[Ag-eq] introducing Bonnie

[nfoster at extremezone.com]

Tracy:

Yes, she is very easy to handle, Jersey cows are usually pretty docile.  She has
the traditional Jersey look, a lighter brown color with big dark brown eyes that
have long lashes.  Her face is dished and she is smaller, but average for a
Jersey.

I have a goat bell on her, it looks like a cow bell, but smaller.

If she has a bull I will definitely sell it.  If she has a heifer I might keep
it.  This will be her 6th calf and she has only had 1 heifer.  I will just have
to wait and see if I enjoy owning cows as much as I enjoy the goats.  I don't
have enough pasture to have more than a couple.

I just made some wonderfully rich hot chocolate with some of her milk.  Maybe a
cow isn't such a good idea, I might get as big as a house.

Nella
Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:

> Hi Nella.
> How exciting!  She sounds great.  And I imagine she's quite lovely, in a
> cow way.  Is her bell an actual cow bell?  Will you keep the calf, or sell
> it?
> Tracy
>
>
> > Hello to all:
> >
> > Well, I finally made my decision about dairy sheep and dairy cows and
> > purchased
> > a Jersey milk cow.  Her name is Bonnie and she is 7 years old.  She is
> > currently in milk and will calve in the beginning of May.  I got to see 2
> > of
> > her off spring and they were big and healthy.  I just got her home
> > yesterday,
> > so she is settling in.
> >
> > She can be hand milked or by a machine.  She walks on a halter and lead
> > and
> > stands quietly while being milked.  I just tie her and she eats while I
> > milk.
> > Sometimes she walks away when I try to catch her, but she will always come
> > for
> > food.  I put a bell on her so I know where she is in the pasture.
> >
> > She was shown at the fair when young and has been a family milk cow since.
> >  She
> > is used to different people milking her, even children.  She likes to be
> > scratched, especially around her horns.  She was never dehorned, so has
> > long
> > curving horns, which do not bother me.  Another woman was interested in
> > her,
> > but was afraid of her horns.
> >
> >   I'm going to save the cream and make butter.  I will also make some
> > cheese.  I
> > already have people that want to buy any extra, which is good since she
> > has more
> > than I can use.  I will stop milking her in the beginning of March.  Her
> > body
> > needs a couple of months to get ready for the new calf.  She is bred to a
> > North
> > Devon bull, they are red.  During the summer I will have both goat and cow
> > milk
> > to sell; it will keep me busy.
> >
> > I really thought about the dairy sheep, but they are so hard to find; it
> > would
> > be hard to find new animals to bring into the heard.  They just aren't
> > common
> > around here.  I also didn't want to deal with sheering.  Also compared to
> > the
> > goats the sheep produce a pretty small quantity of milk.  My other concern
> > about the sheep were diseases.  There are some diseases that goats and
> > sheep
> > can share and I don't want my goats getting sick.  There are few diseases
> > that
> > goats and cattle can exchange.  It will be a lot easier to find bulls to
> > breed
> > Bonnie with, there are several very close.
> >
> > I will keep everyone posted on Bonnies progress.
> >
> > Nella
> >
> >
> >
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