We Got Jersey Cows!
Love is the lighter orange cow; she is 7 months old. Joy is the dark brown cow; she is 5 months old.
In the last news update, I mentioned “Chicken Math” and how it works. Well… we have graduated from Chicken Math to Cow-culus! We now have not one, but TWO Jersey calves!
We found the best small dairy just an hour away from us that is a grass raised herd of Jersey cows. They had exactly what we were looking for: A2A2 midsize Jerseys, grass raised, and healthy calves that got colostrum when they were born.
We went to visit their farm and met all the cows they had. They even let me milk three of their cows! Hand milking is WAY harder than it looks! We saw how they raise their beef and dairy cows and it is exactly what we were wanting to do, so the transition would be an easy one.
After visiting, we decided we wanted to get two of their calves. Now, going from zero cow experience to have not one, but TWO cows sounds a little crazy. We decided to get two instead of one calf is because cows are known to be herd animals. That basically means that they do better if they have a buddy with them instead of being by themselves. Getting two cows also means that we can alternate breeding them throughout the years so we will have milk all year round.
I’m sure you are wondering, “what the heck is A2A2?!” A2 refers to the Beta-Casein Protein in the milk a cow makes. There are two main forms of Beta-Casein; A1 and A2. Cows can be bred to have any variation of those proteins (A1A1, A1A2, A2A2). This protein difference can have different digestive effects. A2A2 milk is high in protein naturally, contains omega-3 fatty acids, and can be easier to digest than A1A1 milk (the kind you buy at the grocery store). Now, this doesn’t mean that if you are lactose intolerant that you won’t have any issues with A2A2 milk. No matter what protein is in milk, there is still lactose in it. However, if you have any sensitivities to milk A2A2 milk might not give you trouble.
What is colostrum? Bovine colostrum (BC) is the first milk produced after birth and is a rich natural source of macro- and micro-nutrients, immunoglobulins, and peptides with anti-microbial activity and growth factors. If newborn calves do not get colostrum, they will either not live long or will get sick all the time. Colostrum basically builds calves immune systems immediately after they are born. If you are looking to add any cows to your journey, please make sure they had colostrum! Larger dairies that sell their calves commonly will not know or will not have calves that were given colostrum, so be diligent in your research on where you get your cows/calves.
Back to our cows: one is 7 months old (Love) and the other is 5 months old (Joy). We are naming them after the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control) in the order that we have them. They both are A2A2 and are loving life on the farm!
By next year we will have milk! Stay tuned!
-Bradie
