Darlene

Dee, he looks almost exactly like mine does lol. I'll post a pic with this post too...it's of him just after he was born. Actually CGA, it's easy to skim the cream off the milk. I just put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours and take a ladle and skim it off that way so you wouldn't have to deal with a cream seperator. Plus, there are hand crank cream seperators that you can get too if you prefer to do it that way. You can look into a "percentage" dairy cow...one that is a cross between a minature and a standard size. That's what my calf is...1/2 minature/1/2 standard which will bring the size down. The Jerseys are on the smaller size of the dairy cattle and are smaller than my Angus. When you train them to lead and such they're pretty easy to handle.

I've built acres and acres of fencing and my experience has been a little different. It might be the geographical locations. In fact, I've had people stop and say it was the nicest fencing they've seen and mine is pretty much just PT wood posts and high tensile wire. I have some areas where I have the woven wire or field fencing but for me, the high tensile was the most economical way to go and the best part is it keeps every single animal I have on the farm within that particular pasture. No digging, no climbing...shocks have trained the animals to respect the fencing and leave it alone. What I've learned is that the most important part to any fencing is the corners. If the corners sux, the rest of the fencing will suck and not last. Up here in the mountains we have alot of rocky areas and I've used augers and dug post holes by hand. the PT wood posts are about the same price as the Tposts too. Corner posts need to be 3' deep and there is a wonderful gravel by-product called "M-10". It's alot cheaper than concrete and does close to the same thing but regardless of the soil, the M-10 will pack and solidify to some extent and hold the post tight. All the "line posts"...the posts inbetween the corners do nothing but hold up the fencing and/or wire so they are not nearly as important as the corner posts. For pulling Tposts there is a tool that pulls them out very easily and quickly. Like most things, trying to accomplish a job with the necessary tools vs trying to accomplish a job with plan B's, C's and D's are 2 different things. Just the other day I was reminicing about Westbrook and how she taught me one of my foundational concepts when I moved to the farm... "Make it work". It's amazing, with a little perseverance and creativity how we can make something work. It may not always be stellar looking but as long as it does the job, who cares. lol I'll try to take some pictures of my fencing later this morning. It's still dark out so I have to wait lol.

Good job Annarchy! She's been busy freshening our emoticons up!

Oh Dee...I'm so glad to hear that while the harvest is poor, it's enough to cover expenses. I've thought about y'all alot the last couple of months wondering how your harvest will be. Thanks for sharing that!

Deb, whether you take a bus or fly just know that we will make sure there is someone there to meet you and pick you up to bring you to the farm so don't worry about that at all. I just hope you'll be able to make it! And MomM...the more I look at Koa, the more I think she resembles her new mama. lolol

Well, Mt Rider, you might as well see your new daughter! Meet Koa!

awwwwwwwwwww Andrea, I'm sorry you won't be able to make it but I do understand. I'd like to get an updated head count as to those whose plans haven't been interrupted by "real life" and will still be coming... So, I'll be here with 2 of my children. Who else will be able to make it for sure?

That's no excuse.

She's about 800lbs. The top of her shoulders probably are right below my chest area.

The machine I have is not painful to the cow at all. It's a pulsating milking machine and it's very gentle but does the job. I have no problem milking by hand...I milked the goats for 2 years by hand and in fact bought the machine to milk them with but fell in love with hand milking. A cow however is a whole different story. She was so filled up with milk that I couldn't grasp her hind teats to milk the milk out properly so the milk machine was a lifesaver in that regard. Plus it takes 10 minutes to milk her out by machine vs. 30-45 minutes by hand. This is her first calf so she's been a little bit on edge worrying about him all the time so it's been important to get her in the stanchion and get her out. The good news is the past 2 days we've had virtually problem free milking experiences. The best news is that I made butter for the first time last night and oh my gosh. It's indescribable. God is good...and I'm so grateful to have this Jersey.

Today was our first normal milking day. The Brat actually did pretty good...she had never been in a stanchion before so I know there's an adjustment period. She loves the fact that she gets her grain and such while I milk so I think she's catching on. Getting her in the stanchion this evening was easier than this morning...hopefully tomorrow will be even better. It's been 2 years since my goats were milking and I've missed it. They can't compare to how much I'm enjoying having a cow in milk. I feel as if my farm is now complete, with all the animals I want, in place. The dairy cow is something I've waited to get for 2 years so I've really enjoyed her. This evening I put the milk into 1/2 gallon canning jars and an hour later, 1/2 the jar had cream that had risen to the top. I might have just hit the 'mother lode' this evening but I think I'll make some butter when this cream tomorrow. These "firsts" are always special and will be memories to remember in the days to come.

awwwwwwwwwwwwww (((((lisa))))) I'm so thrilled for you! May God's hand of blessing flow richly over your new family!

She had her bull calf Sunday afternoon. I guess my girlfriend who I bought her from miscalculated her due date lol. Big time. She had a bull calf about 1:30pm Sunday. This is my first time owning a dairy cow so while I know lots about other livestock, I'm new to the dairy cow. There were several cars parked off the side of the road because of course she decided to have him in the corner of the pasture by the road under a tree. She appropriately licked him and after a while he finally wobbled up to his feet and began trying to nurse on her leg, her chest, everywhere except where he should have lol. It was so adorable to see instincts in action even though he wasn't latched on properly. I helped him finally get a teat in his mouth and he nursed for a while and then laid back down to rest. I spent the majority of my time yesterday out in my truck parked right outside where they were, reading "Keeping A Family Cow", or should I say, furiously scanning it lol. Sunday night I moved her and her calve over to the little barn area where he and she have pretty much stayed. He gets up on his little hooves and jumps sideways a few times, nurses a little bit, jumps some more sideways before he lays back down to rest. It must be tough being a newborn calf. lol I read where it said that you should try to milk out about a gallon of milk twice a day to help avoid mastitis. I've only been about to get about 1-2 quarts...her back teats are small and hard to milk by hand. I have a brand new Hoegger milking machine that I've never used but I need to get the cow attachment. Until then, it's by hand for now. So far, I milked her out a little bit last night and this morning. Right now I'm letting the calf stay with her 24/7...I've heard about different ways to handle that which I'll have to study more once I can put aside the worry that I'm giving her proper nutrition. I also am under pressure to build a milking stall...again, I thought I had another month or so to worry about that. She's obviously obsessed with keeping her eye on her calf constantly...I have 2 LGD's in that pasture and she's always had a love/hate relationship with them but they're pretty good with her, keeping a distance but still curious at the 's a same time. I hooked her halter up to a post in the barn but she still has way too much freedom of movement and that's a dangerous thing for me. I've been impressed though that she's completely comfortable with me being around her and letting me pet her baby and she really does awesome while I'm trying to milk her. She doesn't kick or do anything like that (at least yet) so I've been grateful for that but I never trust an animal that size. ****** Day 2 Well, day 2 was a little better than day 1. I found out that my goat milking machine would work on the cow. The only difference was that I would only be able to milk 2 teats at one time vs all 4. I unpacked the machine, read all the instructions and did everything they said to do. It looked like it was good to go we my son and I headed out to the little barn area. I got her some feed, put her lead on her halter and tied it around one of the side beams to keep her in place. I poured a little of her feed into her trough and figured I was good to go. It was lightening and storming, she wanted her feed but she was stressing about her baby. I hooked up the milking machine to the right side and got that going and was on a pink cloud. The cloud didn't last however...she started kicking a little bit and moving and unhooked the milker. She was half way in the little barn, half way out so I figured I had gotten enough from the one side...it was late and I was beat. I hooked up the other side and that's when she really got bratty...kicked the milker over, I'm in the pouring rain and all of a sudden the milker stopped working because when she kicked it over, milk got into the pump. My son carried the pump back to the house while I followed dejectedly. All I could think of was that I had a brand new machine that was ruined and yes Shawn, I asked myself that age old question..."and WHY did I buy this blankety-blank dairy cow?". Aside from my dogs, I haven't longed for any of the other animals like I have with my dairy cow. It really meant alot when I was finally ready to get her and post birth, I keep thinking, "I didn't sign up for THIS!". I went to bed very down last night, got up this morning and couldn't find my cell phone. The last time I remember having it was when I was in the barn with the BRAT. All I could think of was that it had fallen out and was now lying somewhere in the pasture under a torrent of rain, ruined. I was still panicked about the milk machine so I called the place where I bought it and they hooked me up with Joey. Joey is now my newest best friend! I could hardly explain to him what had happened because I burst into tears. I must be teetering on that edge with all this because I usually don't cry over 'spilt milk'. Joey told me not to worry, that I hadn't destroyed the machine and sent me instructions on how to clean it all out and get it rolling again. I followed his instructions and got it running again and hope filled my heart once again. I went out with the machine a little later and tried to milk her again but with no stanchion it was virtually impossible. That's when the BRAT and I went to war. I went to Home Depot and bought all the stuff I'd need to make a stanchion. I modified the plans a little bit to fit it into the side of the wall in the barn and spent 6 hours with my son working on it. When we finally got it done, it was getting late but I had one thing on my mind...*I* was going to milk the BRAT and this time I'd win! I went and got her feed, my son led her into her stanchion and we closed the head gate before she figured out what was happening. She tried to pull back a few times and joy filled my heart because she couldn't move which meant I had won. I hooked up the milker to her left 2 teats and let the machine do its thing. She started trying to move a few times but was still secured...somehow though she still found a way to knock over the bucket. I told my son to go get one of the dog leashes because now I was on a mission. He brought it back and I tied it around her back left leg waiting for her to raise up her white flag in defeat. I put the suction cups on her other two teats...she kept trying to get her head out of the head gate and kept trying to get her leg loose. I kept waiting for her white flag but neither of us ended up winning...when she knocked the bucket over, milk got into the pump again and shut down the machine so I had to give up again. This time though, I know the machine isn't ruined AND I know how to get it working again. When I milk her in the morning I hope and pray that I'll make a little more progress. Oh, and the cell phone? I found it in the barn, under the hay. It was damp but not wet and still worked. God is good for sure!

I have it disabled because I don't want anyone to ever feel that their posts aren't as 'popular' as others. It keeps a level playing field.

Yukon Golds are never high producers. I've grown them for several years and can never remember why I keep planting them. Alot of work for so-so yield. I did grow a potatoe this year that was amazing! I got 5-6lbs of potato from each plant...big, huge, wonderful potatoes that have the best taste I've ever had. I sent some to my mom and she went nuts over them too. I need to try to figure out which ones they were...I've already set seed potatoes aside though for next year.

Tide, Clorox and several other commercial companies are selling a HE washer 'cleaner'. It's in the laundry detergent aisle. Here's a link to the Clorox one: http://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-washing-machine-cleaner/?gclid=CIPlqvuwmLICFQQ3nAodhysAYQ And here's a link to the Tide one: http://www.tide.com/en-US/product/tide-washing-machine-cleaner.jspx There are other brands also you can check out but regardless, this will take care of the yucky smells for quite a while.

The others have offered some very wise advise that stems from experience that isn't so different than some of your experiences... One thought that crossed my mind as I read your post and everyones responses was (and I hope I can explain this right lol)... There have been those who have had a burden for prepping all their lives. There were times when they were mocked and made fun of and thought of as nuts because they could not deny this burden that lay heavy on their life. Little did they know that they would one day be in a position to pass forward those critical things they had learned along the way. There have been those who experienced a crisis years ago that somehow implanted a burden in their heart to prepare so that they were never caught unawares again. As they began to blindly search for answers their paths were crossed with those that had walked that path before them. There have been those that saw a potential threat that gripped their heart and for some reason caused them to realize that living in the moment was foolish. They too began to search for answers, not knowing how to start and somehow their path crossed with the above 2 types of people that had walked this path before them. Even when that potential threat subsided, that burden was implanted deeply in their heart and they somehow found the courage to stay faithful to the call that had been placed on their life...as silly as it may sound...and kept prepping in spite of what anyone would say to the contrary. These days there are people like you who have been (for lack of a better word) blind to the wisdom of much that we do, who suddenly have had their eyes open and a burning flame has ignited in their hearts to move, and move quickly because time is of the essence. I'm sure these people are like the 3 groups described above, at least initially...not knowing how to do much but somehow finding their paths crossed with those above who have walked this path before them...who freely reach out and grasp the outstretched hands that people extend in desperation, and sharing with them the things they've learned along the way. This is your time to settle into what some of us have been doing for a while. The more you read the things we've written over the years, the more steps you take forward and the more you get prepared, will lessen this pain that currently resides in your heart that is filled with regret and worry. You will begin to comprehend that no matter what anyone else says, you are committed to doing what you can while you can, just like the rest of us. And someday soon, you will read a post from someone that is new to this site (or others). You will read their panic, their regrets, their hopelessness and something will stir deep in your heart because you've been there/done that. There's something very powerful when we comprehend in our hearts that trumps all other understanding. You are actually critically important for those in the near future because you are coming in at this particular time. You will have experience that an old timer may not necessarily have because they've been doing it for years and won't understand like you do, coming into prepping at a later time. When my heart has been filled with similar things that you described above, the only way I've been able to resolve it has been to take it before our Heavenly Father and pour my heart out to Him. Only He is able to bridge the gap between my failures and regrets...and His will for my life, and only He can do all that I can not. Let Him open the doors you need open. Let Him show you that you can trust Him and let Him fill your heart with His hope and peace that He desires for each of us. You know that it goes without saying that if there's anything any of us can do to help, all you have to do is ask.

Yes Louis dahling. Enquiring minds wanna know.

Thanks Deb for the reminder...here's the updated list then so far: Darlene , Madison and Jason Stephanie 2 boys and 3 girls Mt Rider CGA and daughter Ma and Pa Steele and dad Andrea Momo and hubby (no pressure Momo lolol) wormguy Gunplumber MomM and hubby Lisa in GA and 2 kids MacKinnon and mom Lovinit and hubby Deb2of9 and daughter A5G and children Don't forget that we're having the get together a little longer...Friday-Sunday is too short so we're doing Thursday-Sunday. Everyone is welcome to come early and stay late but the actual gathering will be then. I stopped at the grocery store this morning to pick up a few things I needed and saw a few things on sale that we'll need for the gathering so I'm trying to get organized early so that I can enjoy everyone that is coming. This is going to be awesome!

Ok, I have 28 people (+/-) coming so far: Darlene , Madison and Jason Stephanie 2 boys and 3 girls Mt Rider CGA and daughter Ma and Pa Steele and dad Andrea Momo and hubby (no pressure Momo lolol) wormguy Gunplumber MomM and hubby Lisa in GA and 2 kids MacKinnon and mom Lovinit and hubby Am I missing anyone? Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...I have soooooooooooo much to do before the gathering lol. The fun part will be to pull out alllllllllllllllll the massive pots and pans that I don't get to cook in often anymore lol. Gunplumber suggested that we do a pig roast...what do y'all think about that? I'm excited and wish everyone could come!

Crystalization of honey can be common at times. Some types are more prone to crystalizing than others. It is usually caused from the honey having a higher than normal water content. For beekeepers, if they extract honey before the bees have capped it, it'll tend to crystalize.

This is great to know! Thanks for sharing it!

lol@Louis MrsS had her growing pains over the years, trust me. Mistakes were made, feelings were hurt, toes were stepped on. She's been online for over 13 years and I think she's grown and matured during that time. People here have not only gotten to know each other here online for quite a while, but so many of us have met face to face in person which has deepened and cemented these bonds that originated here. We've worked through so many things which I really believe has strengthened the relationships. We didn't just walk away in a huff, we either apologized when wrong or were willing to forgive when wronged ourselves. Those are the qualities of real friendships and I think that's what you're seeing. Maturity and genuineness can't be faked but more than that God has always had His hand of blessing over this site. He's used it in many little ways to touch peoples lives so we all have been used by Him. That's something very special to think about. Cat has a gift of keeping things under control with a firm and loving hand. Me? I have a long fuse but I've been through too much on the net so when the rare person has pushed too far at the expense of the site is when I've had to refresh the paint on the boundries. MrsS is very 'real' and I think that most people recognize that. It's harder to stir things up when you're dealing with reality vs. illusion. I'm just glad that the things you mentioned are apparent. The moderators and members have worked very hard to maintain the stability of all that.

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...I'm so happy they are coming to visit! It will be a very special time indeed!

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ladies and Gentleman, chivalry is not dead. Ask Mt Rider...she's living proof of it. lolol