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Eleanor (Profitability from Jersey cows)
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<blockquote data-quote="farmerjan" data-source="post: 1771080" data-attributes="member: 25884"><p>I don't think you should be "ashamed" for having the 4 calves on the cow. What was her production on the dairy do you know? If she was making at least 30-40 lbs a day, she was making 4 or more gallons a day. That is sufficient for feeding 4 calves... not to get them roly poly but to meet their needs and they will want to get into feed sooner since they are not getting too much. With that said, she will not put weight on very fast, and it might stop her from cycling or breeding back as fast since her body condition is a little thin in my opinion. NOT SKINNY, but a little thin. Since a 5 gallon bucket will hold 20-25 lbs more or less, she needs to be getting about that per day... and she will start to put some weight on as her milk slows down and that is mostly due to length of lactation. </p><p></p><p>You don't want dairy cows too fat... although I like mine to carry a little more flesh than some... but I do not want them too fat. They will have more tendencies to milk fever if they are fatter rather than less fat at calving. But also, realize that jerseys are very much more prone to milk fever. So, get and keep some tubes of gel on hand for when she calves and don't hesitate to give her one if she is the slightest bit sluggish or wobbly after calving. It is basically water soluable so will flush out of her system if it is not well absorbed into the blood stream because she needs it. </p><p></p><p>Also; keeping her in good production is actually more conducive to getting her to cycle once she reaches the balance of her weight/milking production... if she is gaining just a bit of weight, she will be more likely to cycle while she is still in production. It is very hard to get a dry cow to settle as her system seems to go "into hibernation"... like a permanent rest period. Keep her producing, just make sure she is getting a little extra feed until she is confirmed preg then you can decide how many and how long you will keep calves on her. Give her a good 3 month dry period this trip and let her get her body reserves built back up good.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="farmerjan, post: 1771080, member: 25884"] I don't think you should be "ashamed" for having the 4 calves on the cow. What was her production on the dairy do you know? If she was making at least 30-40 lbs a day, she was making 4 or more gallons a day. That is sufficient for feeding 4 calves... not to get them roly poly but to meet their needs and they will want to get into feed sooner since they are not getting too much. With that said, she will not put weight on very fast, and it might stop her from cycling or breeding back as fast since her body condition is a little thin in my opinion. NOT SKINNY, but a little thin. Since a 5 gallon bucket will hold 20-25 lbs more or less, she needs to be getting about that per day... and she will start to put some weight on as her milk slows down and that is mostly due to length of lactation. You don't want dairy cows too fat... although I like mine to carry a little more flesh than some... but I do not want them too fat. They will have more tendencies to milk fever if they are fatter rather than less fat at calving. But also, realize that jerseys are very much more prone to milk fever. So, get and keep some tubes of gel on hand for when she calves and don't hesitate to give her one if she is the slightest bit sluggish or wobbly after calving. It is basically water soluable so will flush out of her system if it is not well absorbed into the blood stream because she needs it. Also; keeping her in good production is actually more conducive to getting her to cycle once she reaches the balance of her weight/milking production... if she is gaining just a bit of weight, she will be more likely to cycle while she is still in production. It is very hard to get a dry cow to settle as her system seems to go "into hibernation"... like a permanent rest period. Keep her producing, just make sure she is getting a little extra feed until she is confirmed preg then you can decide how many and how long you will keep calves on her. Give her a good 3 month dry period this trip and let her get her body reserves built back up good. [/QUOTE]
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