Her name is Geranium and she is a Dexter. Geranium arrived this morning, coming all the way from Callistemon Park, Beelbangagra (near Griffith NSW) where she was born and bred.
Geranium is a very generous birthday gift from my mother for myself and the Lad - we happen to have our birthdays quite close together.
Geranium is a pure bred Dexter cow. Dexters are small dual purpose cattle - suitable as a diary cow and for beef. They are said to do well on native pasture - they kind of pasture we have.
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| The model pose - one leg forward |
Geranium will become our house cow, providing us with a little milk - milk we will make into cheese, yoghurt and butter (when we get the hang of it). In the meantime we hope she has a trouble-free pregnancy on our grass.
I hope she isn't too cold here in our mountain weather! I am sure we must be colder in winter than Griffith.
Dexters are a breed from Ireland originally and they come in black, red and dun colours. They are smaller breed thus easier to handle for beginners like us. They are classified as a recovering rather than a rare breed.
She will be tucked into our cattle yards for a while giving her time to get used to us and her surroundings. I will give her a daily brushing and some special feed to help her feel at home before giving her a wider range on our grass.
And I guess you are wondering about her green ears? Fetching colour against her black coat isn't it? She's just had her ears tattooed with identifying numbers. I'd prefer to think she went to the hairdressers before meeting her new owners, just to look pretty.
The Lad is now feeling a touch out-numbered. Our patch now has 7 girls and 1 boy - Louise (me), Harriet (our English cat), Mavis, Myra, Myrtle and Muriel (our ISA Brown chickens), Geranium the Dexter cow and just one Lad.
Thank you mum and thank you Judy for trusting your lovely lass with us. We will do our best to look after her.
Oh, Louise I want one! Actually, I want her! Though fitting her into my suburban-sized backyard might be a bit of a stretch.
ReplyDeleteShe is absolutely beautiful.
Making your own dairy products will be an interesting undertaking. I'll be following your journey with interest (and a little envy).
I've just realised we are an all-girl household here - me, my gorgeous elderly Cocker Spaniel and my two egg-laying friends. No wonder my son checks the lay of the land each time he comes home for a weekend. :)
I am looking forward to the dairy adventure... but right now, before she has her calf, the adventure is us getting used to one another. She is taking a little time to settle, I think she misses a herd...
DeleteHer forebears would have got a lot colder than she will so hopefully her genes will help her out. She is beautiful and playing with her milk sounds a lot of fun. I miss milk with cream on top - very much a feature of my childhood. We swapped eggs for milk with a neighbour.
ReplyDeleteGood Irish genes! I cant wait for cream on top milk. If we all liked it so much, how come you just cant buy it. You'd think there would be a market. I have seen a program recently on farm house milk in Tassie. Does Victoria have boutique milk producers?
DeleteHow wonderful! A milk cow, small, under utilized breed, plenty of room for her, and given as a present to boot. I hope she does well in your property.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cristy. We will do our best.
DeleteI want one!! Though the suburban council mightn't be too pleased with the idea.
ReplyDeleteWhen I had my 4th boy in 5 years, I vowed then and there to have only female pets. Though a male dog has slipped in, we have 2 cats, a dog and 9 chooks, so the boys are outnumbered. (Does them good!)
I think I might have unwittingly started a Dexter fan club, everyone wants one.
DeleteJust come in from giving her some feed and giving her a brush. While she is black, she has a real red tinge to her coat.
Yeah, I want one too. Not sure how Leichhardt Council would feel about it. She does have very fetching green ears too. Looking forward to hearing your cheese, yoghurt and butter stories.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a little Dexter might go well in a community garden situation?
DeleteAwwwww, she's pretty! Seems to have recovered from her travel very nicely, too! Congrats and belated Happy Birthday wishes! (Yeah, I've just given you excuse enough to party during the entire coming year! )
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