| Author |
Topic |
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
 Posted - Feb 10 2015 : 4:05:43 PM
|
UPDATE 3/6/2015
Even though her pregnancy was confirmed yesterday, I've decided to keep Eliza Belle through her first pregnancy so I can train her as a milk cow.
Eliza Belle: (Update: I'll be doing a pregnancy check on her the end of this month, so I'm going to wait to give details about Eliza Belle until then.)
.jpg?v 57345846)
Eliza Belle newborn
.jpg?v 26613822)
Eliza Belle 1 month old with mother, Etta Jane
.jpg?v 93854946)
Mia with Eliza Belle
 |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
farmlife
1413 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 10 2015 : 5:44:56 PM
|
| Oh my goodness, what is going on at MaryJane's Farm that three of your girls are available for adoption!?!? Whoever gets them will be lucky indeed! |
 |
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 10 2015 : 6:45:56 PM
|
| Trust me, Keeley, this isn't easy. In a perfect world, I'd keep them all. But I have new little ones to train, Rose Etta and Lacy Lou and Miss Daisy and her new little one and Sweetheart and hers and also my new big Fanci girl and hers. Plenty to keep me busy and these gals are ready to see what the world has in store for them. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 11 2015 : 08:40:40 AM
|
| I so appreciate the fact that you, MaryJane, realize what you can handle and when its time to sell some of your herd. What a great example you are setting for all of us as we all cannot keep all the calves born. I had to slim down my goat herd last spring. While it was hard, it was a joy knowing each family who bought my goats and the great future all of my goats have now. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Feb 15 2015 : 8:20:49 PM
|
I'm simply stunned at the opportunity to own such a beautiful, healthy, loving creature. I have been in my bovine dreaming phase for several years with the ambition of 2015 being "year of the cow"... hubby is just now frantically working on fences to make it come true... with Ron's great advice and generosity of time I started focusing more on a pregnant cow rather than a calf, and y'alls generosity with information and experience on this forum is just an amazing blessing.
While I don't think my budget can afford these beautiful and well worth it creatures, it does make one stop and think - because for this price one will get a truly health cow from someone knowledgeable and caring, and not be taken to the cleaners with an old a sickly cow... over the last few months of searching I have truly come to appreciate the investment a family cow is, and given how they have altered my health for the better I don't take the expenditure lightly at all. Its an investment in now and the future. It would repay in lower medical costs for decades to come.
Best of luck Mary Jane, I am not sure if I can be lucky enough to put my hat in the ring here for one of these precious girls... but I'll be praying for the person that can as someone special deserves them. And I'll go review the thompson family budget for 2015 right now ;>
quote:
Originally posted by maryjane
Trust me, Keeley, this isn't easy. In a perfect world, I'd keep them all. But I have new little ones to train, Rose Etta and Lacy Lou and Miss Daisy and her new little one and Sweetheart and hers and also my new big Fanci girl and hers. Plenty to keep me busy and these gals are ready to see what the world has in store for them.
|
|
|
|
GingerBKelly
274 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 24 2015 : 09:38:49 AM
|
| Eliza Belle is the prettiest Jersey Heifer I've ever seen (next to our Little Bit, of course...lol), and so tiny! I love her size. She is beautiful! Who is the sire of her unborn calf, MaryJane, and how tall is he? |
~Ginger Kelly, Kelly Homestead Apiary, Charlton, MA~.jpg?v 26652890) gingerbkelly@gmail.comWhen a cow laughs, does milk come out her nose? ~Author Unknown
Check us out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHomesteadApiary/ |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 24 2015 : 10:58:38 AM
|
| I will get a current measurement on her. She is due with her first calf Nov. 9, her calf was sired by my mini bull, Beau Vine, before he went to his new home in Oklahoma. I took her to WSU recently for her prenatal and they checked for parasites and her blood was tested for minerals, etc. All was perfect. I did fetal sexing on her several months ago and WSU thinks she has a heifer. She is an absolute sweetheart in every way. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 24 2015 : 3:33:54 PM
|
MJ, that's a post that makes everyone reading it want to buy her up. me, it just makes me want to hook up the trailer and set my sites for idaho and come take her down to texas for long-term living... she sure is a sweetie. you have lovely and loving animals. thanks for everything you are doing here, its so helpful to us newbies and experienced.
but first i need to go practice backing up the trailer... |
_(199x300)_(66x100).jpg?v 93697001) Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
farmlife
1413 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 24 2015 : 8:03:57 PM
|
| That was me, Cindy. Right after we bought our trailer we needed to get tires for it. I headed into town to the tire store and then embarrassed myself backing it up. It wasn't so awesome. :) |
|
|
|
NellieBelle
11217 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 25 2015 : 07:10:35 AM
|
| If you don't have MaryJane's Glamping book then you need to get it. Inside it's pages the dear woman instructs and guides you into "backing it up," be it for stock, or Glamping for camping trailer. :) Plus many more informative pages you just shouldn't be without. Just saying. ( And I don't even own a trailer.) But definitely thinking about it. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
|
|
|
txbikergirl
3197 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 25 2015 : 4:36:46 PM
|
thanks janet! mary jane has shared tips already and they are all so appreciated. i know i would LOVE that glamping book and this is another reason to get it.
the "backup the trailer" comment is a joke to mj - i shared with her when in idaho in july that this is the ONE thing in my life i am horrible at. i am pretty fearless in trying anything in life, and not a perfectionist at all.... but literally my brain works wrong for this backing up the trailer thing.
i grew up rural so have backed up trailers for years, but i do a poor job ;>
during our huge storm last spring that had power outage and fallen trees all over i had what i call my "come to jesus" moment with backing up a trailer and decided then and there that before the cow comes i will have worked on these skills. and thus lover boy and i have a "date" this weekend to practice on the farm. what us farm gals and guys won't do to get a little time off of choring... |
Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy") |
|
|
|
CloversMum
3486 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 25 2015 : 4:44:32 PM
|
| Cindy, I love reading your stories and experiences. :-) It makes me smile. I, too, do a poor job at backing trailers up. Definitely need a big wide parking spot! But then someone told me to put my hands at the bottom of the steering wheel and then my hands can go in the direction that I need the trailer to go ... helped my brain out tremendously! I just don't back up trailers when my hubby is around as he is a pro at it. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
|
|
|
farmlife
1413 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 26 2015 : 07:35:54 AM
|
| I just got several other of MaryJane's books, Janet, but Glamping wasn't one of them. When we go camping we are lucky to get everything we need packed, let alone pretty stuff. If I had known there was trailer backing up advice I would have gotten it, too. Lol! |
|
|
|
NellieBelle
11217 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 26 2015 : 08:01:34 AM
|
| Good morning Keeley. Don't let the title "Glamping" fool you. Her book is full of great information, on laundering, showering, Campsite organizing, what to pack, etc. Chockfull of great ideas as well as "glamping"ideas. Yap, one for the booklist for sure. :) |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 26 2015 : 11:08:55 PM
|
Thank you Janet for your endorsement of my glamping book. And thank you Keeley for taking a chance on some of my publications. I hope you like them.
If you have a minute, check out my glamping Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/glampersontheloose/
It has more than 13,000 members already. "Backing up" is a subject that crops up often. I love that women are getting outdoors on their own terms and not letting a few backing up sessions deter them. I still get nervous in certain situations when I have to "steer 'er backwards," but you only learn by doing. Don't forget that the people (mostly guys) who "know how" to back up were once just as unsure but it was a rite of passage and so they ended up "learning by doing." |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
GingerBKelly
274 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 27 2015 : 05:50:37 AM
|
Once upon a time, I had a lovely cherry red fifth-wheel three horse slant trailer, that matched my red truck, perfectly. With cute little girl barrel racer curtains in the trailer windows, I loved my trailer set up from the day I got it. I drove it all over town and to the feed store, simply to show off. Silly me.  It didn't take long before I went to back the truck under the trailer and the fifth wheel met the tail gate. Crash! I was very humbled at that moment.  The dent in the tailgate was so big, from that day on, my pretty red truck was driven tailgate-less.
To add insult to injury, soon after, I "nicked" the roof of the house with the top of the trailer, taking down a few shingles, while driving around the circle drive with the trailer. Ouch!
I'd like to say, now I know better, but I don't want to jinx my trailer backing skills.
Perhaps many of us have had this sort of trailer back-up experience, at least once in their cow-reer? Just sayin' |
~Ginger Kelly, Kelly Homestead Apiary, Charlton, MA~gingerbkelly@gmail.comWhen a cow laughs, does milk come out her nose? ~Author Unknown
Check us out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHomesteadApiary/ |
Edited by - GingerBKelly on Aug 27 2015 06:44:57 AM |
|
|
|
Sydney2015
1156 Posts
|
Posted - Aug 31 2015 : 3:19:46 PM
|
| You know... Eliza Belle looks a lot like AppleButter, just darker. |
A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing - Laura Ingalls Wilder
I live on a small farm of seventy acres called Green Forest Farm, with 10 horses, a donkey, 5 beef cows, 2 beef heifers, 3 Hereford heifers, around 60 chickens, 8 dogs, my amazing cow, AppleButter, and her little Jersey calf HoneyButter! |
|
|
|
GingerBKelly
274 Posts
|
Posted - Sep 08 2015 : 6:27:30 PM
|
| Oh Sydney...AppleButter is amazing, way adorable. I love them all! Did anyone get the chance to measure Eliza Belle yet? |
~Ginger Kelly, Kelly Homestead Apiary, Charlton, MA~gingerbkelly@gmail.comWhen a cow laughs, does milk come out her nose? ~Author Unknown
Check us out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHomesteadApiary/ |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Sep 08 2015 : 8:21:06 PM
|
| I did measure her but didn't write it down and now I can't remember. I'll get a measurement tomorrow AND write it down. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
GingerBKelly
274 Posts
|
Posted - Sep 08 2015 : 8:28:08 PM
|
| Silly goose, Maryjane! (I do that sort of thing all the time) No worries! Whenever you do, give me a shout. I'll be here. |
~Ginger Kelly, Kelly Homestead Apiary, Charlton, MA~gingerbkelly@gmail.comWhen a cow laughs, does milk come out her nose? ~Author Unknown
Check us out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHomesteadApiary/ |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Sep 10 2015 : 8:06:50 PM
|
| Right after Eliza Belle's bath today I put my height measuring contraption up against the back of her foreleg with a level across her back. She is exactly 40 inches tall (taken at her withers). |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
GingerBKelly
274 Posts
|
Posted - Sep 11 2015 : 08:12:38 AM
|
What an amazing size. Thank you, Mary Jane. I love the tiny size of her. Is she easy to milk? How well does the EZ Milker fit her udder? Sorry about that, she hasn't freshened yet. See my post, below. |
~Ginger Kelly, Kelly Homestead Apiary, Charlton, MA~gingerbkelly@gmail.comWhen a cow laughs, does milk come out her nose? ~Author Unknown
Check us out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHomesteadApiary/ |
Edited by - GingerBKelly on Sep 11 2015 08:16:42 AM |
|
|
|
GingerBKelly
274 Posts
|
Posted - Sep 11 2015 : 08:14:03 AM
|
| Sorry, Mary Jane. I overlooked the fact that she's only a bred heifer at this point. Who is the sire of her calf? Oh I see, it is Beau Vine. Let me/us know how the milking goes and how easy she is to train. |
~Ginger Kelly, Kelly Homestead Apiary, Charlton, MA~gingerbkelly@gmail.comWhen a cow laughs, does milk come out her nose? ~Author Unknown
Check us out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHomesteadApiary/ |
Edited by - GingerBKelly on Sep 11 2015 08:15:43 AM |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Sep 11 2015 : 08:35:54 AM
|
| For sure I will, Ginger. In the last week, we started training her to go into the milking parlor (she's trained for everything else) and she had no problems other than she's been dumping every time. They do learn over time to TRY to hold it. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
GingerBKelly
274 Posts
|
Posted - Sep 11 2015 : 08:52:15 AM
|
| Seriously? They do learn over time to try to hold it? Wow, that's pretty amazing regarding dairy cows. BTW: We are planning on converting or tearing down and rebuilding the shed and turning it into a summer kitchen, similar to the one you have. My husband LOVES carpentry and designing buildings, so he's all into the planning stages. I told him to keep things simple and frugal! Anyhow, today we are pouring more concrete in the stalls to hopefully, make them drain better for washing and things. |
~Ginger Kelly, Kelly Homestead Apiary, Charlton, MA~gingerbkelly@gmail.comWhen a cow laughs, does milk come out her nose? ~Author Unknown
Check us out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/KellyHomesteadApiary/ |
|
|
|
maryjane
7074 Posts
|
Posted - Sep 11 2015 : 08:58:52 AM
|
| I'm not sure a cow can reason "hold" but they tend to dump when uncertain or afraid and once that goes away and getting into a stanchion every day is old hat, the dumps diminish. I did come up with a cool way to eliminate the splatter factor for both pee and poo, https://heritagejersey.org/chatroom/topic.asp?whichpage=1&TOPIC_ID=1047 |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
![[flourish]](/images/flourish-txt_mobius.png)
Milk Cow FOR SALE: Miniature Jersey
![Heritage Jersey Organization [logo]](/images/HJO-logo.png){kind=logo}
