How to use a nurse cow

[JoshuaMLewis]

Hello all,

I have four second calf cows that are pregnant with some high dollar embryos. They are due to calve in a few weeks. One of the concerns I have is that a couple of the mother's will not produce enough milk (based on their milk production with their first calves). I was thinking of buying a nurse cow. I have never used one. If I buy do I need to put the calves in a stall or enclosed area with the nurse cow? Should I separate them from their mothers? Or do I just need to put the nurse cow in the field and let them figure it out on their own?

Thanks,

Josh

[Taurus]

No need to brings a nurse cow in. The cows usually get better with milk production when they gets older. First timers' calves are usually smaller. Now what kind of the cows you have?

[JoshuaMLewis]

That's what I am hoping but I am not so sure. Only about a month out for one and she is yet to start bagging up. They are pure angus.

[Lucky_P]

Hmm. I'm sure not playing the ET game, but I don't know that I'd have stuck 'high-dollar' embryos in a recip that's got a track record of not doing a very good job raising a quality calf.
Taurus makes a decent point, and I don't necessarily cull a 1st-calf heifer if her calf doesn't stack up against those from older cows - on average, a 1st-calf heifer's calf will be 60-70 lbs lighter at weaning than those out of 4-5 yr olds, of the same breeding. So...in all likelihood, performance will be better and you won't need a nurse cow.
But, I still think that if I were going to all the expense of buying embryos, setting up recips, and implanting them, I wouldn't be putting 'em in the bottom end producers of my herd.

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I'm with you Lucky P! Our embryos go in our best cows! They typically raise and wean the heaviest calves. If I am going through the trouble of buying and putting in embryos, they go to the top producers. I refuse to put embryos in heifers for that reason alone! You just don't know how she will produce.

[gcreekrch]

Another reason why I find EPD's worthless. ET calves raised on a Holstein, should make for some exceptional maternal, milk and growth numbers........

[Short Fuse Farm]

Hi Josh,

We buy young calves about 2 weeks old. Then we put them in a pen a pen 3/4 of an acre with a dairy cow. We currently have been using a 3-1 ratio of cow and calves. We now are moving to a 4-1 ratio as our dairy cow produces allot of milk. If we have a real youn weak calf that needs help feeding we lure in the cow to a stall with hand picked grass blades or some grain. Then we help the youngin on to the cow while momma is busy with food. After a bit we wean the problem calf off this extra treatment and just leave them all be in the field. After a few weeks we push them to another 3/4 -1 acre field to let the grass recover. After 4 months they get weaned and will go to pasture and the next batch gets added. When the cow is 1 month shy of delivering we separate the cow from the calves to dry up and give attention to her own calf. We found this system of using a wet nurse very affordable our costs are limited to winter hay, shots, and some grain for the momma cow before birth. We have been using Holstein for the large amount of milk but will try Jersey next for their disposition.