Yep, that's right: all 4 of these cows are jerseys. Meet Cupcake, (back left), Peanut Butter (Back right), Betty (Center, black cow) and Cookie (front, black and white). Jerseys can be all different colors. This is one of the reasons I love the breed. Betty is 1/8th holstein. Just enough to keep her a lovely black and make her one heck of a milker! Cookie is 1/4th New Zealand Frisian. New Zealand genetics are AWESOME and highly sought after for grass based dairies. In NZ, they breed their herds specifically to grow on grass only. Our current bull is also NZ Frisian (Half jersey, have NZ Frisian).

Cupcake, Peanut Butter and Cookie are all first year milkers. They all calved about a month ago. One of the reasons why we supplement the girls with alfalfa and our non-GMO cracked corn is to help maintain body condition, especially after calving. The first year of milking is one of the most difficult for cows. Cows grow until they are 3 years old. Dairy cows are bred to calve when they turn 2 years old. So the first year they're making milk, they are also still growing! AND growing another baby! It's a lot of work. This is one of many reasons why we don't feed for production or try to push them to produce as much as possible. Our goal is to keep our cows healthy and strong so they can produce consistently and longer. We love our girls and try to do what's best for them which works out for the best for us too.