When we moved into our house, we took on the responsibility of taking care of 3 cows belonging to our landlord--a calf born in October, the young mother, and another female. 
About a month ago, our landlord gave away one of the cows, because he owed a friend who had done him a favor. In a poor African culture where there is not a lot of money, people depend on help from each other to get things done. Giving a cow is not just a nice thing to do, but an obligation. There was a small ceremony and the landlord gave away the healthiest cow, and left us the sick cow. |
| cows pen |
After a few days the mother recovered, and we discovered she was pregnant again!! Her last pregnancy was triplets, and only one survived. We called a local cow vet to check for brucellosis, a disease that can kill the cow and make people sick. Thankfully, the test came out clear. We also took a 3 day training in animal husbandry and gardening to learn more about caring for the cow and preparing for the birth in November.
Since the training we have developed a routine that includes washing the cow, cleaning the stalls, and Michael and I milking. We get about 4-5 liters a day but hope to get more after the baby is born. We haven’t yet started making cheese, but make yogurt and kefir daily, and we sell any extra milk. Our cows don’t give very much milk because of their breed—local and a small part Friesian. There is another local cow-the long horned Ankole cow-that also doesn’t give very much milk (only 1-2 liters a day). We have really enjoyed having cows, we have learned a great deal, and are having a very good experience. And I hope to expand to chickens, rabbits and maybe goats in the future.
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