Dairy Cows, how many is enough ?

[Static_Green]

How many cows do I really need to make some good $$$ ? 254K for the medium barn is a lot for me right now so I am saving to get that. Would a small field work for the time being?

[magicISO Sweden]

right now i have 20 in one barn

[Wizard]

Originally posted by Static_Green:

How many cows do I really need to make some good $$$ ? 254K for the medium barn is a lot for me right now so I am saving to get that. Would a small field work for the time being?

I'd prioritize the fields over the cows. If you have more than enough silage you can always sell if for good money. If you find yourself running out of food for the cows and you're low on cash, then that can be a problem.

Ideally you want a field for your grasses and one for your straw. If you're going to use straw to get manure as well as tmr, you'll go through more straw than you'd expect.

My straw field is twice as big as my grass field, but I harvest grass three times a year.

[terrydevine1]

Im run 4000 - 8000.
I have the modded 1000 head barns for ease and space
the money is in the fertilisers sold as well as the milk producing products and old cows
I emphasise products, I never sell a product until it has found its last possible use in my factories
additionally, starting, I stock a barn each consecutive month by 50% of the barns capacity
The purse price is $1200 each for 18M old and $200 each for the new borns
That is bought at 50/50 split ie 250 @ 12M and 250 new calves
Feed Mix until you're grass is up and running even if you have to buy it
Keep going over 4 months half filling 4 farms
place a minimum of one fertiliser factory silo per farm and if you're using straw, a silage pit with a manure to fertiliser factory
sit back and sell the fertiliser and send on the milk to your factories
run a tight ship on you're grass production and the $$$$$ just roll in

[Wizard]

I'm always trying to get away from cows but I can never seem to.

My longest played map in FS19 was a dairy farm with several thousand cow. Now in FS22 I usually end up with beef cattle for the slaughterhouse mod I use. And I'm always trying to stop from doing cows.

Even now, I have like 350 cows. I guess because I like doing silage bunkers and bales, and if you're going to do that. it's nice to have free fertilizer, and for free fertilizer and lots of silage, you end up with cows. Then one thing leads to another, and you're running a BGA. Because the combination is super profitable.

My issue is that by then, your farm's main product and source of income is poop. You're a poop farmer. Your main daily chore is feeding and moving around poop. The milk's nice. The products from the milk's nice, but really that's all secondary to that sweet poop money.

[Tuittu]

It depends how much work you like to do. More cows means more farming because of the cows, they eat a lot. You'll need more hay, silage, straw and TMR. And if you like to do other productions as well, your day might get busy fast.