The breed of the cow determines how much milk can be produced in a day.
By James Russell
jrussell65@student.alamo.edu
During a milking demonstration Feb. 9 at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Kelsey Delahoussaye, 17, milked her 2-year-old jersey dairy cow Missy.
In the rodeo, she hoped to win college tuition because of the quality of Missy’s milk.
Delahoussaye said she has participated in the rodeo and the dairy business for four years in Liberty Hill, starting with her first jersey cow Molly, the 4-year-old mother of Missy.
Delahoussaye takes care of her cattle by feeding, grooming and giving attention to general hygiene.
“They’re not just animals. They’re more like pets and family,” Delahoussaye said.
The breed of the cow determines how much milk can be produced per day.
For example, a Jersey cows are the smallest breed of dairy cows and can produce five gallons a day.
A Holstein cow can produce nine gallons of milk a day.
If a dairy cow was producing milk to feed a calf, it would only produce one gallon.
Eric Delahoussaye, Kelsey’s father, said, “Milking helps filter out any bacteria that could be in the milk and separates the colostrum from the milk.
“Colostrum is the first bit produced that gives the newborn calf antibodies to protect against disease,” he said.
Milking the cow relieves stress caused by the weight of the milk.
“If dairy cows are not milked, they could get an infection from the buildup of bacteria,” he said.