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Live in NW Iowa, looking for a mini/mid Jersey

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T O P I C R E V I E W
RCMcDaniel	Posted - Jan 26 2016 : 2:54:46 PM Hello, my name is Rachel and I just joined Heritage Jersey. My family and I just bought an acreage in NW Iowa, and I am looking to make my dream of a family cow a reality! If anyone knows someone who is wanting to sell a young Jersey who has maybe had one calf and is ready to freshen soon, could you let me know? Preferably someone who is within several hours of us, but might be able to make it a bit further for the right girl. Thank you so much for your time, and I am thrilled to be a part of this community. I love MaryJane, the simple lifestyle she advocates, and just received my Milk Cow Kitchen, which I love as well! I love the beauty yet everyday practicality of the book. Thanks again! Rachel
22 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
CloversMum	Posted - Feb 03 2016 : 5:18:18 PM I think we'll try to stay away from barbed wire fencing. A while ago, MaryJane posted about a cut that one of her cows had gotten on her teat. https://heritagejersey.org/chatroom/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=157 The cut was from some old barbed wire that the cow had tried to step over, through, or something rather ... When electric or good solid fencing will do, I'd rather skip any possibility of injuries.
Sydney2015	Posted - Feb 03 2016 : 11:10:34 AM We use mostly electric fencing. I've never had a jersey in electric fencing. We do use it on our beef cows and horses. Our horses will sometimes get through it. We have some old barbed wire fence on the perimeter of our farm nearest to the road and slough. Our cows hardly ever go near the road(They have to go through a slough to get there). We have had pretty good luck with electric fencing. When I got my jersey, I didn't really ask any questions(I got her as a week old calf from a dairy). I show her in 4-H with the family that got her to me, so did need to ask about her parents.
maryjane	Posted - Feb 03 2016 : 09:59:04 AM Finding Flossie: https://www.heritagejersey.org/chatroom/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9387
NellieBelle	Posted - Feb 03 2016 : 09:51:25 AM I hope the Jersey you are going to go look at checks out to be in the best of health and condition and all you hope for. Charlene and TonyMan just posted all the questions and concerns they had when purchasing their last cow Flossie. So that would be a great thread to look over. Here on our farm, which is only 80 acres, we have a bit of everything. Barb wire. woven wire, non barbed wire and electric. Haven't had a problem with any of it. Outer perimeters are mostly barbed wire. Keep us posted on your Jersey cow find.
RCMcDaniel	Posted - Feb 03 2016 : 09:01:46 AM That is good advice, thank you Tonyman. We are making a wood fence for a small area around our barn, and then later this summer will be making a large pasture for her. My husband really wants to do barbed wire (he's a Wyoming man who raised beef) but I'm trying to convince him electric would be better for her. I know it's safer. Have any of you used barbed wire with any luck? I've read Milk Cow Kitchen so I feel I have a pretty good handle on what to ask and what to look for when looking at a potential Jersey tomorrow, but any last advice for me? Thanks all!
RCMcDaniel	Posted - Feb 03 2016 : 08:56:19 AM Great to meet you. I was homeschooled and it was just a natural to do the same for my three children. I think it's great they have more time to help with the animals and learn home skills as well as book learning. I loved 4-H! I'm going to look at a Jersey tomorrow, and am very excited. Hoping she's a winner.
RCMcDaniel	Posted - Feb 03 2016 : 08:53:43 AM Thank you for the welcome! I'm very excited to meet people, and it's great to meet a fellow Iowan:)
Sydney2015	Posted - Jan 28 2016 : 6:12:36 PM I just got enough time to catch up on everything in this thread. I also plan on putting a rubber stall mat in my future milking parlor. I am homeschooled and in 4-H.
CloversMum	Posted - Jan 28 2016 : 5:33:52 PM And, yes, you may put a rubber stall mat over the concrete floor for your cow. I think that MaryJane and Janet have researched this more than anyone else, so hopefully, they'll chime in soon.
TonyMan	Posted - Jan 28 2016 : 2:36:06 PM Rachael, Welcome to the Chatroom. My two cents: Including some of the woods in her new pasture would be an excellent Idea. Mainly for shelter. And when fencing permanent fencing, the trees can act as fence posts. While Cloversmum and I have had success in using one strand of electric fence, not electric tape, I would recommend at least two strands: one at belt buckle height and one just above the knee cap. And of course an electric fence is only as good as its Charger, so buy a decent Energizer for the amount of acreage. Enjoy the Chatroom! Blessings Tonyman
Sydney2015	Posted - Jan 28 2016 : 2:09:51 PM Hi Rachel! Nice to meet you(well, sort of). I'm in Southern MN, so it looks like we're not to far away from each other! A little over a year ago, I was looking for a cow/calf too. I actually got my calf, AppleButter a year ago on Tuesday. I'm fairly new to dairy cow owning, so I won't be able to give you much advice. Good luck on finding the perfect cow!
RCMcDaniel	Posted - Jan 28 2016 : 12:14:50 PM Thanks for the reply and the advice! It sounds like picketing would just be too risky. And of course I can't have that. I might try and train a calf when I get one. I'm surprised that just one strand of electric fence does the job. That's great. Do you use the electric tape? I'm thinking of using livestock panels to make a small pen for now while I work on a larger pasture. Would it be ok to include some of my woods into her pasture? I'm thrilled today because I've found a possible cow only 45 minutes away! Still asking questions and planning on going to see her soon.
RCMcDaniel	Posted - Jan 28 2016 : 12:10:45 PM Thank you MaryJane for the welcome and for your past experience! That is invaluable to me. It's sounding like electric may be the way to go for us too. I have found a girl 45 minutes away who is 3 years old and is due with her second calf in June. She is only a few inches over mini sized and has one quarter that didn't produce milk last freshening. She gave over a gallon of milk with two calves on her. I have asked the questions you outline in your book, that has been so helpful. They want $2,500 for her. She's had an ultrasound predicting a heifer calf, and she's bred to a small Jersey bull. Luckily, she's close enough I am going to go see her before I make a decision. One other question. I would be putting her stall in a nice old hog shed (the other half is my chicken coop) that has a cement floor. Can I put the rubber mat over that and that will be ok? I am thrilled to meet you, and am so thankful to be able to meet other simple, country girls who are out to change the world!
CloversMum	Posted - Jan 27 2016 : 09:09:09 AM Around here we've had much better success with electric fencing, even just one strand, over tying a cow or goat out. I've had some of the same experiences that MaryJane has had. It doesn't matter if it is a goat or a cow, they all seem to get into trouble and I'm always concerned that they will hurt themselves. But maybe someone else has had a better picketing system and hopefully they'll chime in!
NellieBelle	Posted - Jan 27 2016 : 06:46:08 AM Welcome Rachel. I'm not far from you. I live in Bayard, IA so central/west central. So nice to see your children growing up with the farm life experience. An education all it's own. I can't wait until we get to follow your Jersey cow find and the many adventures you have with her. So pleased you joined us.
maryjane	Posted - Jan 27 2016 : 06:22:46 AM Good morning Rachel and WELCOME! So very pleased to meet you. A few years ago I set out to "picket" my girls on occasion along with the occasional calf so they could nibble on the grasses around my clotheslines, etc., basically in amongst my buildings. We had huge tractor/combine tires still on their heavy metal rims so I asked hubby if he'd weld some hooks on them. Several times I heaved them upright and carefully rolled them to where I wanted to put a haltered animal and every time, they'd end up pulling that HEAVY tire to places where they could get into serious trouble. It truly was amazing. Even a calf is part oxen it seems. I put one of my calves on a tire and a while later I heard a ruckus and found that she'd tugged it over between the steps to our wood shop and a pile of bricks and had the rope wrapped around her legs. I'm lucky she didn't break one of her legs or both. I love the idea of putting a cow or calf where you have a small amount grass that needs mowed; I just haven't figured out a way to do that yet other than electric fencing that gets moved around. Anyone have any ideas? I suppose if you started training them very early, like at two months of age, it might work. Speaking of training, when you get a new keyboard with "key" keys in different places, how long does it take before your fingers get the hang of it? Good grief; I've turned into the worst typist on Earth. It takes me forever to get something up on my screen.
RCMcDaniel	Posted - Jan 27 2016 : 06:01:37 AM Thanks for the info! Have you ever picketed your cow, and do you think that would work? I always thought it would be a good way to rotate her grazing frequently, but wasn't sure if it actually worked, practically speaking. A lot of our five acres is a wood lot, and pretty much the rest is lawn, but I'd be more than happy to let her take over most of the lawn. Should I plant clover or something to make it better grazing? You've been so kind and helpful, a rookie like me is going to need it!
CloversMum	Posted - Jan 26 2016 : 8:10:25 PM Rachel, your five acres should be enough for one Jersey cow; especially, if you practice rotational grazing. We divided up a similar sized section using one-strand electric fence and that was enough. You would probably need to feed hay in the winter, but not in the summer depending on the quality of your pasture which will greatly improve as your chickens, geese, and future cow naturally fertilize it! In MaryJane's book, page 258, she talks about how much hay is needed to feed the cows when not on pasture. Our pastures have a long, long way to go; however, you can tell very easily where we spread the manure & compost from year to year. Those strips of extra tall, green grasses are a give away!
RCMcDaniel	Posted - Jan 26 2016 : 6:22:37 PM Thank you for the welcome! I have family in east Texas, and really like the area. That's wonderful you have gotten your Jersey, I can't wait to find one here. Just last summer we bought a 1910 farmhouse with five acres. I don't have a lot of grazing area, but I'm hoping it's enough. I'll probably just have to supplement with hay in the summer. We have some layer hens, which I love having, and some geese just because:) It's great to meet you and I'm glad to be here.
RCMcDaniel	Posted - Jan 26 2016 : 6:19:19 PM Thank you so much for the warm welcome! It is wonderful to meet you. I have been to Idaho once, and it is so very beautiful. I have 3 children that I homeschool. We have chickens, geese, cats and a dog right now, and I'm just itching to get my cow and feel like a real farm. I've always lived in the country but won't feel like I've really arrived yet until I get my Jersey:) I'm sure I will have lots of questions, and I am so glad to have a support system like you all for help. Have a great day!
txbikergirl	Posted - Jan 26 2016 : 4:49:33 PM howdy from east texas Rachel! congrats on your new acreage, and i am sure there is a sweet jersey gal out there just waiting to come home to you. i just got my first cow/calf pair this fall and am having so much fun with it. lovely jersey girls that are a nice size. its a profound and wonderful change in our lives on our little farmstead, just makes the whole "farm" seem real now. good luck to you in your search, i know they are out there waiting for you.
CloversMum	Posted - Jan 26 2016 : 4:03:19 PM A very warm welcome from northern Idaho! So glad you joined this chatroom. You'll find lots of experience, wisdom, humor, good friendship here, along with wonderful advice! We currently have two Jerseys who we are milking ... one that we raised from birth and the other sweet girl we just got her this month! And, we had some good advice from here on the chatroom. Soon, you'll find your Jersey and you'll be swimming in milk as well. Please don't be shy about asking questions, making comments, or offering advice! Welcome again!