George N. M. Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 City boy here, what breed is the heifer? Jersey? Thx. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 Yes sir, Jersey. I've always wanted a Jersey cow and my wonderful husband bought me a cow and calf for Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 CGL, aint seen ya around in a while. I was just thinking of you the other day. Glad to see ya and hope all is well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 Hey there BillyBones. So nice to hear from you too. I've been off the radar for a long time. Life happens and it takes a toll on us sometimes and I apologize for being such a stranger. I have done very little forging for 3 years now. But I have gotten inspired to get back to it. I missed you guys but I didn't really have anything to contribute. Or didn't feel like I did anyway. Frosty told me to hang out here anyway and I should have listened to him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Are you milking the cow or planning to? I guessed Jersey because the family of one of my best friends in college in the '60s owned a dairy and had Jersey cows and I recall the calves looking like yours. But it has been a long time. The other thing I recall is being told that when it comes to eating beef the Jerseys have good tasting meat but are not sold commercially for meat (steaks, roasts, etc.) because their fat is yellowish in color unlike the white fat of Angus and Hereford cattle. I think retired dairy cows get sold as "canners." G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 George N.M. I am milking. I started back in December and I love love love having fresh raw milk. Jerseys have a high butterfat percentage in their milk and that's a plus. I just always wanted a Jersey because I thought they were about the prettiest cows there are. They have gentle dispositions and I find this to be true. What I didn't know was how intelligent and emotional cows are. They amaze me. Mama was bred before we bought her and hopefully she is pregnant. We haven't done a test to confirm yet. I have done a bump test but I don't think she's far enough along to tell about that. But she's showing all the signs. That being said, I'll have to dry her off soon so she can put that energy back into growing a calf. I'll sit miss the endless supply of milk I don't know much about their meat. I've not heard the term "canners". I'll have to research that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 "Canners" is a term used in the farm reports for the current prices being paid for various grades of cattle and other commodities (soybeans, corn, etc.). My understanding is that "canners" are used for other beef products besides things like steaks and roasts such as canned stews, canned beef, and other meat "products." G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 Thank you for that great information George. I had no idea. As far as our Jersey, when she gets too old, she'll either retire and live out her days here on the farm or a friend has already said he'd take her if need be. I don't think I could butcher her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 It's pretty hard to eat something with which you have formed an emotional bond. That is why most people say that you should never name your animals. Years ago I had friends who got a couple of chickens and named them enchilada and fricassee to keep in mind their ultimate destinations. I don't know if it worked, though. One thing I struggled with while giving legal advice to the local extension office and the County Fair (yes, I have stories) is that the 4-H livestock auction is always a "terminal sale." That is, as a condition of the sale the animal must be slaughtered and converted to food. That is so that the 4-H kid has it reinforced that these are food animals rather than pets. A hard lesson and, IMO, not always a necessary one. Legally, I always questioned the enforceability of the condition because title to something passes when the auctioneer's hammer falls and if someone decides that they do not want to slaughter an animal that is now their property there isn't much that could be done legally except, perhaps, ban them from future sales. How long do cows live? G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 George N.M. That's why we don't name animals that are destined for freezer camp. The goats get a number as a designation. The other animals just don't get names at all. When you are milking a cow, you do form a very close bond with them and I can't imagine eating her. I completely agree about terminal sales. If you purchase an animal, you should be able to do what you want with them. There was a lady around here that sold goats on the condition that they were not to be slaughtered. That's fine, but I woudnt buy one. When I sell one, it's theirs for whatever purpose they need or want. As far as the lifespan of a cow, I don't really know from experience. I'm still new to cows and learning. I have read that you can milk them until they are 8 or 9 years old or beyond. Probably dependent on the cow? My girl is 3 years old so she's still got a lot left in her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 Better post a picture of my newest buck before Frosty gets back on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 I had friends who raised goats and sold them for meat. They were often purchased by mid-eastern folk because goat was the traditional meat on certain holidays (like we have turkey at Thanksgiving). However, my friend, Jodi, would only sell to them if she did the slaughtering because many of these folk were of urban up bringing and had no idea how to humanely slaughter an animal. Also, many lived in apartments and had no way of disposing of the offal and hide easily. Jodi also made excellent goat cheese. Unfortunately, they moved from eastern Colorado to Maine because they wanted to live somewhere where trees grew wild and did not have to be babied along. They now live in a wooded area just east of the Maine/New Hampshire border. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 Used to, we didn't eat them, we just sold them on the hoof. But we decided to start putting some in the freezer. Really good meat. When I do sell them, most customers here tend to be Hispanic. They either like a really, muscular buck for breeding or a younger one to cook in the ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted May 31 Author Share Posted May 31 This is my bottle baby Ella. She's Kiko/Boer/Spanish. Another great thing about having a dairy cow is being able to have a plentiful supply of raw milk. This baby is with no question the healthiest bottle baby I've ever raised as a result. I used to use milk replacer with sometimes bad or poor outcomes. Then I went to a store bought whole milk, evaporated and buttermilk formula that is much better, but very expensive. I'm very impressed with her growth on raw cow milk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Aw Chellie, if you think your pair is odd, search "odd animal friends." There was a famous pair of friends in an Anchorage neighborhood, a cow moose and a house cat. Unfortunately the cow and the car didn't get along so well. <sigh> That's a nighty nice looking cow you're fattening up there. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted June 1 Author Share Posted June 1 Poor Moose And thanks about the cow. She's about 9 months old. I can't believe how much she's grown. She was around 3 months old when we got her and her mother. She could walk underneath mom then, now she's nearly as big as mom. Mom was in very poor condition but she has fattened up quite well and hopefully, she's pregnant. If it's a heifer, it will be sold and if it's a bull calf, he'll go to freezer camp. It's a win either way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Yeah, it's a bummer about the moose. They are so much better succumbing to rapid lead poisoning. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.