With us you have the opportunity to buy organic fresh milk as a raw product and to be present at the milking. We have dealt intensively with high milk quality, animal welfare and factors relevant to climate protection.
The cows are able to move freely on the pasture from May to October and the calves are allowed to suckle the suckler cows. As a result, there is a very natural rural idyll on the farm. We try to preserve the original image of the cow and therefore each animal still has its horns.
The cow is originally an avid grass-eater and that is why we do not use grain feeding. The finest pasture grass, hay and, in winter, a bit of silage are harvested from our own meadows and thus ensure 100% self-sufficiency.
The cow is a steppe animal and is by nature a grass eater and not a grain eater. Therefore our cows are not fed with grain.
Experience has shown that if a cow is fed too much grain, the rumen becomes acidic. The microorganisms living in it need a pH value of 7. If the addition of concentrated feed (grain) rises too high, the pH value can drop below 5 and the microorganisms die. The cow lives in a symbiosis with these bacteria and would therefore also die.
By doing without, the animal's health increases and there are fewer veterinary fees. In addition, the milk and meat quality increases. The udders are smaller and this means that the milking times can also be more irregular.
In autumn, the sun in the Ennstal is no longer so powerful. Therefore we need a hay drying system, which is an expensive energy guzzler. The forage quality would be minimized by a hay drying system, since a hay blower would be necessary for filling and the leaves would crumble off the stalk. Most of the leaves would no longer end up in the cow's stomach.
With us, the hay is unloaded from the loading wagon and then distributed with the farm track in the "Heutenn" (hay store). For higher stacking, we request a mobile hay crane once a year. Electricity and repair costs have been drastically reduced by eliminating the hay blower, distributor, hay grapple and drying system.
The animals are on the pasture from May to October. They transport the urine and the manure there theirself. After grazing, the pasture must be pulled off with a mulcher so that the long stems are chopped up and the dung patties are rubbed. This ensures even fertilization. As a result, the manure spreader and the manure barrel are used less often and repair and maintenance costs are reduced as a result.
By letting the calves suck their mothers, we collect less milk and make less benefits, especially in summer when we keep grazing animals. But in winter, when the calves spend more time in the calf barn, we manage to milk the cows in a more targeted manner before they suckle their mothers empty.
Calf health has been excellent since then and is much less work. We no longer have to heat the calf milk and there is no longer any need for bucket feeding.
We choose bull semen from long-lived animals with small calves. This ensures that the suckler cows can give birth themselves. There are only low veterinary costs and there is no constant need for obstetrics (no nightly staying up and monitoring).
Our ethical convictions have led us to choose bull semen from long-lived animals with small calves. This ensures that the mother cows can give birth themselves.
In winter we installed a hay rack for intermediate feeding, which means that the animals are provided with feed all day long. We are not constantly present on the farm and can also milk at a later point in time.
People have been consuming milk from cows for over 5000 years. We can therefore warmly recommend the high quality, unpasteurized and unhomogenized raw product.
If you would like to be there at the milking, please register in advance with Thomas at TEL: 06767340490. Our milking times are at 6.30 a.m. and around 6 p.m. in the evening. During the day you can watch our cows and calves in the pasture.
Investigation of dehorning in cattle - Low input - Doubtful milk quality from highly industrial agriculture - Digestion of the cow - The cow is (not) a climate killer !?
Sonnenhof Seebacher, Aich 16, 8943, Aigen im Ennstal TEL: 00436767340490 Email: sonnenhofseebacher@gmail.com