Bringing a Milk Cow to the Homestead

mabel

We got a family milk cow.

This is one of those things we’d discussed for years and then the Lord just made a way and suddenly we have a Brown Swiss cross and her brand new calf in our pasture. I know it wasn’t sudden but for some reason I keep things permanently in the “maybe someday” category long after someday arrives. So I’m still adjusting, you might say, but so is she. Two days before she was to be delivered to our pasture, she delivered her calf unexpectedly early. As you can imagine, we are all trying to get to know one another.

Our intention, if the Lord wills, is to begin milking Mabel in the near future and to keep Stan – a Brahma cross – for meat. Both the cow and the milk prospects have the children (and I) all in a tizzy.

So, meet Mabel and her calf Stanley! We are so grateful to have them both here.

Spotty and Lilly and Today

Last night Stewart finished up the meat bird coop so the last chore I remember before sunset is hauling buckets of chirping chicks to their new home. Annabelle scoffed at the idea when I presented it to her but when Daddy walked up moments later with a bucket, it became at once brilliant and hilarious….

Around the Homestead: August 1

As is usually the case, I headed to the garden about an hour before dusk last night with my two littlest buddies. They thrive in dirt, on dirt, and with dirt so I no longer fight the barefooted tendencies, at least not in the garden. We picked black-eyed peas and watched bees pollinate the cucumbers…

Milking Mabel: Of Cream and Butter

Until the goats freshened and we began milking again this past summer, I had a niggling feeling about the children’s nutrition. Sure, they were getting all of the usual traditional foods but the goats had been dry for several months and I was just starting to wonder. It probably had something to do with the little…

Raising Cornish Cross Meat Birds: Butchering Time

So it has been quite some time since my last update on our meat bird experiment. I figured maybe a quick recap of what we were trying to do was in order. We brought home a bunch of Cornish Cross chicks in the spring. We wanted to raise them as meat birds but do it…

Goats, Okra, and Ruthie

She has always had an easy way with animals. She doesn’t spook easily, unless Abby the goat is nearby, but then again that goat frightens me and I’m not three feet tall. Overall, she has always taken well to animals and they have, in turn, taken well to her. Her personality reminds me of a…

Milk-Fed Pigs and a Homegrown Meat Update

The sound of the canner hisses from the kitchen as I type. We have been slowly processing the meat birds and a canner full of meat and at least one of broth will finish off my day. This is the first homegrown meat we’ve had in months so we are all quite thankful. We got…

5 Comments

kathi harju says:

July 4, 2017 at 8:13 PM

Definitely thanking the Lord for the provisions he supplies to you all. And welcome Mabel and Stanley, love the names!
Nancy Vance says:

July 5, 2017 at 1:47 PM

We have a milk cow – a Jersey. She’s dry right now, with a calf due in August. Before we dried her off, she was giving 2+ gallons a day. There’s only two of us, and we were drowning in milk, but with your family, you’ll probably use it up. Good luck with butter, cheeses, and lots of cold milk!
Nadine says:

July 5, 2017 at 1:58 PM

They are both adorable! Love the colours and names a lot.
jackie m says:

July 5, 2017 at 8:39 PM

Don’t ya just love how God works and his timetable??
Floriana B says:

July 5, 2017 at 11:07 PM

The LORD is indeed faithful! By the way I am enjoying your new book.

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