers, it has become a reference goldmine for all things milk cow. It was also an revealing look at the history, governmental diminishment, and eventual popular reemergence of the family milk cow. Amply and simply illustrated no-nonsense text on everything from the raw vs. pasteurized debate to milking technique and milk product recipes. Lots of charts and graphs and anatomical renderings for thoroughly understanding the animal and the functions of milk production at home. There isn't a question that's come up that I couldn't find the answer to in this book and we have a happy Family Cow because of it.

I purchased this book before getting my first cow. I like that the author writes it for the person that may not want to spend a ton of money outfitting. A rope, a bucket, and a desire to have a cow is all you need to get started, sure makes it less intimidating than the more scientific books. highly recommended, but be prepared to have to do more specific research as it is a rather general book. The chapters on feeding are very detailed.

After owning my first cow without knowing any of the basics, this book is invaluable to me. The information on how and what to feed my cow and calf helped me immensely. I wandered from feed store to feed store trying to obtain information on what to feed my dairy cow. The chapter on nutrition includes diagrams of the ruminant digestive system, which helped me understand why the right diet would protect my cow's health, and make her more productive over the years. There are great stories about how to choose your own family cow, and how to match the animal with your capabilities, farm and goals.Consider this book a necessity for your farm library.

This book is loaded with information! If you're even just thinking of keeping a cow then this is a book you'll want to have. I have to compare this book with Keeping The Family Cow by Joann S. Grohman and both books were very good. This one does have pictures and that's a plus but reading Joann S. Grohman's book was more interesting for me as she seemed to share her own personal experience with readers in a way that Dirk Van Loon did not. I gave them both five stars and recommend both books equally. Read them both!

Want to have a good read about family cow? This is the one. Easy to read and well written. Very good book, recommend

We love this book! We have learned so much about cows. What to look for when buying one, how to look after one...you name it, it's in there!

I bought this book in the 70's and used it and lent it out until the pages fell out.......Would like to buy a couple of more copies as gifts. Thankyou!