Spring Fever
May girl. That's what I call our jersey heifer calf standing out in the pen. She was born in a year ago this month -- a vibrant, energetic little reddish calf that looked up at me with huge eyes as she laid beside her mother. Still wet, soaking in the sun. This year, she is close to being able to be bred, and has short little hook horns + an inquisitive nature that literally has kept me up nights wondering what she's going to do next. You have no idea how many times I've wanted to sell her, but... how can I sell our first milk cow that was born and raised on the farm? We'll see.
[Edited to add: I wrote that a week ago. This morning she is crazy as a coot and broke through more than one fence. Once she is bred, it's probably on to greener pastures for her, unless she chills out. We didn't halter train her as a calf, and it's making the idea of training daunting. Rach tells me we shouldn't give up yet. And maybe she won't. But I might, if she busts through One. More. Electric strand.]
Daisy, my bell cow, is still the grand dam to all, always licking their ears, nudging the herd gently this way or that, and sometimes just patiently watching for what I want from her. She will be calving the end of May. For the third time.
Dahlia is my heartbreaker. She was the cow who calved when we didn't know she was pregnant, because we were trying to get her bred for almost two whole years, but is also the one who has kept us in milk when all the rest have been dried off. She is the one whose milk sometimes goes off-flavor for a week or so, and the unpredictability of that is an issue. I wish it were different, but we will probably sell her this summer.
Daphne is, I believe, a future grand dam. Right now she is preoccupied with cow politics and her place in the hierarchy, but if you've ever poured a glass of milk & leaned back with your eyes closed because it was so sweet and creamy, that was probably Daphne. Not a very high producer, but what she gives is perfection.
Sassy lives up to her name. She is dry & providing no milk currently, but still demands grain, and does a little dance in the chute in the 1.2 seconds it takes for me to slide the bar back for her. She likes to snort at me, and stares morosely when I am giving grain to the others, as if to say, "you know that's mine, right?". When she calves, she will dump 8 gallons a day on me. We are good friends.
Sadie is the new girl in town. We intended to give all our cows flower names, but her name has stuck because we feel like it just fits her perfectly. She is smaller than the rest (closer to mini jersey than midsize) and gets pushed around a lot, but is currently providing as much or more milk than the others. Rock star. Shoutout to Mountain Willow Farm in Hayden for the addition to our herd!
Brownie is our beef steer. Sturdy & solid already at a year old, with good lines. Brownie will be delicious.
Our chickens & ducks are into a spring surge, so we have duck eggs coming in at an all time high right now, as the Muscovies we added last fall are starting to lay. Some people with egg sensitivity find that they are able to eat duck eggs without any adverse reaction. This is not medical advice, but give it a try! Duck eggs are also fantastic for baking, as they are richer. Each duck egg can be used in place of 1.5 chicken eggs.
We are also recipe testing... working on having raw milk ice cream available for purchase SOON!
Aside from when May is wrecking my fences, my heart is full to bursting. Spring is hope. I hope all of you take a big breath of Idaho air and remember that we are so, so lucky.
With love,
Kendal (and Rachel)
Daisy
