Pleasant Sense Farm
Sustainability. Therapy. Connect.
A Lesson of Love from a House Cow
Short Stories from the Farm
Do you know what a ‘house cow’ is? A house cow is suitable for people living on small farms to provide them with fresh milk, cream, manure for the garden and some are kept to provide calves for meat.
Naddie is our beautiful house cow. She was one of the first animals we purchased on the farm. We purchased Naddie from a local dairy farmer and she was already pregnant with her third calf which made it even more exciting!
Naddie was already halter-trained and used to being milked, so she was the perfect first-time house cow for our family. Being a pure-bred jersey, she is relatively small compared to other breeds which makes it easier for us to manage.
So why did we want a house cow?
Our main reason to have a house cow was to milk her and benefit from the goodness of her fresh unprocessed milk. The other reason was to produce calves to either breed from, sell or for our own meat.
As it turns out, Naddie is more than just a cow that produces milk and calves for us. She has flourished into a great companion and a much loved member of our animal family!
In December of 2021 when her calf was born, our relationship with Naddie was strengthened when we decided we’ll keep her baby girl (Bella) to grow up into another house cow. This meant that Naddie, for the first time in her life, was able to raise her calf and see her grow up. This has been beautiful to watch Naddie bond with her calf and to truly be a cow mum!
So you now may be wondering why she didn’t see her first two calves grow up?
Naddie was from a commercial dairy farm where they bred and raised cows to produce milk and various dairy products. Each cow will have a calf every year so they can keep producing milk. Sadly, most calves are taken away from their mothers within 24 hours of birth. Although this is normal practice in dairy farming, it’s still heartbreaking that they never get the chance to bond with their baby or experience the full essence of motherhood.
Although Naddie can’t talk to us and tell us how she feels, she communicates to us through her actions and affection towards us. She is an amazing mother and is incredibly nurturing towards her calves, even when they’re not her own!
Shortly after her second calf was born on our farm (Will), we purchased a 10 day old female calf from another dairy farm. It didn’t take long before Naddie let the orphaned calf (Tarly) feed from her whenever her own calf was having a drink.
Having Naddie in our lives has taught us a lesson in trust and partnership, particularly between animals and humans. When you show compassion and kindness to an animal, they gain your trust. By our actions, Naddie trusted us that we would provide her a safe and comfortable life for herself and her calves. In return, she provides us with some milk and emotional therapy!
Watching the unconditional love between a cow and her calf is an amazing sight to see, and knowing that she knows she can mother her baby for as long as she wishes, brings much happiness to our family.
Who would have thought a house cow could teach us so much more than providing us with milk and manure for the garden! We are truly blessed to have Naddie in our lives at Pleasant Sense Farm and she’s helped us to understand the true value of trust, unconditional love and gratitude.
Pleasant Sense Farm acknowledges the traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. Pleasant Sense Farm pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
