Daisy was milked three times yesterday. All in all she must have given about 70 pounds of milk . Still her udder is very hard and uncomfortable, but the mastitis I expected is not nearly as bad. I will keep milking intensively until all signs of infection are gone. She is doing her best to be patient. But she is a bit of a cow after all!
We all slept well last night, and Daisy and her baby slept well yesterday. Though The Bobby and Marcel spent many waking hours conversing about the State of It. The sun hid from us and it was cold but the farmy was busy.
One of the above shots is going in the May calendar – unless a better one presents itself in the . next few days. I will make the May calendar this coming week. If you want to be on this list send a message to celima.g.7@gmail.com).
Queenie waits. Yesterday we opened up the clean inner pen, so Queenie could prepare for her birthing in a couple of weeks. The cold is just hanging on.
The temperatures are plummeting for the next few days.
So all the baby animals are getting extra rations and lamps. Though Poppy is by herself which bothers me, but she is settled and warm. We are all tired of the cold weather. I long for a run of temperatures above freezing. Soon though.
Soon. Chin up!
Dawn means milking from now on. So visceral. So complete. Do not waste a drop!
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farmy,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
42 responses to “Tired Mama. Tired Baby. Tired me.”
Mmmmm a pint’s a pound, the world around. 35 quarts or, let me see…..8 3/4 gallons. Holy smokerstacks!! That’s a bunch of milk every day. Do all of Daisy’s breed give that much? I read that a milk cow is the most valuable animal on a farm. Yes, indeed. Bobby is a treasure and a handsome calf. Poppy seems to have found a friend in Marcel. Wonderful picture of Queenie, too. I am rooting for a heifer calf….soon a playmate for Bobby. How much longer can the cold weather last? I think you must be the strongest woman on the planet.
Daisy is pivotal to the farm. When she is in full production she can pretty much feed all takers. Raw milk is like gold.. I should always get you to do my maths, thank you for that, this morning I was just too boggle brained to work it out for everyone. So far today she has given almost 50 pounds and I cannot count how much Bobby is getting for himself!.. c
Before the FDA got it into their head that raw milk was a menace after 4 deaths in 50 years (don’t even get me started on that) we used to have a small dairy a few blocks away from us that sold raw milk. In the spring, when the cows freshened, the cream would be rich and golden on top of the bottle. I raised my 2 boys on that milk and it was wonderful. Nowadays, pasteurized and ultrapasturized milk is a dead product. How fortunate you are to have your own cow. What kind of cheeses will you be making?
I so hear you, here in Wisconsin (the dairy state if you can believe it!) the raw milk bill keeps getting shot down. I can understand the fear when the cows were milked into buckets then dumped into cans and hauled to the creamery but for Pete’s sake, nowadays it goes directly to a bulk tank! See now, you’ve got me started….grumble mumble. I’m fortunate in that I occasionally get a gallon or so of raw goat’s milk from a neighbor but if raw cow’s milk was available I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
It all makes no sense at all. But there you are. Luckily, so far, here in Illinois you can buy raw milk from the farmer. I am very lucky to be able to milk my own cow.. c
That is a very beautiful baby, Celi 🙂 And the pictures are just gorgeous. All the best with the last of the cold snap before the Spring arrives.
I thought I’d see a cat waiting for a squirt of milk!
Soon enough, indeed, Celi. This Winter just won’t say good-bye! I hope this is the last of it and that you can put away those heat lamps for the year. Now all eyes will be on Queenie. I hope her delivery is as uneventful as Daisy’s was.
Bobby is a handsome calf. many a young lady would love to have his long eyelashes – photo 3 above!
Somehow the headline said it all today! Hour by hour ~ day by day!! All the babies look wonderful and what a handsome bobby that is! Deserves to go on the calendar 🙂 !
I’m not surprised that you are so tired, not just physically, but also tired of the cold. It’s been an ordeal by the sounds of it. But it’s so exciting to see new life, and to know that the milk is flowing in.
It’s nice to see babies on the farmy. It’s like a fresh start, a new season. We have cold weather (just below freezing) again for a few nights. Snowflakes were mixed in the rain this afternoon. Sheila will have to teach Poppy how to make a proper bed for a piglet!
Your babies are so cute!