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lesli8_gw

Our new milk cow...

lesli8
19 years ago

Daisy is her name, and she has never been milked but is very gentle and allows us to pet her and rub all over her. LOts of work to do, but we are hopeful that she is trainable.

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Comments (25)

  • graciel57
    19 years ago

    She looks like a nice mannered cow. When is she due?

    Jennifer

  • erinluchsinger
    19 years ago

    Gotta love those Jerseys!
    Erin

  • mamacotti
    19 years ago

    I LOVE her face!!! I want one...

    Suzie

  • ccox
    19 years ago

    Suzie, you have enough cows ;)
    I was gonna say the same thing about her face. She's a beauty and I'm sure she'll be more than happy to stand still for such a nice family.
    Leslie, she's a beauty. Thanks for sharing.
    Carla

  • lesli8
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    I don't know if you all read the weekly journal but it tells her story a little more.

    I am not sure when she is due. My father is going to palpate her when we get a chute built, LOL don't know why he doesn't want to tackle the job in the corral!

    She is sweet and we got her halter on her yesterday. It was really amazing to us that all this goes so smoothly, because she is supposed to be no more than a pasture cow! She slobbers up cubes or what ever you hand feed her and will try to suck on my fingers to get every last bite. She is always very alert and when we drive up she perks up like a puppy dog and almost dances around till we get out and up to the fence. Too funny!

    Thanks all for your nice comments!

  • mamacotti
    19 years ago

    Lesli, what are your plans for her? I'm interested to know...dh would love to have a milk cow, but we don't have the set up for that I guess. Do you HAVE to pasturize the milk? What will you do with the baby? Questions, questions...

    Suzie

  • erinluchsinger
    19 years ago

    No you don't have to pasturize the milk.
    We always drank jersey milk growing up... straight out of the bulk tank.
    Nothing even compares. DH always asks what it tastes like. I think I need to make a trip to my cousin's house to get some fresh jersey milk for him. I'm afraid to b/c I'm sure he'll become addicted!
    We always took out a 1/2 gallon at a time. It got used within a day.
    Definately no need to pasturize.

  • mamacotti
    19 years ago

    Wow...I've GOT to get me one of those!

    Hope this doesn't sound tooooo stupid, but can you/how can you make skim milk, or at least get some of the fat out? Or would you just rather not?

  • basilmom
    19 years ago

    Those are the prettiest cows! I was raised in Herford country so I am captivated by something as pretty as she is!

  • ccox
    19 years ago

    Suzie, I think you just let the milk sit and the cream all comes to the top. Skim it off and enjoy. I think in addition to pasturization they homogonize the milk to get 1%, and 2%. I'm guessing homogonize means to mix the milk and part of the cream so they don't separate in the jug.
    Erin will be able to give you the straight story if I'm wrong. Erin, promise to post pics when that baby comes. I'd also expect Suzie to make a road trip to buy that baby ;)
    Carla

  • erinluchsinger
    19 years ago

    If you just let the milk set, it the cream will rise to the top. You can scoop it off and whip it, or you can mix it back in and drink it. To skim it off to me is a waste of good milk! That is what makes it taste good. Sure it's high in fat, but WHO CARES? I'd rather drink a little milk that TASTES GOOD than drink a lot that tastes AWFUL (skim milk to me is the most disgusting product in the grocery store!).

  • ccox
    19 years ago

    Yup, Skim (or blue milk as my mom calls it) it just a waste of time.
    Carla

  • mamacotti
    19 years ago

    Yeah, but my problem is I LOVE ice cold milk, and I can never drink just a little! I do like the skim milk, tho...but consider that I've never had it fresh from the cow. We go thru 2 gallons in 2 days, just the three of us. Maybe if we weren't eating so many omeletts...

    Getting kinda sick of eggs around here! And you're right, Carla...I was already planning my road trip to pick up another baby cow!

  • Poochella
    19 years ago

    Lesli, you are so lucky to have that wide eyed beauty in your presence. I have long wanted a cow, but am told it's OFF THE LIST of possible pets.

    We call skim milk 'scum milk' around here. Anything that doesn't much change the color of coffee in my mug isn't worth the trouble.

    Congrats on the cow!

  • ccox
    19 years ago

    A play on words Poochella----it reminds me of the first time my oldest son heard the word "Skim milk". "Eeewwwww, why would anybody want to drink Skin milk!!!"
    Leslie, sorry I messed up posts and had it in my brain that the new Jersey belonged to Erin (thus the post about Suzie making a road trip to Erin's for the calf when it's born).
    Take care,
    Carla

  • lesli8
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Oh, that is ok,Carla. I have enjoyed reading into this great conversation. I have not been able to get on for a while sorry. She is bred to a Charolais bull, He is a beauty, but I suppose we will raise the calf to a good weight and age and probably sell. We have considered keeping if it is a little heifer, depends on if she has her mom's disposition.

    Daisy is sulking today, and not all that loving. I think since my hubby told her she could only have her sweetfeed in the evenings she really pouted this morning. Even refused the green grass that we tried to handfeed her.
    She is still sequestered in the pen till she knows us a little better and we can be sure that she will come back in when we want her too. We are cutting a half barrel of green grass probably twice aday sometimes three times, and giving her 2-3 half barrels of hay to have all the time and around a gallon can of sweetfeed every evening, We were giving her a little in the morning too, but she has already gained wait and we don't want to make her sick. Giving her too much at once. Really trying to tame her alittle more before turning her loose.

    I think that she would go into the chute and headgate if we would get it up just for her sweetfeed. She will have to be hobbled at first anyway. She doesn't want anyone to mess with her udder. LOL!! she kicks, not really trying to kick us but to discourage us from touching her udder. She is getting rather spoiled and tends to act like a spoiled child sometimes. We are anxious for the milk too, but it is a blessing to us that she is dry right now since we (and she) are not quite ready for milking.

    Thank you all so much for your interest! I love talking about her. She was supposed to be mine, but I think hubby is taking over! I will take more pics from time to time and of her little one when ever it comes.

  • lesli8
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    I think you should check out some of the jersey dairies in your area. They often sell 4-5 year old cows that maybe just produce 4 gals aday instead of 6 or some such reason. She would probably be easier to milk and handle than ours. She will likely be even prettier than ours, if you like the full jersey look. Daisy is Jersey/Guernsey cross which has its own benifits but originally I did have my mind set on getting "Belle" like the Bluebell commercials!

    Suzi have you had any of your chichens go broody yet? How many cows/calves do you have?

  • mamacotti
    19 years ago

    Leslie, I have 70 - something chickens. Of those, 6 are roos. NO ONE has gone broody, yet! I can't believe it! Which is really okay, because I havn't done any specific breeding, and don't think I want the bloodlines of two of my roos, anyway. I don't know enough about the genetics yet, so I'm just taking it day by day for now. Now, that count of 70+ does NOT include the 8 chicks I have stashed and hidden while brooding in my garage. Yep, I went to the feed store, and left with 3 White Japanese Banties, 2 white silkies, and 3 red (I think) frizzles! I'm sooo excited about them. I've even bought a tiny coop for them all, and managed to keep it hidden from DH for about 2 weeks. I'm gonna be mud when he finds out, but it won't be the first time!

    As for my OTHER babies, we have registered Blank Angus: 3 cows, and their 3 heifers that came with them. That is our original, beginning herd. Then along came my Punkin. Then the cows had their calfs, (2 heifers and a little bull - they are Adam, Eve, and Tinkerbell) So, that makes a total of 10. In February, we bought a young bull for this years breeding, and his friend, a 12 yr old Angus who hadn't yet been bred back. The man we buy from was going to take her to the sale barn...but we decided to give her another chance. Very sweet cow...named Valentine! That's actually part of her registered name, too. I hoped she'd adopt Punkin, but no, not yet, anyway. So, a total of 12 bovine ornaments for my petting zoo. Two donkies, 10 goats now, and as of yesterday...down to 3 ducks. Something got my male Pekin. Heartbreaking...

    I'd love a milk cow, but probably not a wise idea until we actually LIVE on our farm! At my house where we do live we also have our 2 Labs, Buck and Tootsie Roll. I need to post pics of them, too. I mean to every day, but there's just too much to do!

    Lesli, again, where in Texas are you?

    Suzie

  • lesli8
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    I am about half way between Victoria and San Antonio, in a little town called Smiley. Tiny-blink and you could miss us! Our house is in town and property is approx. half a mile a way. We are in the middle, and edge of town LOL!!

  • MaxBaerHems
    19 years ago

    Lesli,
    I always thought âºSmiley⺠was a Booming Metropolis with about 455 folks? Did it shrink??? LOL LOL

    Rickâº

  • mamacotti
    19 years ago

    We aren't too far apart, then. I'm in Sugar Land, just SW of Houston.

    Suzie

  • lesli8
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Now, Rick you have got me wondering, How'd you know that? Been here or reading up?? But yep that is about the sum of it!! big city, huh? LoL!!

  • MaxBaerHems
    19 years ago

    Went thru that way,,years ago. Had to see (ô¿ô) a place with a name like that. Ah , the things we did,,when young,,,LOLâº

    Rickâº

  • ccox
    18 years ago

    Leslie, did your new cow have her calf yet?
    Carla

  • lesli8
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Sorry Carla, I just checked in here again. No she has not had her baby yet, she is fatter, but not really bagged up yet. I do hope it is during the summer so we will have more time to milk her. I will hopefully have a job next fall as the middle school librarian again. I started last October,w when someone else quit but our district has not made me permanent yet. They like to keep that kind of stuff secret till a week before school starts LOL! I want the job and have done it for months and months, but would not mind having time to do just the housewife, farm girl stuff. I better just keep hoping for the job, it pays better. I will have a hard time buying feed if I dont work!! We did just get the chute finished (well just a little bit of stuff left on it to do yet) she is a little wary but ate in the chute yesterday. Hubby has "dry milked her-motions no milk) She tries to kick a little to persuade him to stop but will ignore him and keep eating if he keeps on. So I think it is a go when she does have her baby. We are anxiously awaiting. Dad still needs to come palpate her and give us a little bit of an idea when she will bingo.

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