A Milkman of My Own (Warning: contains graphic cow photos)

Well the big day finally arrived, but don't get too excited because it's a sad tale. Sadie and I were in San Diego for a little over a week and I was worried it would happen while we were away. Suzy Cow was due any day, but I REALLY wanted to be there for the birth. Or at least shortly after the birth, because if I'm going to live on a pseudo-homestead, that is exactly the kind of experience I want to have. We made it back home without any news and watched with anticipation as Suzy's tummy grew bigger and her udder swelled with milk, more and more each day. Joey had big plans for that calf- if it was a heifer he would raise her for a year or two and eventually sell her at a nice profit. If it was a bull he would have raised him for a year or two and then taken him to the butcher for a year's worth of tasty steaks and hamburgers. The plan was to share Suzy Cow's milk with the calf, meaning Joey would only need to milk her once a day and still have enough for us and for Joey's brother (who actually bought Suzy Cow).

But it wasn't meant to be.

Early Sunday morning Joey went out for his usual cow chores and found Suzy Cow skinnier than she had been and a perfect, brown heifer calf the size of a goat laying in the water trough. We haven't decided whether Suzy Cow delivered the calf right into the water trough or if the calf stumbled and tripped into the trough, but either way it didn't survive the night. Joey picked her up out of the water and had to leave her on the ground next to the trough for a couple of days so that Suzy Cow would understand that her calf was dead and wouldn't wander around looking for her. Sad, right? Every time we saw the calf on the ground it looked like she was about to hop up and start prancing around the pasture. (Joey tried unsuccessfully to close her eyes. Yuck.)


And now it's up to Joey to milk Suzy Cow twice a day until we find a replacement calf. He wasn't planning to start milking her right away, but he didn't have a choice. That first night he brought out his stainless steel milking bucket, washcloths, and milking stump and went for it (after watching several YouTube videos. It's amazing what you can learn from YouTube). So far she's mostly produced colostrum, but Joey started noticing normal milk this morning. I have to say, I'm quite proud of my little milkman. He knew what needed to be done, and it was sad and stinky rotten, but he did it. Just like a true farmer :) I even took a turn milking her (I know- I said I wasn't going to learn, but I wanted the experience. I was really slow and clumsy at it and I have intentionally forgotten the technique that Joey explained to me, so I'm not too worried about feeling obligated to milk her in the future). And so our new pseudo-homesteading adventures begin. Well, Joey's rather. So if anyone is interested in trying some fresh, straight-from-the-cow, whole milk we'll be overflowing with it.

I'm sure Joey would even be happy to let an eager learner have a try.

Happy milkman
Joey built the milking station (or stanchion) with his own two hands. And his brother's hands. And his dad's hands.

 
There's real milk coming out!


Even Sadie wants a try


The pasture that she never got to prance in

Comments

  1. SusanMarch 22, 2015 at 6:53 AM

    Sorry to hear about the calf. That's very sad. And look at you milking a cow!

    ReplyDelete

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