Sharing the same paddock with the mare and foal, our jersey house cow Ivy was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with her expanding udder. Her pregnancy had become the subject of a wide debate on exactly when she’d give birth to her calf. Of course, maternal intuition gave the prize to Nina who successfully predicted the night she gave birth where all the guys failed miserably.

Bolly (short for Bolognese), was born on 23rd October. Sired by our bull Zeus, he is cross angus/jersey. Angus is a beef breed that we raise here on Taranaki Farm. He’s a heathy little bull calf and destined for our freezer - hence the traditional naming of the calf in some food orientated way. We have another calf named Sirloins Alot. He is the next in line.

Ivy was a maiden cow, and so this is her first calf. She has made the transition from spritely young heifer to doting mother with ease. In the next couple of days we’ll begin milking her to promote her milk production, and to head off the possibility of mastitis - a condition of the udder that can occur during lactation if the demand for the milk doesn’t match production.

Newborn calves typically don’t drink a lot of milk and spend a great deal of time sleeping. As jerseys are a milking breed, our understanding is that they are typically more prone to mastitis over beef breeds like Angus (were we haven’t had the problem). Our friend Bianca recently experienced her house cow developing mastitis after only a few days of lactating. Starry, as she is named, had to be treated with antibiotics, and Bianca had to milk her more than usual to relieve the poor cow. This additional effort was also unrewarded, as she had to wait until long after the condition (and drugs) had passed.

So we’ll be playing it safe, and starting the milking right away.

In keeping with our commitment to establishing our own home dairy, we’ve just collected two additional house cows - both jerseys. We’ve named them “Apple” (chocolate coloured) and “Mao” (chestnut coloured). These two join Ivy, our original jersey, who is a few weeks or so away from calving. Both of the new ones are by our estimates, approximately eighteen months old, though they were sold as two year olds.

We’re very pleased that Ivy now has some permanent company, and that we’ve got some milk security now. Both have been running with a dexter bull, and are said to be in calf, although they can’t be more than a couple of months along. We’ve got many interests in house cow keeping, and we’re considering breeding a small number to sell further down the track. They are difficult to source reliably, and we think that there might be interest in well raised and handled house cows, complete with records, photos and sold with calf at foot. Perhaps we could also provide a milking lesson with their new owners.

So these two girls will enjoy a leisurely six to eight months out in the pasture before their duties begin. All the while, casting a jealous eye on the extra treats Ivy will be enjoying once she has her calf and is being milked.