In late July of 2011, we became the proud new owners of a beautiful naturally-polled
Guernsey heifer and her newborn heifer calf. The heifer that is just about 2 years old is named Rosalie.
Her calf, born on 7/22, is named Rosie-Jo. In late September, we acquired a third naturally-polled
Guernsey, Pat-P (but we call her Pattie) that is a bred heifer and she will hopefully give birth next spring.
Why did we do this? There are several reasons. First, we were
looking for another protein source to feed to our pigs and Guernsey milk is known for its good protein content (about 3.2
– 3.5%). Second, we wanted a good milking cow for our needs. As some of you may
know, we have been milking our beefalo cows for some time and even though they supply us with wonderful milk that makes even
better butter, cheese and ice cream (sorry, we do not sell any of our milk products to the public), they don’t give
large quantities of milk. It’s hard to do much when all you get is 1-2 quarts of milk per day.
The third reason is their temperament. Bruce remembered having Guernseys growing up on the family
dairy farm and knew that they were wonderfully docile and easy to handle, much like our beefalo are. So
all in all, this sounded like a win-win situation.
The hard part was finding them.
We hunted all over, even contacting two different auction barns to see if they ever had any pass through.
The answer was no. Finally, we asked the man who fills our AI tank with liquid nitrogen if he knew
of anyone, and sure enough, he gave us a name and phone number. We called and made arrangements to go out
to see them and immediately fell in love.
So what is a Guernsey and where
do they come from? They are a breed of cattle that was used in dairy farming for a very long time.
They originated on the English Channel Island of Guernsey and were first recorded as a separate breed around 1700.
When people started emmigrating from Guernsey to America, they brought their special cattle with them.
At the height of their popularity in the 1950’s through the 1970’s, their milk was sold in the US and Canada
as a premium product. But as the milking industry changed, their numbers have declined and today, there
are just a small number still in existence. (I guess that would be a fourth reason why we wanted them –
to help save the breed.)
What makes the Guernsey special?
Their body type is similar to that of a Holstein, but they are usually a light brown or fawn color and white.
It is their milk that made them famous, having a golden color and it is high in beta-carotene, which is a good source
of Vitamin A. Their milk also is high in protein and high in butterfat at about 5%. They
are efficient milkers, producing an average of 16,200 pounds of milk per year. They have a wonderful temperament
and they are also easy calvers. The other plus is that the animals we purchased are naturally-polled, meaning they will
not grow horns. These are so rare, we didn't know they existed until we met the man who sold them to us.
What
is our plan for the Guernseys? We hope to milk our two Guernsey cows beginning when their calves are
about 4 months of age. We will take one milking a day for our pigs and us, and let the calf remain with
the mother the rest of the day so that the calf gets its fair share, too. With the two Guernseys having
two different calving times (early fall and spring), each cow will get some much needed down time. Each
cow will be milked for about 6 months of the year. We are hoping to be able to sell the offspring as breeding
stock. (Please contact us if you are interested in obtaining breeding stock.) The Guernsey would
make a perfect milking cow for a small farm operation looking to be self-sustaining.
Check back with us from time to time to see how the Guernseys are doing. If you would
like more information about Guernsey cattle, you can Google them to find several interesting websites. There
is also a national association called the American Guernsey Association that has lots of info on its website, www.usguernsey.com.
