She was kind of an impulse buy. We didn't plan on adding to the "herd" right now, but our neighbors had her for sale and on a whim Nathan and I went over to see her. It was love at first sight.
Meet Molly. Our new Jersey milk cow. She is 4 years old and due to calve April 15th. Her mannerism is so different from Pearl. Don't get me wrong, I love Pearl, but as a milk cow she is a real pain. Pearl will now provide us with our meat calves and money from the sale of her registered heifers, and Molly will provide us with milk.
Unlike Pearl, Molly LOVES attention. I don't feel like she's out to trample me into the ground.
She spent her first couple days in the pen behind the barn, separate from Timone and Pearl. One, to give them time to adjust to each other. Two, to let her get used to me without having to chase her around 20 acres.
Today I let her loose into "general population". My biggest fear was that she would run from us if we tried to get close to her, but she is so gentle it wasn't a problem.
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| Horrible picture. I look so frumpy! |
This evening, she started receiving her grain in the stanchion. Absolutely no problems. I can lock her in, rub her all over, and mess with her udders. Other than eating, she stands perfectly still.
Now my only concern is what I'm going to do with all the milk she will give. I plan on sharing with the calf, separating them at night to milk in the morning. Even then I was told to expect up to 4 gallons per milking if I'm giving her grain (which I am). I see some serious cheese making in my future.
As if waiting for Spring wasn't hard enough, now there's another exciting thing to look forward to!
