We have a new little one

We have decided to move away from large beef cattle on the farm here and instead will be focusing on miniature Jerseys. These are highly sought-after milk cows that are becoming very popular as more people realize the benefits of keeping a small family dairy cow. A friend nearby has had her own cow for a while now and has just purchased a second one. She doesn't have much room though so she can't easily keep a bull. We have the space for a mini bull so we decided to get one! It is possible to charge as much as $450 for stud service and we can sell semen. He will also be able to breed our big Hereford beef cows so the few that we do keep will be able to give us calves. His small size is a huge advantage for us--he'll eat less and be much easier to handle. Right now he is just a 7 week old calf so he is still living at my friend's house so he can nurse. He is fostered to a cow that is not his mom and she is still getting used to having him nurse so she sometimes needs to be held still so he can get some milk. I went over today to take photos--here I am holding the cow while the calf nurses. Note the tiny size of the adult cow!





And speaking of bull calves, our little guy who was born here last October is turning out to be a real troublemaker. He gets out of the field regularly and has a real obstinate attitude. One day I grabbed a camera on my way out to chase the little rascal back into the field.