Post by thystledown on Jan 28, 2015 19:32:43 GMT -5
Hi! I've had KFC for a couple years or more, but now am re-reading it and this site as the jersey calf we raised is bred and started down that road. I grew up on a dairy farm and did all that work until I was out on my own living in another state. But I haven't milked a cow since the 80's and Dad died two years ago (after building my barn). I never thought I'd want to milk a cow ever again!!! I still smile and count my blessings at 5 pm when I am NOT having to go to the barn. But as a homeschooling mom I was eager for my late husband to retire from the AF and return to the States and start a farm. Unfortunately, he died before we were very far down the road. But my dad helped me carry on. Our land was adjacent to theirs (purchased from a cousin--been in the family for 200 years). The house is built. The barn is done except for some interior work like the vacuum pump and milkhouse accouterments. I am remarried to a farm boy. But he's been off the farm as long as I have. Well, I've had horses, llamas, goats, chickens and so forth for years. And he has had horses and beef cows. But dairy cows? Nope. Not since we left home.
But now we are looking forward to it. For one thing, one cow isn't so bad. And we won't have to worry about production--just keeping her healthy. And I bred her so I don't have to milk in the summer. I know that is the best grass--but I don't want to give my summer up to a cow's schedule. She's a beautiful polled jersey from a show herd. I picked her from a nice group of calves at a friends' farm. I know how delicate Jersey calves can be--but she thrived. We raised her with a jersey x Holstein steer from the same farm b/c I didn't want to raise her alone. He just went in the freezer and is excellent. She now has my new hubbies beef cows for company.
I am fortunate to have much of my dad's equipment. He retired many years ago, but kept all of his equipment he thought I might want for a homestead type operation. So I have a vacuum pump, bucket milker and the sinks, racks, etc. And lots of field equipment of the older era when farms were smaller. Dad even picked up some of that and even older antique stuff for me saying, "this stuff is better for butter and egg operations and will be harder to find after most of it is sent for scrap." So one really nice thing I have is a hammer mill all set up in a building where I can grind my own feed and a 50's era pull behind combine that we have used to harvest oats. I would like to make my own feed. Dad had a much bigger piece of equipment for grinding feed for the whole commercial herd when I was growing up. this is older and smaller and perfect for my set up. But I need to figure out how to do this without Dad's help.
Anyway, I hope this dairy cow stuff is like riding a bicycle and I will find I remember a lot once I'm doing it. 30 some years since I last milked a cow. The thing is, I know enough to be scared. I have seen milk fever. I have seen down cows. I remember the heart break. But there is also something I remember when I was home from college. That was how peaceful it felt to just lean your head into a cow's flank and milk her.
But now we are looking forward to it. For one thing, one cow isn't so bad. And we won't have to worry about production--just keeping her healthy. And I bred her so I don't have to milk in the summer. I know that is the best grass--but I don't want to give my summer up to a cow's schedule. She's a beautiful polled jersey from a show herd. I picked her from a nice group of calves at a friends' farm. I know how delicate Jersey calves can be--but she thrived. We raised her with a jersey x Holstein steer from the same farm b/c I didn't want to raise her alone. He just went in the freezer and is excellent. She now has my new hubbies beef cows for company.
I am fortunate to have much of my dad's equipment. He retired many years ago, but kept all of his equipment he thought I might want for a homestead type operation. So I have a vacuum pump, bucket milker and the sinks, racks, etc. And lots of field equipment of the older era when farms were smaller. Dad even picked up some of that and even older antique stuff for me saying, "this stuff is better for butter and egg operations and will be harder to find after most of it is sent for scrap." So one really nice thing I have is a hammer mill all set up in a building where I can grind my own feed and a 50's era pull behind combine that we have used to harvest oats. I would like to make my own feed. Dad had a much bigger piece of equipment for grinding feed for the whole commercial herd when I was growing up. this is older and smaller and perfect for my set up. But I need to figure out how to do this without Dad's help.
Anyway, I hope this dairy cow stuff is like riding a bicycle and I will find I remember a lot once I'm doing it. 30 some years since I last milked a cow. The thing is, I know enough to be scared. I have seen milk fever. I have seen down cows. I remember the heart break. But there is also something I remember when I was home from college. That was how peaceful it felt to just lean your head into a cow's flank and milk her.