Learn about what makes having a family cow special! ** Updates & Notes ** Looks like this video is getting pretty popular Thanks for all the views, comments and thumbs-up! Ginger has now fully weaned herself and she, Tallulah and MacLeod are together 24/7. I'd just like to add that I don't mean to say ALL dairy cows are abused, nor that EVERY farmer mistreats his animals. However it DOES happen, and in some cases it is horrific. Most standard practices may not be downright cruel or abusive, but they don't necessarily keep the cow and calf's best interests in mind. These are examples of how some, but not necessarily all, cows are treated, and the reason why we have our own house cow: http://youtu.be/1oTGe41A8Vo http://youtu.be/PRud1IrCnJk (warning: graphic) If there is the slightest chance that the milk we buy comes from such places, we want to avoid that. Also note, no matter how well the farmer treats his cows, even if grass fed, organic, etc. - unless the milk comes from a house cow like Tallulah, the cow will inevitably have had their calf taken away shortly after birth. Sure, the calf may accept the human as their mother, and the cow may 'get over it' after a while. But a cow, like most animals, has an instant and extremely strong, loving bond her with baby. Eg. http://youtu.be/82afx4sLeMk You are free to disagree however please keep your comments polite. Trolls will be banned. Temporary separation is vastly different from permanent. In our situation, Tallulah and Ginger were always within adjoining paddocks. They could see, smell and hear each other - even touch if they want. Tallulah is still on her first lactation and so far hasn't needed to be rebred. With a high quality diet and good care, Tallulah is still regularly giving us 2-3 or more litres a day. Tallulah has put on more weight now, as she was a little underweight when we got her. Tallulah is being fed oats, steam-flaked barley, apple cider vinegar, black oil sunflower seeds, and molasses. She gets hay in winter. We got a friend for them - MacLeod, an adorable Highland steer! ................................................... Tallulah is our jersey cow, who we got so we could stop drinking commercial store-bought milk. Owning and milking a house cow is different because there is no cruelty or abuse involved, so we know the milk is clean, healthy, and comes from a happy cow. This video gives a brief explanation of life on the Critter Care Sanctuary for Tallulah and Ginger, and walks you through the basics of our daily milking. We live on a small rural property in Queensland, Australia. We are animal advocates and believe that all animals deserve to live happy, free lives without neglect or cruelty. Tallulah was born on a dairy farm and was going to be slaughtered or auctioned off. Thankfully she was rescued by a kind woman, who bottle fed her and raised her. We bought her with her first calf, Ginger, who was just two months old at the time. Tallulah was accidentally bred too early, at only 7 months old, so she is still a small, young cow herself. Tallulah and Ginger are allowed to graze outside on grass all day, every day, just as cows were meant to, so they are never locked up in an unnatural setting. Unlike in a commercial dairy farm, we don't have to take Ginger away from her. Why? Because we don't need litres and litres of milk; we can still get enough for our needs while keeping them together most of the day, so everyone wins! We milk once a day - because Ginger stays with Tallulah for the rest of the time, we don't have to milk twice a day. We drink our milk raw - unpasteurised, unhomogenised. We hope you like the video and feel free to share your thoughts or comments! We'd love to hear what you think ................................................... - Visit us on Facebook for photos, stories and more! https://www.facebook.com/crittercareaustralia - Critter Care is part of our web business, Nature's Wonderland, specialis...