Post by thystledown on May 14, 2016 13:48:50 GMT -5
Bucking conventional wisdom and how it worked this year:
Arabella, our first dam raised calf, was delivered to the 4-H dairy clinic and auction yesterday. She's 8 months old and one of the largest Jersey calves at the sale. She looks really nice. My kids will split the proceeds of the sale and I was pleased with how well she looked. I was told to wean her and feed her a high protein ration. I left her on her mom and on spring pasture. I sort of thought God might make a better calf food than the feed mill. She looked much better conditioned with more flesh than the others, not fat and over-conditioned, but just right for her age. Bucking conventional wisdom: Experiment successful however well she sells.
I quit heating the milk for my yogurt awhile back. I bring it in fresh, strain the milk, add 1/2 cup yogurt (mine or commercial) to a 1 qt canning jar, fill half way with milk and stir with a whisk, then finish filling, shake hard, and pop in the convection oven at 110 dehydrate setting for 6-8 hours, then into the fridge. Comes out thick as strained greek yogurt and the cream on top is our preference for sour cream on potatoes, in burritos, etc. So no thickeners and I don't heat the milk. Don't know if it is the protein or milk composition of my Jersey cow, bacteria on our farm, my ovens, or what, but conventional wisdom says to heat even raw milk or the yogurt will be runny. Hmmmm.
Milking once a day and sometimes not at all: The cow did not get mastitis. The calves (two--her own and a foster a month younger) milked when I didn't. They did not scour. They thrived! The foster came to me with scours. Milk kefir supplement for two days and a real cow mom and he was off to the races in health and growth. And I even pulled the calves off at one point and reintroduced them a week or two later (after she had been milked out first) and they did fine. She did take them back and they did not scour. I went on vacation for over a week and left everyone in the pasture. Milk production did not drop when I returned. I began to take weekends off. How cool is that?! Healthy cow, healthy calves, happy me. Experiment successful.
I traded all the skim milk and whey for a pig and a half. I made bacon 6 ways before deciding the best was was a wet cure just like ham with NO sugar (bucking the conventional wisdom that says you need some sugar to balance the saltiness). Milking machines can be washed in the kitchen sink with dish soap. Calves learn not to get drag lines tangled (but that's complicated so don't get a calf hung by throwing them into a brush lot with a drag line and no experience) and drag lines makes them easier to catch. There's more, actually lots more. But what a fun year and a great experiment!!! Thanks for all the advice, suggestions and support.
Arabella, our first dam raised calf, was delivered to the 4-H dairy clinic and auction yesterday. She's 8 months old and one of the largest Jersey calves at the sale. She looks really nice. My kids will split the proceeds of the sale and I was pleased with how well she looked. I was told to wean her and feed her a high protein ration. I left her on her mom and on spring pasture. I sort of thought God might make a better calf food than the feed mill. She looked much better conditioned with more flesh than the others, not fat and over-conditioned, but just right for her age. Bucking conventional wisdom: Experiment successful however well she sells.
I quit heating the milk for my yogurt awhile back. I bring it in fresh, strain the milk, add 1/2 cup yogurt (mine or commercial) to a 1 qt canning jar, fill half way with milk and stir with a whisk, then finish filling, shake hard, and pop in the convection oven at 110 dehydrate setting for 6-8 hours, then into the fridge. Comes out thick as strained greek yogurt and the cream on top is our preference for sour cream on potatoes, in burritos, etc. So no thickeners and I don't heat the milk. Don't know if it is the protein or milk composition of my Jersey cow, bacteria on our farm, my ovens, or what, but conventional wisdom says to heat even raw milk or the yogurt will be runny. Hmmmm.
Milking once a day and sometimes not at all: The cow did not get mastitis. The calves (two--her own and a foster a month younger) milked when I didn't. They did not scour. They thrived! The foster came to me with scours. Milk kefir supplement for two days and a real cow mom and he was off to the races in health and growth. And I even pulled the calves off at one point and reintroduced them a week or two later (after she had been milked out first) and they did fine. She did take them back and they did not scour. I went on vacation for over a week and left everyone in the pasture. Milk production did not drop when I returned. I began to take weekends off. How cool is that?! Healthy cow, healthy calves, happy me. Experiment successful.
I traded all the skim milk and whey for a pig and a half. I made bacon 6 ways before deciding the best was was a wet cure just like ham with NO sugar (bucking the conventional wisdom that says you need some sugar to balance the saltiness). Milking machines can be washed in the kitchen sink with dish soap. Calves learn not to get drag lines tangled (but that's complicated so don't get a calf hung by throwing them into a brush lot with a drag line and no experience) and drag lines makes them easier to catch. There's more, actually lots more. But what a fun year and a great experiment!!! Thanks for all the advice, suggestions and support.