Where is Molly?
I brought the cows up during the thunderstorm at 3:00 in the morning. We put them in the combine shed…since we don’t have a combine. That’s where we should be milking anyway…not next to the old swing set in the back yard. Well, we SHOULD have a more formal milking location but…anyway…
I gave them access to about 2 days worth of grazing with another 3 days within easy reach. Just have to move the fence.
I had to look around a bit to find Molly.
She was hiding next to aunt Flora.
Aunt Flora wants to keep an eye on me.
Molly, as you might expect, spends much of her day eating, sleeping and growing. When she bothers to get up she frolics around, Houdinis her way out of the fence and annoys her mother. We think aunt Flora wants to be a mother. Just a few more months, Flora.
I caught Molly blinking after a nap and finally caught May with the camera. We are milking her once a day and it seems to be keeping the fat on her back. Here’s to hoping we can rebreed her soon and get her shifted to summer calving. Wonder if I can get another straw from Top Brass or if I should go with an A2A2 sire out of NZ…
Chism Heritage Farm 
She is gorgeous. I would not be getting anything done with this trio of beauties hanging around the place…I’d be out there ogling them all day. So you’re milking once a day for the house, and letting Molly take the rest? Is the quantity up? Still by hand? What is the plan for goat milk AND Jersey milk? Lots of ice cream? Goes to the pigs?
The plan?
We’ll give Molly all she can eat for the first month then she’ll have access to mom during the day after milking. Steve suggested we get a couple of calves to put on her. There is some merit to that notion…
Milk quantity is increasing and is already beyond our ability to consume. At least we coud freeze the goat milk. She plans to make cheese. Yes, some portion goes to the pigs. What would I do without pigs?
I guess the weather will compel you to take your milking under cover soon enough. What is an A2A2 sire – from NZ or anywhere?
There is all sorts of stuff about the benefits A2 milk. This is a nice summary:
http://a2corporation.com/about-a2-milk/
So, if I want to throw A2 calves I need a bull that is homozygous A2. If you check out any of the LIC sires you can see their A2 profile.
I could be further ahead by running guernseys but I don’t have guernseys. I have jerseys. You’ll have to ask Matron about guernseys.
Here is a good discussion about A1/A2 status in dairy cows.
http://familycow.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=cow&action=display&thread=56951&page=1
Are you going to sell heifers as another income stream?
LOL. Nothing is off the table. I may sell heifers to save sanity as opposed to saving money. I know selling half our goat herd before the drought got bad was a good decision.
I thought about heifers for a while, but I can make as much money actually more on an animal sold for beef and I don’ t have to worry about what their life will be like down the road. And I only get 50% heifers anyway…
No shortage of A2 tested family cows for sale in Oregon, it took a friend more than a month to sell his and he only had two inquiries. The family cow market really fluctuates, think Y2K and the Mayan thing, but people eat meat on a regular basis 😉