It’s hard to express the excitement we feel at finally welcoming our new Homestead Cow, Creme Brulée. Having a dairy animal once again feels so right, so perfect for our little homestead, and yet it’s been a long path to find the right cow, to create infrastructure for a cow, and to invest in a cow. And the learning adventure has just begun!
For Christmas last year, I presented Brian with a homemade Gift Certificate for “One Dairy Animal of Your Choice.” For years we cared for Alpine dairy goats on our Oregon homestead, but when we moved to Missouri, we felt that a family milk cow would be a better choice. For one, our landscape is well-suited for a grazing animal. And the fencing requirements for rambunctious goats were more than we could take on at this point. Plus, who doesn’t love cream, butter, and ice cream?
A cow it was.
But which cow? How does one go about finding and selecting a homestead cow? I admit that I’m a total newbie when it comes to cow care, but I felt very sure about a few specific traits that I was seeking in a cow:
- A gentle disposition, so our children could be involved in the love and care of our homestead cow
- Raised on her dam’s milk for several months
- Fed organic or non-GMO supplements, only as needed to maintain her condition
At first, my search led me to Misty Morning Farm, in Virginia. And I must credit Faith for sharing so freely and generously of her extensive cow knowledge as we tried to find a family milk cow that met my criteria, and her availability. We were scheduled to receive one of their beautiful heifers in October, but unfortunately it did not work out in the end.
One of my favorite quotes from the musical The Sound of Music is, “The Reverend Mother always says, ‘when the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window’.”
I mentioned on my Facebook Page that we were looking for a Jersey cow, and a window opened: a few hours from us, in Kansas, a reader named Lorinda is raising beautiful Jerseys to become Family Milk Cows. We talked extensively before deciding that indeed, one of her bred heifers, Creme Brulée, would make a great addition to our homestead, and that we were the right family to care for her.
Creme Brulée arrived on Saturday, and is settling into her new home, while we all begin the exciting task of getting to know one another.
Cream, milk, and butter are in our near future, as she will calve in the late spring – early summer. For now, we get to enjoy the simple pleasures of brushing and petting her, smelling the sweet smell of hay, and caring for the newest member of our homestead family.
I would love to know where you brought her from exactly!! We are MO natives, currently in Dallas, but wanting to move back to start homesteading near family and where life is a heck of a lot cheaper! A milk cow definitely on our list! I make our soft cheeses currently from raw milk from a local farmer and am just now getting into hard cheeses to prepare for one! 😀 nothing better than raw sour cream I tell ya!! 😀 We have the same criteria you listed so id love to know the contact info of whom you bought her from for future Reference! 😀
Hi Emily,
That’s great that you’ll be moving back to MO – which part?
We got our milk cow from a woman in Kansas who really only raises them for her own family, and occasionally sells one or two. I’m happy to contact her and see if it’s okay to pass along her info for future possibilities. We kind of lucked out with being in the market at the right time for this particular cow!
Hi Teri.
Our Jersey (Polly) had her calf on Friday, sure glad she waited as Thursday was -6. At least it was in the 20s early Friday morning. It will be so good to have fresh milk again.
And she is so eager to come in the barn to get milked. She is a sweetheart. Hoping you all the best with yours.
Vera
That is so great to hear, Vera. Have a wonderful time with your milk and with Polly!
She’s a beauty! Have a wonderful waiting and watching!! I thinks cows are pretty cool.
She is absolutely gorgeous! One of the most beautiful cows I’ve ever seen. Congratulations!
Thanks!
She’s so photogenic! And I love her name, it’s perfect.
Thank you everyone! We are very excited to have her here with us, and even more excited for the wonderful way she was raised. Got to start with a good cow!
So happy for your family! What a great way to live!
Thank you for the beautiful pictures. She’s going to be so happy with you!!
Awesome, I bet the Creme’ is going to be a great experience for your family and a wonderful addition to your homestead.
I will look forward to reading updates.
I am so excited for you….and a little jealous too, lolol. My sister in law has goats, but there is nothing like a good cup of cold raw milk! Not to mention all the other benefits form it i.g., butter, buttermilk, etc. 🙂 Congratulations, she is beautiful!!!
She’s lovely, and Creme Brulee is a wonderful name! Congratulations, y’all!
Oh I am so excited for you all! She is just beautiful and looks so SWEET! Check out this post I wrote to help you train her for milking http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/08/heifer-family-milk-cow.html Can’t wait to see more pics of her!
It’s a great post. Thanks for sharing. Pretty similar to the routine that we used with young goats, but I need to remember how much larger a cow is!