I feel like this is rather a boring topic to write about, although my cow would probably disagree. But I want all the information here in one spot for new 'milk cow people'. This is what we feed our milk cow:
Right now, she's out in the pasture, eating grass to her heart's content. She got dried alfalfa all year round at the dairy, so that's what she'll be getting this fall and winter, after the first freeze.
When we milk her (that's twice a day for a little while yet) she gets about 1/3 of a five gallon pail of cracked corn. We purchase this at a local Coop in 50 pound bags. We're on the look-out for a cheap gravity wagon so we can buy corn in bulk for this fall and winter. Her feed is stored in large lidded black trash containers.
Cracked Corn...
Alfalfa Pellets and Cattle Cubes. We mix these and give her a couple scoopfuls together with her corn at milking time. The cattle cubes are her favorite treat.
We purchase the alfafa pellets at our local farm supply store.
The cattle cubes we've only found at Tractor Supply.
She also gets mineral in a 5 gallon pail to have anytime...
There's a salt block in her pasture...
We did try feeding her a garlic supplement. The idea was fly-control. Although it seemed to keep the flies from biting, the milk started tasting a bit off. So we quit that.
And of course, all the water she wants! There are two small ponds in her little pasture, as well as a stock tank we keep filled with fresh water.
And that's what our cow eats in a day! Comment below if you have any other feeding/watering questions! <3