We had two backyard chickens and they had so much personality! Lol Big mama was the protector. She was large and in charge and would “bark” at our puppy after it barked at her several times lol it was hysterical! Little Red was very loving and kind. She would come and jump up on your lap if you sat down next to her and wanted to be held.. I’ve never seen a chicken do that before lol but it made me believe in chicken personalities for sure!
I would say all the animals I own have their own personality. Fancy reminds me of some small Holsteins I worked with in high school, they didn't have the best udders, but they were so hug-able. :)
I had two oxen, both brown swiss. One (Bucky) was really loving towards me, but nervous around others. Whereas the other (Captain) loved anyone and everyone, but also he didn't like single attention. Bucky would follow me around all day and beg for attention, while Captain would come and go at his own will. I loved Bucky's personality because as oxen I worked with them so much every day. I needed them to want to be with me. But every person needs a different type of personality depending on their operation.
I love this. My buddy Brucey is a Holstein bull who works around the ranch with me all day. He loves to carry things, pull the sled and and just generally be helpful. It’s so special when you find those personalities that are just so gentle and agreeable
She just wanted to go home. Fancy seems very happy- it's great that instead of just you being unhappy, Massachusetts being unhappy, that you did something about it. Now everyone is happy- success!
We have holsteins...they really are like the racehorses of the cow world. We (and most dairies) have specialized nutritionists for our cows, and need to have each new batch of feed analyzed so we can appropriately adjust all parts of their food. They really do need specific care. Each animal has such personality. You love some with such a great connection, and some, well, you don't love. At all. 😆
That’s so interesting. I have a Holstein bull who’s been my “dog” for the past 6 years and he’s only ever eaten grass. I’m sure it would be an entirely different story if he had to produce milk and throw calves though 😂
@Soronos Haha fun! Yeah, they are actually really hardy calves/youngstock. It's once they start producing milk that they need specific diets because they need to meet their high metabolic needs.
My grandpa had a mixed herd of Jersey, Guernsey and Brown Swiss. Loved those girls, so much personality. Then I worked on an all holstein dairy. Huge, massive beasts, very intimidating at first. The black and white was so stark to my eyes haha. Only a few handfuls out of hundreds of holsteins really stood out. Rest in peace, Petunia, my soul-cow 🐄🌹
I'm a "chicken person" but in all the years that I've raised chickens, I've had TWO truly special personalities, that I wanted to be friends with and protect. Everything you said made me laugh, and validated my opinions about raising Jersey cows... They're smart and trainable. It's both a pro and a con 🤷 but it's why I'm breeding hand-raised mini Jerseys. Then people that are trying this for the first time can be SAFE. Y'know?
All animals have personalities.. humans are animals too hehehe. I love the way the two of you are trying to explain things . No worries animals can feel your feelings too . Thank you for being honest and forthcoming. I am super happy that you are willing to try another cow from the wonderful people. Lessons being learned and shared. So like the instant bond you have with Fancy. She is a beautiful cow and has a perfect personality for you.
Goldfish definitely have a personality. Some are little bullies, some really like the food givers. I'd say they are one of the fish with the bigger personalities. But I'd say what you are getting at is that cows have a lot of it. Tetras! Tetras don't have much personality
So happy you guys got the right cow for your family. You want animals that are a great fit for you so everything runs smoothly, specially when you have family and other animals to take care of. When we had chickens (about 4 to 6 at a time), I did a set up, to give the chicken nice amount of space, for easy and quick clean up of run and coop, as well as quick and easy AM and PM feeding/check up (third check mid day during Florida summers was mandatory with the heat and humidity)
I bought an abandoned farm for the Maple Grove (I wanted to make Maple Syrup and make lots of it now). That is all my eyes could see. The seemingly endless pit this property took to make it livable was not seen. We have come through this with a much clearer vision of the true cost of such things as driveways, septics, wells, and restorations. Look forward to your adventure. I’m rooting you all on!
I'm following this story and watching all the videos because I'm very interested in Guernseys. From what I've heard, they're similar to (mini-)Jerseys but with a few differences. On the downside for most small farms and homesteads, they're larger and less efficient. But on the upside, their milk is even more A2 and, most important of all, they tend to be more gentle and docile and friendly! Obviously this varies by individual, but there seems to be a consensus that Jersey cows are often a bit skittish while Guernsey cows are calm. And while we don't all keep bulls, there's a huge difference because Jersey bulls are notoriously aggressive. Even though I probably won't keep bulls, I like that the option is open without introducing a dangerous animal to the farm. I'm glad to hear you found another Guernsey they appears to be exactly what you wanted. I'm not sure I really understood the comparison of Massachusetts the Guernsey to industrial breeds. Higher maintenance than a small Jersey, perhaps, but a Guernsey is far from a Holstein or a Cornish cross meat chicken. Were you basically just talking about what it's like to have a larger dairy cow compared to your small mini-Jerseys? I was very surprised to hear that you didn't think Massachusetts could maintain her weight on just your grass and hay. Guernseys are considered an old-fashioned breed, and their Channel Islands origin is similar to that of the nearby Jersey. I'd be very surprised to learn that it was normal for Guernseys to struggle being grass-fed. I like the personalities of chickens, but I think what you were trying to express was how idiosyncratic different species are. Chicken personalities are more like other chickens than people or dogs or cats. That said, a pet Buff Orpington or Silkie, your friendly "lap chicken", is very different from a gamecock that is practically feral in character. Although people do cry over their gamecocks. I feel that not only is the quality of personality different between species, but the quantity and individual variation. Fish have individual characters, but not much. Low quantity and quality. Of course there's a lot of individual variation, but it's personality seems measurable. Donkeys and mules generally have more personality than horses. Stronger and more specific personalities. Domestic ducks are very charismatic, in general more charismatic than chickens. But it depends on what you're into. Geese can be lovely, yet also tend to me more aggressive and vicious than other poultry unless heavily socialized. Guineafowl are just plain unpleasant, and the other fowl suffer in their presence. As do the humans who have to hear their constant squaking. But they're appreciated for eating up ticks with their excellent insect foraging ability. I wonder how much of your problem with Massachusetts was simply that you didn't have her from a younger age. Clearly she's less open-minded and adaptable than Fancy, but she was still able to perform at her original farm. If you'd raised her from a calf, her behavior would be better. It doesn't excuse her, but having an animal that doesn't take well to change is always a risk when getting an adult. I'm looking forward to seeing Fancy again and am rooting for her success. I haven't seen much from people with experience milking both Jerseys and Guernseys, especially owning them at the same time like this, so the comparison will be valuable. I love that golden milk and friendly cattle! Thanks for the video! Maybe a little long, but I enjoyed it!
Aw, so glad you all found the cow that was right for your family. We currently have dexters and they are great, but I just love guernseys, they were our first breed.
You called that kicking, lol, lol you don't know what a kicker is shame on you, that was the perfect cow! That's the problem with people who don't know anything.
I had a corriente heifer that came to us as a bottle calf. Upon weaning we placed her with my nubian does over the course of a year she imprinted on the nubian does she started keeping our guardian Jenny and Llama away from our doe herd she was ok with our Angus steer but kept everyone away from the goats she was cool with our nubian bucks too when placed on pasture after breed. So she became not only a part of the herd but kept the coyotes away but when I sold my goats she went to ranch that had a corriente herd with a bull she bawled for her goats for a few days but was gradually accepted by the corriente herd and at 11 years old she just dropped her 9th Calf and doing great she was my heart cow
the way you guys talk, is to slow, it is to much talking and this is why i stop watching your videos. I visited your channel today hoping something changed but no it is the same way I cannot take it.
I think Fancy will work out well for you. Being laid back is great and she is obviously not the DIVA Massachusetts is (also way easier to spell). Because of the nutrition and facility requirements of many of the larger dairy breeds, they have to be carefully selected and often a crossbred cow is ideal. I have seen some beautiful shorthorn/jersey and shorthorn/guernsey crosses as well as angus/holstein.
When I was being trained to milk our Holstein Friesens our barn boss taught us to keep our shoulders and body directly in form of the leg. Your tendency to stand so far away from the leg seemed to make your cow uneasy because you were too much in her vision. You could see her look of discomfort. Just as with horses, you need to approach quietly and with confidence and they are just at peace. If she was a true kicker she’d have that machine off across the room. IMHO
We had many jerseys and we had one she stay kicking during milking. And one I was the only one who could milk her. She was a trouble for other people and sometimes you can get a cow what isa good milker for someone and for others a real problem cow. I am glad to see you have the right cow right now and I hope she gives you good milk and calves.
Fabulous video. So much great info. Fancy is lovely. I felt so much more at ease seeing you with her than with the other one. The bond shows. So glad you didn’t persevere. The fact that the other one (we aren’t taught to spell that word here and I don’t want to bother with looking it up lol) went back and then has behaved perfectly shows that she must have been unhappy to be away from her special person or uncomfortable about something there, so she’s happy again now too which is great. Worked out for the best for everyone, because you were willing to admit that it wasn’t working. Big lesson there. I’ll file that one away!
if you can believe this! Cows can have BFF's. She might be missing her bff! Fancy seems like she fits with your farm. So much better ! Good for you for making the call and not being afraid to say this one. Isn't working out! Because you would have had a sad cow. I had a heart dog. Charlie. I'll never have an other dog like Charlie! I hope to see him in heaven some day! He passed in 08. I still talk about him. We had him cremated he'll be buried with me some day!
That’s a really nice cow! Beautiful. I was going to be sad if you had given up on Guernseys 😏 I’m on the same page with y’all on not treating your cows or chickens like children, but it’s amazing how you can connect with one cow more than another. I love the cow we have now.
Sometimes even when people tell you something you have to experience it for yourself to make that decision/learn. Like with dairy cows needing lots of food! We found it was WAY cheaper to buy the milk we needed after having cows. Cool that you've got a girl that suits now, her teat placement is way better as well!
Cows definitely all have their own personalities! I have three, and they're all very different. My matriarch is very standoffish to everyone but me, but is super calm and handles a lot very well; her daughter is likewise very calm but absolutely loves everyone; and my older heifer is a complete diva and much higher energy. So yes, I totally understand what it's like trying to find one that you mesh with, sometimes it's hard! I'm glad you found Fancy!
Pixie is my heart sheep. Her sister Claire and her were my first sheep. Bottle babies at 4 days old. Claire gave me twins every year. Pixie never got pregnant but I couldn't butcher her. This year, after over four years of trying to get her pregnant, she surprised me with twin lambs! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Subscribing. I grew up on a beef farm. When I was four it used to be a dairy/beef Farm. By the time I reached my teens most of the large farms wiped out a lot of the small farms in my area. I'd love to go back to a homestead farm and I occasionally check out videos to see how others are doing it. Yours is witty and well thought out compared to most of the one's I've watched. Also for the most loved cow: Dad bought a cow once on auction. Not sure where she came from, she was just a run of the mill Holstein which is used for dairy. She was probably a yearling because she wasn't polled. It was the only cow we ever named outside of "bugger" or something based on them being a pain in the butt. We named her "Friendship". She was so tame she would literally follow you around the yard like a dog. Even if she escaped the fence you could just walk up to her and she would just follow you back into the barn. I ended up moving away from home after college and years later I found out she ended up loosing all her tameness which made me sad.
It’s ❤so true what you say about cows & personality. It doesn’t surprise me that a registered purebred Guernsey show-cow didn’t cut it with those Jerseys & Highland Cattle.
Chickens have personality, but I can admit it's less complex than dogs and cows. Hell, I'd almost say cows can have more personality than some dogs. Anyone who doesn't believe me: get on a cows shit list... They'll hold a grudge longer than an ex girlfriend.
The personality thing you were trying to say is "nonverbal emotional communication parallels". I don't know if that's the science term for it, but for example in dogs they found that the part of the brain that communicates non verbal emotion is very similar to humans. Usually this has to do with how long the development of the species has coexisted or been domesticated by humans. Dog's were our hunting partners pre-dating agrarian society, so they have evolved alongside us. And Cows have a lot of "personality" because bovines are one of the oldest domesticated animals. Love your video ❤️ hope to have my own homestead cow someday.
Getting the right horse is tricky also. Some people want a spirited, fast, go-go horse and some people want a calm, slow, gentle, bomb-proof horse. I would not want a super high production cow . You have to worry about body condition, milk fever, and you have to milk always because there is too much milk for a calf to keep up with. A super high production cow's udder will break down faster also. It kinda like a race car or a minivan.
Recently purchased a jersey heifer calf, will be picking p one more next week, bottle feeding both of them with the goal of forming that bond. 2 years out until I get to embark on my milking adventure. Lets hope the world holds itself together until then.
I was gonna say that fleckviehs would be good as a homestead cow bc my grandparents had them (they still keeep one) But they are huuuge. Like similar frame to holsteins, but more muscled.
We recently buried our favorite chicken, she gave us hours of entertainment and belly laughs, we didn’t care if she never laid another egg in her life, and during her declining weeks she was treated with great care and got lots of attention, which she loved. She was a Cochin and we’d love to have another with her quirky personality!
Thanks for your reply, yes it was difficult, but we had 3 years to enjoy her and she was gifted from a friend who had her longer than that and was generous enough to shared with us her flock to give us a start, and she choose to let my grandson leave with HER Favorite chicken! She is a generous person and we reaped the benefit with this quirky chicken. She is now a happy thought, we like to talk about her with funny anecdotes and dear memories 🙂
My cow can't kick is different! It makes them not be able to kick on both sides. I don't use it often, but it sure works well for grafting an orphan calf
I bought a cow from a now friend. She was an older cow. I loved her outside the milk barn. In the milk barn she kicked the snot out of me. My friend said she NEVER kicked her. I believe it. However she NEVER DIDN'T kick me. I honestly think I was just not her person. I think she didn't like me touching her in her intimate places because she didn't know me. She had a great cream line and I was willing to get kicked for it. 🤣 but she got mastitis and I had to let her go. Now I milk a different cow and I actually LOVE LOVE LOVE being with her always. Sometimes it's not you its them and sometimes you need to break up with your family milk cow.
Wish I would have seen this video before we got our new cow but we got her 4 says after this video. We have goats and went to a dexter and was getting less than our goat in milk. So I found a cow that was suppose to be a medium size cow. 10 hour trip halfway there the lady said she was about 900lbs I took one look at her and was like we shouldn't get her. But we just drove all that way so we took her. She is kicking and as soon as she is done eating she is out. Both our milk pumps are not working so we are hand milking while we wait on parts. We had a couple out from the local dairy and they suggested a nurse cow got one today and she is kicking it and the goats today. She is too dairy like yours the dairy lady said she is 1000lbs easily and prolly 1100 when she is filled out. I need a miniture jersey anyone need a full sized cow? Lol
Oh no! Soo sorry your having such a hard time with dairy cows 😢 don’t give up on dairy cows, but yes maybe a change in breed would be good… hoping you find your Fancy!
Every critter is totally an individual! I have only had cats, and I have known a few dogs, and while breed does play some part, breed does not dictate personality. I'm glad you were honest with yourself enough to return Massachusetts and get a cow who is a better fit. I may still be deeply disappointed that you sold the CAMELS, but REALLY, if critter is not having it's best life with a particular Human, it is better than the humans involved allow the critter a better chance e with someone else.
I have Dexter cows. The term "moo puppy" applies. They have a lot of personality, and you need to get to know each one individually, but they're very worth it. They're called dual purpose because of the milk and the beef, but the cuddles are a third function of the breed!
I had a goldfish named Kazushi. He was one of the egg shaped goldfish with flowing fins. He was about 3" long and about 5" from tip of dorsal fin to tip of his tail. If I put my fingers in the aquarium and wiggled them, he would swim over and rub against me. He didn't survive a move. :(
I had a Guinea Pig for 8 years 😱. He was my buddy my pal couldn't replace Him😍. Much better in size Massachusetts was Huge😨. Aw She likes you Kay 💝. Try putting the point of the Cow can't kick up towards the ceiling. Having a black nob on each side. YAY 👏👏👏👏 JO JO IN VT 😆💕
I raised a chicken when I was younger. Rainbow was his name. He loved coming in through the doggy door, head to my bedroom and wake me (and coincidentally) the whole house up!! He followed me everywhere and loved being held by me. He would chase everyone else!! I miss him. Had him for 10 years!! He was an Americana(what is now called and easter egger).
Also, Devon cows are a multipurpose cow. Used for both milk and meat. They are also easy keepers. They are also known as American Devon Cattle. They make very good family cows.
I love watching your journeys! I have been enjoying your channel for years! We finally got our property 18 months ago and raised a batch of Cornish Cross recently. They are so juicy & tasty ! 👏🏼 I am a Celiac and have to buy expensive gluten free & soy free feed or I would be sick from inhaling particles though. 😑☹️ I can’t go into places that bake anything with flour… We don’t have room for a beef cow. Maybe pigs in a couple years when hubby stops traveling so much. Hey, is your eye/face okay? It seems a little less open than normal? I had Bells Palsy before, and half my smile is still lower to this day. At that time I was told I had probable MS with brain leisons… for over 25 years. I found out 4 years ago all my neurological, vision, cognitive & digestive issues were all from severe undiagnosed Celiac! So I always mention things so no one goes through what I did. 🙏🏼😘 I pray your new cow Fancy works out great!
We had a Jersey for 7 years, from the day after she was born. She was very difficult to get bred, and she kicked at every milking the entire time we had her. I had a hoof print bruise on my ribs several times. We never got one of those Can't Kick bars, I wish we had. We eventually sold her back to the dairy we got her from, not because of the kicking, but because she just produced too much. She milked 6 gallons a day through most of a year with each freshening. I also have dairy goats, and was getting 2 or 3 gallons a day from them. It was just too much.
Our cow is a bottle baby of almost 7 months. She's a little stubborn sometimes but not sure if some of that is age... She's pretty sweet though most of the time. All animals have personality. I have my favorite goat, chickens, duck, goose ect... And some I really don't like much but keep because I need them.
I completely understand the bonding with the other owner. Our family has a horse that we brought to our farm when she was 2.5 years old. She is now 26 and we have sold her once before and the people brought her back in 2 days stating "she is your horse". She would not let them get close to her so she is still on our farm. She is our pet and stands by the fence near the garden when I am working. When hungry she kicks the gate (ringing the dinner bell) and will make noise when she wants attention. Funny how the personalities of your animals develop over time. Sorry you didn't get to keep her but I understand. Good luck if you try again!
I'm still on the Hunt for my Harry milk goat had a sannan spoiled rotten to the core when I got her she realized she could push me around when I had baby with me that's a no sold her and got a sannan Guernsey cross she's great but we're not clicking well I have a sheep and pony who are my heart boys
That's why I use dog collars on each foot then hook two double clips hooked together. She can't kick but 3 or 4 inches. I sold my second set of 3 calfs I had on my jersey nurse cow. Then I had to hand milk her she is still making 3 gallons a day 13 months fresh. She's a beast she was a mean kicker at first but now she will let me hand milk or put 3 calfs. Dollie is now the best cow she was a mean cow for the first month but after she realized she was the queen 👸 she now would let me ride her like a horse.
