We have agreed to take the 7 year old cow; due to freshen again on January 4, for $550. The farmer milks all of his cows by hand.
We are up in the air over the 8 year old with the high cell count. She has always had a high cell count: some years part of the milk has been sold to a creamery, some years the farmers family has used some of the milk for the table, other years all of the milk has gone to feeding calves. She will nurse any calf without a struggle. Her price is $500.
The farmer also has a 3 year that has just freshened for a bit more. She has a blind quarter, but otherwise is fit as a fiddle. This morning he called and mentioned a second calf heifer due to freshen in December; also Jerseys.
We are definitely at a crossroads here. My wife and I use at least five or six gallons of milk a week. We have five grown children, 9 Grandchildren (with another on the way, and various in-laws, out-laws, and flux-in-laws who all use a lot of milk and butter. There are a number of local familyâs who have expressed an interest in purchasing milk from us should we wish to sell a bit.
Adding to our equation is the fact that 4 of our 7 Milking Devon heifers and cows will be freshening in 6 to 10 weeks.
We do want to have a Jersey or two about the place for their rich milk; but how many is too many? Twenty minutes to milk a cow by hand and âNcows X 20 minutes = ? hours a day milking twice a dayâ. I donât want to have to try to go back to work just to feed cattle either.
Jeesh!!! What to do? What to do? How often does one find so many Jerseys at such good prices?
In the end weâll most likely buy the one Jersey and wait for our Milking Devon cattle to kick into high gear.
Haggis @ Wolf Cairn Moor