Vaughnshire Farm

Jul09

Our first week with the Big Brown Cow

08:58 pm on Jul 9th 2007 BethTN

In many ways this week seems like it was the longest week of my life. In many other ways, this week was characterized as a monumental week for our family in regards to how we operate as a family. Our lives dramatically fell into a ultra-scheduling routine on its own and we are all the more sore and tired because of it.

We have been keeping a record on a white board of what time we milk, how many gallons of milk we are getting, notes about her behavior, as well as other farm notes such as how many eggs made it into the house unbroken. As we were looking back over the week, we enjoyed some of the stats the week gave us:

We maintained a twice a day milking schedule every day averaging milk times at about 6:30 am and pm.
We milked over 18 gallons of milk !!!
We dramatically increased our milking speed and lengthened the time we can milk before we have to stop to complain about how sore our muscles are.
We can officially make froth and bubbles. Joann Grohman says in her book, Keeping a Family Cow, “When you are able to finish with a strong layer of foam on the milk, consider yourself a pro.” While we aren’t pro’s yet, we are making progress amid the aches and pains.
We are still learning a lot about cows and milking and are greatly enjoying our abundant supply of milk and all that it supplies (butter, cream, etc.) even if it is a great commitment for us.

Milk Cow, Agrarian Life

5 Responses to “Our first week with the Big Brown Cow”

Charlotte Jul 10th 2007 at 05:07 pm 1

My family has been on vacation, so I am just catching up with the move from birth dynamics. Wow, I have always wondered what it would be like to have a milk cow. Does the milk taste a lot different then store bought? How many chickens do you have, and how many eggs do you get? Are you skimming the milk? Your family is living our dream. You are so blessed! Do not grow weary in doing good, even though your muscles are sore!;)
Lori Jul 10th 2007 at 08:30 pm 2

This may seem silly to you, but after reading just the first few posts on this blog, I am in tears. God brought me directly to your page for inspiration…and I am eternally grateful.

Thank you and thank you.
Sarah Walston Jul 10th 2007 at 10:06 pm 3

http://green.yahoo.com/index.php?q=node/994
Beth - you and Paul HAVE to read this. SO funny!!! Hope you are doing your part to raise polite cows!
Sarah Walston Jul 10th 2007 at 10:08 pm 4

Oh. P.S. I bet you could sell some of that milk, cream and butter! Good luck with the milk cow! We have friends who buy raw cow milk from a local guy. It’s the best milk I’ve ever tasted!!!
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