Low Milk?! Here's why.
UPDATE - will be accepting new raw milk customers in June.
LOW MILK: We’ve been selling out of milk daily!
Isn’t it so nice, when you’re out of milk, eggs, or bread, to just hop in the car, go to the store, grab what you need..?
Boom. Done.
But what if it wasn’t supposed to be that way?
What if milk, eggs, bread, etc… weren’t supposed to be convenience foods?
What if we’re supposed to “work” to get what we want/need?
Like actually going out to milk the cow or goat to get the milk.
Or feeding the chickens before collecting the eggs.
How about kneading bread and baking before you can eat.
Yeah, that sounds like work.
Because it IS!
Now trust me, I know not everyone can do those things. Or even WANT to do those things.
Heck, I rarely bake bread. I’m only just now getting the hang of sourdough.
Shhh, don’t tell.
We all have our “things” that we like to do, and baking bread is not mine.
There, I said it.
I also know that some would LOVE to do all the things, but it’s just not possible with lifestyles or not living in the proper area.
Town neighbors kinda frown upon goats pooping on their tidy lawns and eating their rose bushes.
Adorable baby Nubians
But don’t you agree, we just need to get back to our roots?
Even if you can’t own and milk your own cow, just learning what goes into it will bring a whole new appreciation for how that yummy stuff got into that carton.
Some people don’t know this, but cows have to have a calf to produce milk.
The same for goats. Only they have kids, not a calf (hardy har har).
And any other mammal that feeds their young milk. All you mamas out there know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout!!
So if anything is thrown off on the animal’s breeding schedule, it throws a wrench in the times when milk was supposed to be flowin’ a-plenty.
Our milk supply is very low right now. If you’re not on a scheduled pickup day every week or two we may be sold out if you just stop by.
Seems like we always have this problem with spring calving.
We don’t breed in a few select months because we don’t want calves born in the subzero temps of Dec-Feb.
With us only having 3 cows milking right now, we need the cows to be on the perfect schedule of calving in early spring or late fall so there’s no shortage of milk in the middle of winter.
But God has other plans that are beyond us.
On large conventional farms, 2 cows not bred is a drop in the bucket! They have hundreds, if not, thousands of other cows to pick up the slack.
Not here.. Our first calving of the year in 2024 is not until May or June.
Taffy with her first calf Apple
Maybe another little fact you didn’t know... Cows need to have a few weeks dry period (not producing milk) before their next calf is born.
*Cows are pregnant for 9 months.
*Goats are pregnant for 5 months.
The cow still produces milk the whole time she’s pregnant (she is bred just a couple of months after having a calf).
So now we have Brownie here, pregnant AND producing milk. Wouldn’t you say she deserves a break for a few weeks??
Brownie and her calf Cocoa
Yes! Even conventional farmers agree, that cows need to have at LEAST a 6 week dry period before popping out another baby.
But the norm is 8 weeks beforehand.
Those last couple of months are when the calf is growing the most, making the most demands on the cow’s body. So she needs time to grow a healthy calf.
But wait, there’s more!
Another reason to not keep milking through is the cow needs to have colostrum (first milk, loaded with antibodies) for the newborn calf.
If you’re still milking her when she calves, there’s obviously milk, but it’s not the good superfood the calf needs!
Apple says, Milk does a body good!
You see where not having a cow due for a few more months could be a problem for milk supply :(
We’re selling out right now as it is. And having to wait 5 more months for our heifer (a “cow” that has never had a baby) to calve is going to stretch it pretty thin.
Praying the spring pastures will help increase milk production!
Most goats, on the other hand, are seasonal breeders. That means they come in heat a specific time of year. For them, it’s in the fall/winter so they can have spring babies.
They also need a dry period, but are more likely to give it to themselves, LOL!
What I mean is, when they start coming into heat, their milk production drops. That equals less goat milk whether we plan it or not.
5 months later we have goat kids!
Back in the good ol’ days, before our ancestors had refrigeration, they would milk their cow(s) and/or goats, have whatever fresh milk they could use for the day, and the rest they would ferment for later use.
Like yogurt, cheese, clabber, kefir, and probably some other stuff I’ve never even heard of.
When their animal was dry (not producing), they either had a backup animal, like another cow or goat, or just totally went without until their cow had her calf.
That’s why milk is NOT a convenience food, but could almost be considered a seasonal food!
We’ve been selling out of milk daily! Please check if we have any available before stopping by, text me (Anna), 309-530-4381 to see if we have enough.
Follow us on Facebook to see when we have calves and goat kids born so you can come to see them!
Every spring I have a contest to guess how many babies one of our goats will have. You could win a free bar of goat milk soap!
