{"id":1032,"date":"2022-08-14T19:03:06","date_gmt":"2022-08-14T19:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/khetwise.com\/blog\/calf-sharing-how-to-add-flexibility-to-your-homestead\/"},"modified":"2022-08-14T19:03:06","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T19:03:06","slug":"calf-sharing-how-to-add-flexibility-to-your-homestead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/khetwise.com\/blog\/calf-sharing-how-to-add-flexibility-to-your-homestead\/","title":{"rendered":"Calf Sharing | How to Add Flexibility to Your Homestead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting a family milk cow or milking animal sounds dreamy on your homestead, but is it really practical in this day in age? Don\u2019t you need to milk twice a day? And what about traveling? Will I ever be able to leave? The answer \u2013 calf sharing! We\u2019ll break down the in\u2019s and out\u2019s of calf sharing and why it makes so much sense on the modern homestead!<\/p>\n

Meet Thimble and June!<\/h2>\n

Thimble is our Jersey milk cow we\u2019ve had since 2019.<\/p>\n

June is her most recent calf, also a pure Jersey, that we\u2019ve had since, well\u2026 June of 2022.<\/p>\n

\"thimble<\/figure>\n

Before getting Thimble, we knew basically zilch about milk cows or any milking animals for that matter. When the opportunity came up to purchase Thimble from some friends of ours, we knew just enough to ask some of the red flag questions in our minds.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t milk cows tie you down, like, forever?\u201d
\u201cHow can we possibly find time to milk twice a day?\u201d
\u201cWe\u2019d be like those old dairy farmers who never traveled outside their home county their entire lives?!\u201d<\/p>\n

But as the family explained what they do, it didn\u2019t sound anything like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you only milk once a day\u2026 hmm.\u201d
\u201cWait, you can leave your farm for a few days and her utter doesn\u2019t explode?\u201d
\u201cAnd what\u2019s this you say about an irregular milking schedule and only milking when needed?\u201d<\/p>\n

This was beginning to sound more doable. With a young family and full lives, maybe we could make this fit!<\/p>\n

Yes, we ended up purchasing Thimble and us recently converted former suburbanites became the proud owner of an 800 lb. lactating bovine.<\/p>\n

Calf sharing \u2013 what the family we purchased her from was practicing and what we now also practice \u2013 has made the transition to owning a family milk cow so much more enjoyable, flexible, and doable for our family.<\/p>\n

What is Calf Sharing?<\/h2>\n

Implementing calf sharing adds a few extra logistics, which we\u2019ll get to, but the concept is as basic as it gets.<\/p>\n

Calf sharing means that you (the milker) and the calf are sharing milk off of mama. <\/p>\n

This is a coordinated effort of separating the calf for a period before you plan to milk allowing mama\u2019s milk supply to build up prior to milking. Then, after milking the calf is reunited with mama until this process repeats itself and they are once again separated.<\/p>\n

\"milk<\/figure>\n

What this looks like on our farmstead is separating Thimble and June the night before during evening chores. We always have an adjacent paddock available for our nightly move. We get up early and milk and then June is reunited with Thimble for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n

For us, it goes off like clockwork. But it doesn\u2019t have to either! Calf sharing can add a lot of flexibility to your world along with so many other benefits. Let\u2019s get into them!<\/p>\n

Benefits of Calf Sharing<\/h2>\n

Once a day milking<\/h3>\n

Calf sharing pairs best with only milking once a day. The typical rhythm is separating the calf for 12 hours, milking, and then reuniting them with mama for 12 hours. This really only leaves room for milking once a day. For us this is a major plus! We probably would not have gotten Thimble in the first place if milking needed to happen twice a day. Once a day milking, with calf sharing, supplies plenty of milk for our family\u2019s needs without too much of a time commitment. <\/p>\n

\"hand<\/figure>\n

Not milking her out fully is OK<\/h3>\n

Knowing that your milk cow will be reunited with your calf after milking is such a relief! Normally you would want to make sure you have stripped her out completely after each milking to reduce the risk of mastitis. But as good and thorough a milker as you may be, the calf will always be better, and in that you can rest easy. You can certainly feel the freedom to milk her out completely. But if you don\u2019t, the calf will do a bang-up job drinking every last drop mama has to offer.<\/p>\n

Raising robust calves<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s face it, there\u2019s no replacement for mom\u2019s milk. Calves from dairy cows are often fully separated from mama early on leaving them disadvantaged from a health and nutrition standpoint. Just like with humans, calves will get the most complete and individualized nutrition they need from their mama\u2019s milk supply. Allowing the calf to drink off your milk cow as long as they\u2019d like will help them develop into a robust and healthy cow.<\/p>\n

\"jersery<\/figure>\n

Ability to travel<\/h3>\n

Calf sharing opens up the possibility of getting away from the farm for homesteaders. When the calf is drinking off mama, that means you can leave them together for a period of time. The calf will be full and happy and mama will be just fine. Now, you may not want to be away too long at the risk of her supply dropping. But shorter-term travel like an overnight or weekend trip are very doable.<\/p>\n

Longer term travel might also be easier to coordinate since whoever milks in your absence doesn\u2019t need to do everything perfectly knowing the calf will happily clean up what they left behind. This can help put you and whoever is milking for you at ease while traveling. We recently took a week-long vacation while calf sharing and talk through some of the tips and considerations we found helpful when planning to leave the homestead in this video.<\/p>\n

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