Friends wish Olivia's new calf a happy birth day! Wendy Cooluris came in to milk while we were out of town. Thank you, Wendy! Olivia is in the background. Photo by Wendy Cooluris.

On April 15, 2012 Olivia had her third unassisted birth. This heifer has a pure breed Jersey dame. The sire was Patty’s (Georgia’s) adopted calf from Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm. He was a Brown Swiss Shorthorn cross. The calf looks more like a Jersey but will benefit from the grass-fed genetics from Gort’s Gouda.

Olivia was two weeks overdue and we had a busman’s holiday booked that could not be changed. The day after we left, Olivia had her calf. We were very lucky to have a neighbor watching her for us and a friend willing to come and milk for a few days. Having a supportive community is very important for any urban homestead.

What a treat to come home to a beautiful heifer that will make a wonderful family cow for someone. I enjoyed my first colostrum shake of the year. My girls went wild over colostrum shakes, experimenting with different frozen fruit flavors.

Colostrum is one of the wonders of cows. Colostrum is considered a superfood and traditionally was consumed by the whole family once a year for its immune building power.

This is Olivia's third heifer. She seems to display her Jersey genetics even though she is a Jersey Brown Swiss Shorthorn cross.