Today feels like the end of an era. After many talks with my husband, serious reflection, and hard thinking on the direction of our homestead going forward, I sold my beloved dairy goats. My Nubians Ruby and Rory to be specific, and they are getting picked up today. We originally got started with home dairy a few years ago, and for many reasons we went with goats over cow. They were 100% the right choice for us at the time, and have served us well the past few years. I owe so much knowledge to them, and they have repaid me with all the milk for delicious recipes.
But, not all animals are permanent. Some you raise and love, and they are a standing member of your homestead/farm forever. Others you don’t particularly care for and are here and gone. While others, are temporary stepping stones along the homesteading journey. They become a source of your knowledge, confidence, and the lessons they teach you and the mark they leave stay with you long after they’re gone. This does not make them any “less”. Dairy goats for me are the latter. I learned so much from them about fencing, housing, and most importantly, keeping a dairy animal. Deciding to sell them was no reflection on them, or anything they did wrong. If anything, how good they are is what made this so much more difficult. It would be an easy decision if they weren’t such good girls. What it was, was a necessary step to take our homestead in the direction we desire.
A cow has always been the end goal for us. I want the heavy cream, and the abundance of milk to fatten our pigs and offset our feed costs. We have no allergies or intolerance in our household, so goats are not our only option from a dietary standpoint. But, for all the reasons mentioned in my blog post on our choice to raise goats for dairy, they really were our only logical option before. But, things have changed. After spending a few years clearing our land and creating pasture, and creating even more this year for next spring, we have reached the point where we feel we are able to sustain a dairy cow.
We are practical people however. We cannot and do not want to have a cow and two large dairy goats that aren’t producing milk. Not to mention our Nigerian Dwarf males I am selling as well. The reason why I am able to give every single one of my animals such a high level of personal care and the best in terms of nutrition, is because I am intentional with who we keep. If I had twenty goats “just because”, the quality of care would suffer. I couldn’t feed organic 2nd cut hay, provide the chelated mineral supplement, or the organic grain ration to that many animals. With greater numbers, the quality of care would suffer. To me, it’s quality not quantity.
Every animal here (except for Wyatt 😉 ) serves a distinct purpose, and we don’t need four goats to help with clearing. Our two Nigerian Dwarf does Audrey and Alison are still needed here for this, and so they are staying. But the two Nubians as well? It just didn’t make sense, so we had to choose. Pursue a dairy cow now, or continue down the dairy goat road and acquire the necessary breeding stock for our existing does. This would just mean more goats to sell later. So, we decided it was best for us to bite the bullet and go through this transition now.
It was not an easy decision, but one that had to be made. I know that I made the best decision for us going forward. As far as Ruby and Rory are concerned, before listing them for sale I made them a promise. I would not allow them to be separated, nor would I sell them to a farm that was any less in terms of accommodations they were used to here. I can’t bear the thought of this bonded mother-daughter pair being split up, or them being confined to cramped accommodations.
Not only did I come through on my promise, but I am not ashamed to admit they are moving on to bigger and better things themselves. They are going to the Remick Country Doctor Museum Farm in New Hampshire where they will become part of their new goat milk CSA program. Not only are they moving on to a farm bigger than our small homestead, but they will be fulfilling their higher purpose of providing the community with fresh goats milk. They will be well cared for, and have no shortage of attention or pasture to run in. I couldn’t have asked for a better home for my beloved girls.
Send in the Cows
Behind the scenes I have been looking for a Jersey cow on and off for the past few months, and got really serious about it over a month ago. First of all, I cannot get over how difficult of a time I had finding potential quality prospects. I’m not entirely sure what I expected, but the process has been more difficult than I anticipated. I scoured Craigslist, called farms, asked everyone I knew, put it to Instagram, etc. I came up empty handed a lot.
We had an ideal scenario that we were looking for. We wanted to avoid a heifer (never calved) at all costs, because we wanted a cow with some experience under her belt. We also wanted to steer clear of a cow that wasn’t already bred back. I am still working out the details of AI and talking to my vet about it, so I didn’t want to have to scramble. Plus, if an animal hasn’t been bred at this point in September, we wouldn’t be looking to calve until late next summer, which just doesn’t work for us. Why would I want a dry cow during the summer when I have my feeder pigs and quality pasture?
The biggest part of the hunt of course was the quality of the cow. A family milk cow can serve you for many, many, years in a homestead setting. And if properly cared for, can be productive into their late teens. I want this long term relationship, and wanted to get it right the first time. So, I was doing my homework, asking the questions to weed out the cows that wouldn’t work for us, or had more question marks than answers. I wasn’t afraid to take a pass on a cow I felt was a risk even if it meant not finding anything.
Finally, the Jersey Cow gods took pity on me and sent me a lead via an Instagram follower (thanks Natalee!) who personally knew some farmers that were selling some of their bred cows. I wasted ZERO time making the 7+ hour round trip visit to Orb Weaver Creamery in Vermont to meet Zack, one of the owners. They’re a farmstead cheese creamery that raises Jerseys, and specifically breeds for udder longevity, high butterfat, and high protein. Check, check, check. Upon my arrival, it took me all of five minutes to decide that I needed one of their cows.
As if the bucolic setting wasn’t enough, I consider myself a good judge of character when it comes to what kind of stewards people are to their animals. Maybe it’s because I’m a helicopter mom myself with my livestock, and am fanatical about their care. So, perhaps I recognize some of these traits in others. Whatever the reason, I see when people care, truly care, and that is reflected in the quality and personality of their animals. While standoffish with me being a stranger, the cows were affectionate and personable with Zack as he showed me around. He knew everyone’s name, age, individual personality quirks, and who would be the best “hand milker” for me in terms of teat size and milk flow. I didn’t just want a cow, I wanted one of their cows.
A Bonny Lass
Based on the personality I was after, the size of our homestead, and being a hand milker, Zack already had a few prospects in mind for me. One of which was Lassie who immediately caught my eye. Lassie or “Lass” as I will surely refer to her as, is a 4 year old cow who is pregnant and due in December. This will be her third calving so she is old enough to have the experience we were after, but is young enough that she has a lifetime ahead of her of productivity.
One of the first things that I noticed about her was her shorter stature in comparison to the others. In comparison to other dairy breeds, Jerseys are smaller but can range in size from a mini (which I didn’t want) to a standard size. She is 47″ at the withers, which puts her right in that mid-sized range we were after. Given our smaller homestead, this is the sweet spot. The other thing that caught my eye was those hand milking teats. One thing Zack cautioned me about just in general education when looking for a cow, is the teat size. Because so many dairy farms milk with machines, larger teat size has largely been selected against in breeding. While teats will get larger with each calving to an extent, like I experienced with my dairy goats, some just naturally have larger ones than others. This is a mistake I was not going to make twice, and her larger teat size was a major selling point for me.
I left Orb Weaver and thought about Lassie the whole way home. When I got home, I couldn’t stop talking about her or Orb Weaver Creamery to my husband. Then, when it came time to go to bed she’s all I thought about. I woke up the next morning, and put down a deposit on her. She is officially mine.
So, where do we go from here? We are in the process of doing some infrastructure changes in preparation to bring Lass home. When that will be, I am not sure of yet. We are knocking out the dividing stalls of our goat mini barn and opening it up, siding in the overhang, reconfiguring fencing, and figuring out a covered round bale feeder. Lots of moving parts and things happening, but we are very excited about it in anticipation of bringing our first milk cow home.
It is a bit nerve wracking for me, starting over with an entirely new species. But, I know I have a mentor in Orb Weaver, and I will figure things out and make it work just as I always have in the past. I am anxious to start bonding with Lass, and am looking forward to the strong bond we will develop over the coming years. I am hopeful and excited for this new adventure ahead, and hope you will stick around to watch it all unfold!
Moooooooo,
How exciting!! Can not wait to follow your journey with Lassie!!
How exciting to be “wrinting” a new chapter in your journey. I am so drawn and helped by your story and working of your farm. Many times I wish my husband and I had met when we were younger and had started our homestead many years ago as well. Keep on truckin y’all!
I am quite exciting for the next chapter to unfold!
Exciting!! And the creeeeeammmm…. 🤤
The things I will do with the cream! 🙂
That is so great Kate. Lass is lucky that she gets to live with you!
I sure hope she’s happy here!
So impresssd…. just so flipping impressed with how you think, plan and execute a plan… so excited with you💗 May this new adventure be a great one for you all!
I am happy it worked out the way it did, I wasn’t sure I was going to be getting a cow at all for a while there!
Thank you!!! <3
Oh Kate this is so exciting and for some weird reason I’m a bit teary over it all! In a good way!!! Seeing Ruby and Rory heading off to their grand new adventure is sad because I know you’ve loved them so we’ll BUT I’m doubly excited about Lass and all that’s ahead for you and her as a TEAM! It’s going to be so awesome! Can’t wait to watch and learn from you as you adapt and grow with Lass / as always, thanks for sharing your journey! xx
I’m so excited for you, and know how much the decision to let the goats go must have pulled at your heartstrings. But am so glad you found what you wanted so quickly in Lass. You can offset some of the sadness with anticipation! Looking forward to new adventures from my inspirational “friend” (thank you Social media!) love ya Kate and am.cheering you on! 😊❤️
Thanks you for sharing your journey, really enjoy following along. Looking forward to watching Lass settle in her new home. Congratulations!
Thank you so much, we are so excited!
How wonderful! I can hear the excitement in your “voice”. I can’t wait to see and read more about Lass on your postings and following her story. Congratulations! 🌷🌷🌷
She’s such a cutie!
Thank you for sharing your story. I am a farmgirl at heart and love gardening. I hope to get a cow like yours someday soon.
Hi Kate! Still loving everything you share! Can you tell me where you got the heat light you are using for Laddie? It looks like a much safer option and I have searched and can’t find something similar. Also ordering some of the calf coats. What a great idea!
It’s from Premier One! I have it linked in my kidding kit blog post!