Post by mrskk on Sept 29, 2007 7:25:57 GMT -5
I've just joined today, although I have been "lurking" for several months.
In peeking at lesli's query about what inspired us to get a milk cow, I'm similar to her in that people say I was born 100 years too late. In my case, all of my children would have died before they were three years old (two of pneumonia, the third from a birth defect that would have killed her had she been born vaginally). So I am grateful for having been born in a day and age when my children had the advantages of technology and where I don't have to wear layers of long skirts to go out and do chores in the middle of winter!
When people ask why I want to raise my own beef, chickens and eggs, make soaps, baskets, lip balms, body butters, wine, jelly....(you get the idea 'cause you do it too!) I just say that I always wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder when I grew up. I also had a brother who went in for natural (read "hippie") when I was at a very influential age.
My husband and I have raised our own beef for several years and discovered by accident that we prefer Jersey beef over all others that we tried (or could find/afford). Some years we have had trouble finding Jersey bull calves, as not many dairy farmers want to trouble with a cow that doesn't give out like a Holstein. Last year, our neighbor was running out of room for heifers and offered to sell us a one-month old when we were looking for a bull calf. He threw in the bull calf when we bought the heifer, whom we named Buttercup.
Buttercup is 3/4 Jersey, 1/4 Holstein. We had her bred on her last heat, but apparently it didn't take, as I got home from a conference yesterday to the news that she was back in heat again early in the morning. (My husband is such a prude, there was no way he was going to call the AI guy!) So now I'll have to wait until next time to have her bred again.
My plan is to leave her calf on her and milk once a day. I work from home, so I plan on seperating them mid-afternoon, then milk in the evenings. That way, I figure if I have to be gone (to go visit my grandson in SC, for instance), we can just leave the calf on her 24/7 'til I get back. Also, if we get more milk than I can deal with, I can just cut back on the amount of seperation time to slow down her production. Does that make sense? I've never done this before, but from what I've read that other people do, it seems like it should work!
I also figure that if I don't like milking (which I REALLY don't think will be the case) on future lactations I can try raising two calves on her. From what I was reading when I was lurking last night, it looks like these Jersey/Holstein cross girls really put out a lot of good quality milk - maybe more than what we can use.
I am already collecting information, recipes, and ideas for all that milk, even though it is nearly a year away.
Anyway, glad to be here and a part of the group!
In peeking at lesli's query about what inspired us to get a milk cow, I'm similar to her in that people say I was born 100 years too late. In my case, all of my children would have died before they were three years old (two of pneumonia, the third from a birth defect that would have killed her had she been born vaginally). So I am grateful for having been born in a day and age when my children had the advantages of technology and where I don't have to wear layers of long skirts to go out and do chores in the middle of winter!
When people ask why I want to raise my own beef, chickens and eggs, make soaps, baskets, lip balms, body butters, wine, jelly....(you get the idea 'cause you do it too!) I just say that I always wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder when I grew up. I also had a brother who went in for natural (read "hippie") when I was at a very influential age.
My husband and I have raised our own beef for several years and discovered by accident that we prefer Jersey beef over all others that we tried (or could find/afford). Some years we have had trouble finding Jersey bull calves, as not many dairy farmers want to trouble with a cow that doesn't give out like a Holstein. Last year, our neighbor was running out of room for heifers and offered to sell us a one-month old when we were looking for a bull calf. He threw in the bull calf when we bought the heifer, whom we named Buttercup.
Buttercup is 3/4 Jersey, 1/4 Holstein. We had her bred on her last heat, but apparently it didn't take, as I got home from a conference yesterday to the news that she was back in heat again early in the morning. (My husband is such a prude, there was no way he was going to call the AI guy!) So now I'll have to wait until next time to have her bred again.
My plan is to leave her calf on her and milk once a day. I work from home, so I plan on seperating them mid-afternoon, then milk in the evenings. That way, I figure if I have to be gone (to go visit my grandson in SC, for instance), we can just leave the calf on her 24/7 'til I get back. Also, if we get more milk than I can deal with, I can just cut back on the amount of seperation time to slow down her production. Does that make sense? I've never done this before, but from what I've read that other people do, it seems like it should work!
I also figure that if I don't like milking (which I REALLY don't think will be the case) on future lactations I can try raising two calves on her. From what I was reading when I was lurking last night, it looks like these Jersey/Holstein cross girls really put out a lot of good quality milk - maybe more than what we can use.
I am already collecting information, recipes, and ideas for all that milk, even though it is nearly a year away.
Anyway, glad to be here and a part of the group!