We Have Not Milked our Mini Jersey Cow for Weeks... What Happened First Milking Back?

Since our Mini Jersey calf Luna was born we have been sharing our milk with her. This is called calf sharing.

Calf sharing allows a cow owner to have a life and a cow. This last month we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary, and we went away on a long vacation, which meant no one was available to milk our cow Ladybug...

What happened? Did production slow? Did she have any problems?

Find out in today's video.

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[monser]

That goat at the 1:30 time mark reminds me of how my toddler acts 😂😂

[terraranch]

I laughed out loud watching the goats trying to get K's attention. So cute! Luna is such a cutie. Hugs❤️

[FarmerC.J.]

My standard Jersey lost her calf during last years frigid January weather . She was at another farm.
I’m still milking her and she gives me almost 3 gallons. Clara Belle is bred and due in February so it will be interesting to see what happens with your situation. Thank you for sharing! Your cows are gorgeous!
You can tell you take very good care of them!

[NS-pfzc]

We didn't wean our bull calf that came with our cow/calf pair. He nursed nearly until she gave birth again (she came rebred). I felt it probably strained her a bit (we didn't milk her), but he naturally weaned himself. He's quite a healthy looking bull. Now to see if he is viable. Time to do some preg tests on our other ladies that were in with them when he was big and old enough to mount.

[susans]

one thing to watch in future with Luna might be if she becomes a cow that tries to nurse her mom as an adult. We had one cow long ago, who had nursed on her dam for an extended time. When the daughter cow was grown, we noticed that she would be seen nursing on her mother- even occasionally pushing the mother's new calf away. It was a bugger to try to break that habit.

[meowmeow]

I like the new download times. I wake up...watch this..then haul my lazy self outside to water the ducks( cause ducks always mess their water). Before I'd be watching after all my chores were done and I was tired and frankly unenthusiastic. Now, i'm more inspired to start.

[steakandeggscynthiar.]

My sister left a calf on the cow for a long time before weaning her. That calf was a cow and had a calf and was still stealing milk from her mother. Not saying this will happen with Luna but sometimes longer you leave them on the harder it is to wean them. This should be fun watching you wean Luna. We have weaned calves where the mother would come up to the gate and let the calves nurse. Of course they are beef cows and there is no milking after we remove the calf.

[candicechristensen]

Oh! And I got my pioneer thing fixed!!!

[mtpatriot]

I have an 11 year old jersey/holstein cross . Also have her 5 year old daughter and 2 year old granddaughter. I always let the calves nurse as long as mamas will let them. Makes for healthier calves and I couldn't possibly use all the milk myself! As for weaning time, the mamas naturally give their calves the boot when it's time. Never had our mamas allow the older calves to steal milk from the newborns either....a natural family herd environment really works!!

[MissouriCrookedBarnHomestead]

My Uncle is not a commercial dairy and has 2 milkers, one Holstein and another Guernsey, the Guernsey is a milker as well as a substitute mama. He says that it is very bad to leave a calf on for a year because weaning them after the normal window of about 6 months can make a nervous calf that can become very difficult to milk as an adult. As well as it can make a calf carry that behavior into their calves. The calf can also become an adult "winder". Southern term I think for a cow that sucks on stumps or inanimate objects to the point that they drop weight, rot their teeth, and damage their mouths. So, there seems to be some legitimacy for the warning advice. He says he had to put down cows a couple of times that did not wean in the proper time and turned to this behavior.

[tyrroo]

Haha, I love Luna's reaction at 5:25 to Betty Draper running through her legs!

#askhomesteady I don't recall you ever answering (or being asked) this: what do you guys do for milk when you're not milking Luna? Do you have tons of her milk in the freezer, or do you get milk from another farm, or do you just buy regular pasteurized milk at the store? If it's the latter, is there any "digestive discomfort" in your family when you switch back and forth from raw to pasteurized?

[candicechristensen]

Kendra, you seriously look so nice in red! And not everyone can pull off red so good for you 😉

[candicechristensen]

Maybe you should do a segment, "goat interpretive dance"🤣😂

[MonicaRrtx]

How soon do you start training Luna, or do you wait till she get's breed?

[cheldog]

Where did you purchasd your milk strainer?

[Steve-psqw]

Hmm, calf sharing, not quite sure what that is but I am thinking it is borrowing a calf to suckle off a cow so you don't have to milk her.  That is a neat concept that I never thought of before.  Thanks!...wow, I have never milked a cow but it seems to take a while, how long was that session?I agree with you on the weaning, etc. 100%!  Not that I have any experience, lol, but you raise some valid reasons.I sent this to my wife so she can see how cute the calf is with her big pretty eyes, she is currently in love with highland cattle, along with half the world.

[karenriggle]

It's the same for ladybug, cows love routine, that's why you see cow paths in a herd of cows

[rosiec]

Watching Lacy and Gizmo makes me want to get goats.

[pamshouse]

#askhomesteady have you ever had your cows milk tested? I have a mid-size jersey and I'm thinking about getting her milk tested.

[nathandeer]

#askhomesteady Why do you milk through the cloth, and what type of filter do you use, How do you store your raw milk?