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-   -   Jersey Girl finally had her Calf (http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/livestock-forums/cattle/422794-jersey-girl-finally-had-her-calf.html)

Cindy in KY 12/05/11 06:23 AM

Jersey Girl finally had her Calf
 
Jersey Girl had her calf December 2nd at 2am. I had been going out to the barn 2-3 times a night since before Thanksgiving. When I got out there at 2 am, the baby was steaming wet. (That day her bag got really big and we knew she was going to have it)

He is a big bull calf, stood up and walked around quickly. I would have rather had a smaller baby but she did great. He was hopping around the stall that afternoon. We thought the sire was full stock Jersey, but guess not. It doesn't matter to me anyway right now. Just happy she has had her calf and we are milking again. Jersey Girl is still pretty fat after calving.

We milked her for 1.5 years just fine, about 3 gallons a day (we didn't want more). And then started drying her off in September, milking once a day for a while and then Jersey Girl dried herself up getting ready to calve. We went about 6 weeks without milk.

We started milking Jersey Girl Friday morning and freezing the Colostrum. I am getting 7 - 2 liter bottles frozen a day. The frozen milk started off orange and last nights was almost white. Today will be day 4, so tomorrow we can keep the milk. She is the best cow in the world, so good with us. We are still using the belly milker hooked to the vacuum on the truck (on my site). She is in the big back barn, with a huge lighted stall. I am happy. :)

http://solidrockhomestead.com/homest...eyBabyBoy2.png

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BarredBuff 12/05/11 07:19 AM

Thats awesomne! I cant wait to have my cow this spring!

topside1 12/05/11 07:26 AM

you sure are happy,,,all is well, congrats.

Callieslamb 12/05/11 07:33 AM

Cute and glad you're happy. What makes you think the bull wasn't full jersey?

Cindy in KY 12/05/11 08:00 AM

The white spots he has. Did not think full stock Jerseys are spotted.

willow_girl 12/05/11 08:03 AM

Whoa, that's a big boy!

Glad to hear Momma is doing well. :)

Cindy in KY 12/05/11 08:15 AM

I know, right! Wanted small baby. He is a really big boy. Jersey Girl was huge up till she had it. We had thought maybe twins. I am thinking Miniature bull now. And Jersey Girl is a smaller cow anyway.

Jennifer L. 12/05/11 08:16 AM

Good girl, Jersey Girl! :D

Jennifer

scholtefamily 12/05/11 08:21 AM

Congrats! He sure is cute!

commonsense 12/05/11 10:06 AM

He is handsome!!
Congrats!! And white on a full blooded Jersey is possible-I had a heifer from registered Jersey parents this spring with lots of white :)

momagoat61 12/05/11 02:14 PM

That is a beautiful girl you have there, and one big calve, I also don't think your calve is full blooded jersey, its to big boned for a jersey..

Cindy in KY 12/05/11 08:54 PM

I think he is too big also to be full Jersey. I have always heard Jerseys are known for their calving ease and small babies. He is a bugger, already wanting to play with me, charging the flakes of hay and straw. He loves new straw. :) Here are some pics from this morning. It has been raining buckets all day. The horse is Daisy, and she is a Spotted Saddle mare and her head is that huge. Funny picture.

http://solidrockhomestead.com/homest...sey12-2011.png

http://solidrockhomestead.com/homest...eyBabyBoy4.png

Cindy in KY 12/05/11 09:01 PM

The new stall is pretty cool. We fixed it where all we have to do is pop those 2 2x4's across the stall on each side of her to make a milking place. When we are done we take them out. I love it.

Chief Cook 12/05/11 10:49 PM

Congrats on the new baby! Mama looks wonderful. She a very pretty Jersey. I am glad everything turned out so well for you and yours.

Karen in Alabam 12/05/11 11:08 PM

Congrats on the baby. Nice looking cows.

SilverFlame819 12/10/11 03:01 AM

Oh, man. He's as huge as he is cute!! Love those spots! :)

birdman1 12/13/11 12:35 AM

I always cross my cow (a big brown swiss) with a beef bull and raise the calf for beef .im in hopes of artificaly breed her to a B-swiss in hopes of raiseing a heifer to replace her as the years are catching up on both of us ;but the beef bull has gotten her again no fence can stop a ton of bull with love on his mind .I'v read about useing an auto vacume for milking but so far I can still get my schare of the milk faster than washing a milker ,glad your getting fresh milk agian it keeps ya healthy

myersfarm 12/13/11 10:17 AM

I have years of most the full blooded Jersey calfs have white and out same bull and cows not white at all......this year i have several with white....out of 2 bulls with papers and cows that had papers...I never send in papers but..I LOVE THE WHITE ON THEM

Cindy in KY 12/13/11 06:36 PM

Jersey Girl is giving about 5 gallons a day, she is doing great. She is eating very well. She lost that big belly a couple days ago and looks better without it. I would still rather have a smaller baby as Jersey Girl is a small cow. She is no where near as large as a regular Jersey Cow.

They both go outside in their small pasture away from the horses. Jersey Girl does not like to be inside all day. She had to stay in a couple days because it was pouring rain.

I have been reading about AI with Miniature Jerseys, there is some to be had for $25 a straw. But some say their baby grew up regular size anyway. So I guess it's a crap shoot there. Plus if you had a miniature bull calf, you could not breed him back to her anyway. I really would need to buy a miniature bull, and then how would he reach her.

I am making cheese, butter and drinking lots of milk. Her milk has a ton of cream in it.

I need to get some pics of both of them outside, he has grown a lot.

Cindy in KY 01/02/12 11:38 AM

Jersey and Rosco lazing out in the sunshine. Rosco is growing like a weed. He is a very big boy. Jersey is such a good cow.

http://solidrockhomestead.com/homest...erseyRosco.png

6e 01/02/12 11:47 AM

Awe, he's beautiful and I have seen Jersey's with white, in fact, our Jersey bull that is purebred has white on him and our Jersey cow has a white star. :) He is adorable even if he's not purebred!

Cindy in KY 01/02/12 12:01 PM

Yeah he's a cutie. He already looks like a bull, all muscle. I need to get some pics of him standing up. They are inside today, it turned cold on us here. He gets mad if he can't go out and run. We'll probably let them out for just a short bit so he can exercise some.

Cindy in KY 03/12/12 10:01 AM

We've been really busy here. Spring has come and we've been working in the garden for days on end. Here are some pictures of Jersey Girl and her calf Rosco. He has grown so large and beautiful! I put 3 gallons of milk on the wood cook stove every morning, 2 gallons for pasteurization and 1 gallon for cheese.

Jersey is doing wonderful. The calf stays with her all day after milking in the morning, and then in the early evening, he is put in his big stall with hay and grain so he can not drink milk over the night. Then when Jersey is milked in the mornings, we get about 2.5 gallons. This means he is drinking 2.5 gallons during the day! Rosco is still a little bull.

http://solidrockhomestead.com/homest...March-2012.png

http://solidrockhomestead.com/homest...March-2012.png

http://solidrockhomestead.com/homest...March-2012.png

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BlackWillowFarm 03/12/12 04:50 PM

Congrats on the calf and fresh milk! That little bull calf sure looks Jersey to me. I had a spotted Jersey cow once. She had spots all over her sides and a spot on her forehead.

Judy in IN 03/12/12 09:36 PM

I like those teats! You can get a handle on them. Much easier milking than the 2 finger jobbies.

Cindy in KY 03/14/12 08:07 AM

I think he is pretty big for 3 months old. He gets wheat bread too, we break it into little pieces for him. They went out into the large pasture yesterday, so funny. He ran around the whole pasture and straight back to his moma like 10 times. The grass is coming in now, so happy it is spring! Peach trees have pink blossoms too.

Judy, we use the portable milker with Jersey.


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