Milky Ears?

Chamomile freshened and now instead of a famine there is overmuch feasting. We are almost literally swimming in milk.. .milk coming out of my ears. Between Athena, Jobe, and now Chamomile there is from 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 gallon per milking, and I milk twice a day. However...with this glut of milk there is the ever-present looming of hay prices in the background. I have three heavy milkers, a buck and a heavily pregnant doe. For the last 2 weeks they were all out on pasture and a willow tree pile as well as receiving all the premium hay they could eat. In that time they took the whole pasture down to two inches--much lower than I am comfortable with. Jumper is not on hay, she is strictly pastured and she eat a lot (this does not take into account the grass and hay the lambs eat since they are still at least half on Jumper's milk). Good hay is at least $175 a ton right now and we can go through a ton in 8 weeks. So who to sell in order to pay for hay that the rest will need for the next two months? Chamomile is giving a lot, Jobe and Athena have better udders. Cloud is a 4-year-old that is just freshening for the first time; has a mother with tight orifices; a father with a lousy personality; and if like her mother will give three gallons of milk a day. Did I mention that Cloud has a bad attitude and if she can't run away the next best thing is to lay down if she doesn't like what you are doing with her (clipping her feet, tying her somewhere to be out of the way, etc.). Goatie is our buck and his services are only required in the Fall for a couple of weeks--the rest of the time he is just a mouth that makes manure to put on the trees. Chamomile is friendly and giving plenty of milk but her teats leak milk and are not as nice as Athena and Jobes'. So I feel to choose the buck and Cloud to sell because not only would it buy more hay but doing that would require less hay by having two fewer animals.

On a happier note, t wonderful cottage-type of soft cheese and added honey and vanilla. Just like icecream only better 'cause there is no brain-freeze afterwards. It feels really great to be able to make a mess out of two gallons of milk and not worry about where the next two gallons will be coming from for the next cheese tomorrow.
his morning I tried to make cheese and it never solidified after adding the rennet--so I made it into this