Dairy Cows Series: 1 (This is the first post in a series devoted to dairy cows. I have had a few years of experience with all the basic phases of naturally raising and milking Jersey cows. At least part of it will be in a question/ answer format. Hopefully someone will find this series helpful!) Separating Mama from JR. Since we got our first milking cow, separating the cow from the calf has been an important part of farm life. The routine is simple- or so it seems. During the first part of a cow's lactation, when she's giving the most milk (for a very good cow, this could be up to a year or more) she needs to be milked out every 12 hours or so. The calf also needs milk to grow. There are two basic methods to accomplish both feeding the calf, and yet get enough milk for one's needs. The first is the approach taken by the dairy industry, and also many small farmers. This is to permanently separate the calf from it's mother at birth, and bott