Family milk cow sic?

[warrenware]

Hello

This is the second year that I have been milking a (Sharley)? cow that I raised from a calf.

last year during her first milking I wanted to change her calving date to the fall since it was just too hot to be hand milking in the summer. well after 4 months she got to where she was only giving about a gallon per milking and then the bull jumped the fence and that was that . this year I havent been able to get more than about 10# per and am thinking that mabey it just me and am not a fast enough milker to get her to produce more? Last year at 2 months milking i got 2+ gallons per. this year only about 10#s per.

what could be different?

Also for the last week she has a little nasal discharge and dry coughing. also a been lose whe she lifts her tail. she still is eating well but seems like she is a little stiff when coming to the barn for milking and not as insistent about wanting to be milked? what should I do?

Warren from central fl.

 

[1982vett]

Hello

This is the second year that I have been milking a (Sharley)? cow that I raised from a calf.

last year during her first milking I wanted to change her calving date to the fall since it was just too hot to be hand milking in the summer. well after 4 months she got to where she was only giving about a gallon per milking and then the bull jumped the fence and that was that . this year I havent been able to get more than about 10# per and am thinking that mabey it just me and am not a fast enough milker to get her to produce more? Last year at 2 months milking i got 2+ gallons per. this year only about 10#s per.

what could be different?

Also for the last week she has a little nasal discharge and dry coughing. also a been lose whe she lifts her tail. she still is eating well but seems like she is a little stiff when coming to the barn for milking and not as insistent about wanting to be milked? what should I do?

Warren from central fl.

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Is this for real?

 

[warrenware]

yes I am real why ? wrong page or is this just for the pro.

 

[1982vett]

Just wondering why anyone would what a "Sharley" for a milk cow....

 

[warrenware]

Well since I am what you might call a small home stead, the milk, beef, chicken,honey,and catfish that I raise are only for my family to consume. theirfore I really dont need a registered holstine that could supply the whole neighborhood. the milk is suprisingly rich and the (sharley) (spelling?) breed was a good triple pourpose breed. Beef,milk,draft. though i dont use her for draft. Though I have just purchased a jersey/sharley cross.

 

[warrenware]

so ...... anybody out there?.............hello?.........no general ideas about a cow that has a cough and seems to be a bit stiff in her movements?... she was very loose with diarea two days ago and I gave her one day worth of tetracyclene then stoped because i really didnt know if that would be ok. she seams alittle better tonight but havent seen her have a bowel movement since. seems strange that she would stop so quick since she almost always deficates while milking............. Did I mention that she once kicked me! not that it matters but thought the admission might generate some interest in my problem.

 

[LauraleesFarm]

Hi warren,
I read your post and had no difficulty understanding your questions. I think you are saying you are milking a Charolais cow, right? And I have read that they can be used as milk cows, so there shouldn't be anything wrong with that. I have nurse cows, and am certainly not an expert....but since nobody is helping you out I will try to answer your post.....

My first questions would be -- what is her body condition? How long has she been fresh? Is she nursing a calf? What is she being fed? How much grass/hay does she get?

I am wondering if she might be needing an increase in grass/hay or even feed.....if she is thin.....or if she is nursing a calf. Maybe the calf is taking the milk?

Also does she have access to loose mineral, loose salt, and fresh water? Those are the items that come to mind when a cow's milk production is not where you know it should be.....consider nutrition, fluid intake and whether or not she can support the demand of milking and/or nursing with her current condition.

 

[warrenware]

Thank you for your answering my post,

I try to separate the calf from the mother asap because it seems much easier, you know less dammage to the teats, the cow is a little less possesive of the calf,etc,etc. I am giving her plenty of 18% Dairy supplement and she has unlimited access to mineral/salt blocks. though with this 95 degree florida heat she dos'nt seem to be grazing as much just early mornings and late evenings.

As I said earlier I gave her a full dose of scowers treatment when she was showing lethargy and coughing with nasal discharge and she showed some imeadiate improvement. Also I think she was stealing some of the Jersey hefers 12% suppliment wich I stopped feeding because it was showing mold. so I do not know witch one is responsible for her improvement, She was never skinny or losing wheight, but she was coughing almost continuosly during milking and now only a little cough just once in a 20 min milking period. So I just do not know? She still is lose in her bowel movements to, kinda like a bull is always lose never really solid. So maybe I am giving her to much suppliment and she is not getting enough grass.


Thankyou again for your interest in my small little problem.
By the way what is a nurse cow?

 

[TexasBred]

Warren if it's really hot down there she may not be eating as much roughage as she needs and relying more on the dairy ration you're feeding her and has a little protein overload as well as some acidosis. This could account for the scours but not the cough. All I can recommend is that you not stand behind a scoured cow with a cough. ;-)

 

[LauraleesFarm]

Hi there again,
A nurse cow is a dairy cow that fosters orphan calves, usually 2-5 at a time, to raise them on her milk.

From what I have learned in my research while owning nurse cows, GRASS AND HAY make milk, and GRAIN makes body condition. While yes you can influence milk production by increasing grain, the dairy cow being milked needs a minimum amount of high quality grass and hay. Whatever the milk cow/nurse cow wants to eat, you serve. An unhappy cow will not give milk as well as a happy cow.

With the heat outside, my two nurse cows (one is brown swiss and one is jersey) have lost some weight recently. The heat is hard on them. High protein feed "can" tend to make them feel hotter. I try to back off of the protein during a big heat wave (over 100 F) .

So probably, the heat is a factor. And probably she needs more/better grass/hay. And maybe she is unhappy about something. Those are my thoughts FWIW. I also wonder if her milk production isn't being consumed by the calf. Is the calf good and fat?

 

[chippie]

Unless you are feeding free choice alfalfa, a milk cow needs a good quality lactation feed (which is usually about 18% protein.) The amount of protein does not make a cow hotter.

We feed our Jerseys an 18% protein lactation pellet (20 lbs per day split into 2 feedings), good Jiggs pasture and alfalfa hay.

It is true that quality roughage is important for milk production, however unless the nutritional needs are met, a dairy cow will use herself up in producing milk. That is why you see so many pitiful milk cows on Craigslist. People buy a family milk cow and don't know how to take care of it and don't realize the expense in maintaining one.

A source of good cool water is very important too.

 

[TexasBred]

Unless you are feeding free choice alfalfa, a milk cow needs a good quality lactation feed (which is usually about 18% protein.) The amount of protein does not make a cow hotter.

We feed our Jerseys an 18% protein lactation pellet (20 lbs per day split into 2 feedings), good Jiggs pasture and alfalfa hay.

It is true that quality roughage is important for milk production, however unless the nutritional needs are met, a dairy cow will use herself up in producing milk. That is why you see so many pitiful milk cows on Craigslist. People buy a family milk cow and don't know how to take care of it and don't realize the expense in maintaining one.

A source of good cool water is very important too.

Even more important than feed. Try to keep a 50:50 balance between the dairy feed mix and the hay/grass and other roughage. Ordinarily a family milk cow is no more stressed than a cow nursing a calf but in the weather we've been having just about everything is stressed.

 

[warrenware]

Thankyou all for the replies.

She has come back to her normal weight of about 1200 within the first month of calving. This is her third month of being in milk and her cough seems to have improved alot, sometimes she dousnt even cough during milking at all. but she still has this clear discharge from her nose.

I have been giving her probably too much suppliment say 20lbs per day and all the dry hay/pasture she could want, but mabey she doesnt want very much because of all the grain I have been giving her.

She also is still very lose when she lifts her tail. is it too much grain? the hay and pasture around here is mostly bahaya grass wich isnt very high on protine. would it be better to feed her alfalfa pellets than dairy suppliment?

 

[TexasBred]

Thankyou all for the replies.

She has come back to her normal weight of about 1200 within the first month of calving. This is her third month of being in milk and her cough seems to have improved alot, sometimes she dousnt even cough during milking at all. but she still has this clear discharge from her nose.

I have been giving her probably too much suppliment say 20lbs per day and all the dry hay/pasture she could want, but mabey she doesnt want very much because of all the grain I have been giving her.

She also is still very lose when she lifts her tail. is it too much grain? the hay and pasture around here is mostly bahaya grass wich isnt very high on protine. would it be better to feed her alfalfa pellets than dairy suppliment?

No stick with the dairy ration. Alfalfa pellets or nothing but low quality alfalfa. Don't worry about the snot either.

 

[pdfangus]

maybe I missed it becasue i scanned this thread rather than read every word.

I did not see any mention of health care or parasite treatment.

Has the cow been vaccinated for the locally prevalent maladies.
Has the cow been wormed ever? has she heve had a pour on for grubs and lice?
If a day of antibiotics helped then the cow might be sick.
Milk production half of previous year is most likely a clue.
snotty nose
pesistent cough
feed a fever and starve a cold....no... that is not right....
has anyone ever thought the word veterinarian?
luckily she has not fallen dead on top of someone during the milking process.

 

[zohaa3492]

I use these and in the past year I have noticed that they don't hold up as long, maybe the rubber is made with less now, anyone else use these and notice this?

 

[chippie]

Dairy cows will drool, have a clear nasal discharge and breathe hard when they get hot trying to cool themselves.

 

[Luca Brasi]

Well since I am what you might call a small home stead, the milk, beef, chicken,honey,and catfish that I raise are only for my family to consume. theirfore I really dont need a registered holstine that could supply the whole neighborhood. the milk is suprisingly rich and the (sharley) (spelling?) breed was a good triple pourpose breed. Beef,milk,draft. though i dont use her for draft. Though I have just purchased a jersey/sharley cross.

I realize that this is recently resurrected and not part of the original question, but I'm tired of still seeing the dual and even triple purpose BS still being passed along. A lot of people especially novices want to believe it, and why wouldn't they, because it sounds too good to be true. I don't think that even any of the breed clubs are still promoting the dual purpose fairy tale. Maybe Dexters, but I can't think of many others.
I've accepted that a lot of people won't pick up a book and read it any more, but they won't even do the slightest bit of research on the internet now either? Are there really people who are content with only the level of knowledge which they receive by word of mouth? It's understandable that Charolais could be easily mispelled by going that route, but one should quickly realize the error if he made even a small attempt to educate himself. I guess "sic" in the thread title was appropriate, even if unintentional.

 

[TexasBred]

I realize that this is recently resurrected and not part of the original question, but I'm tired of still seeing the dual and even triple purpose BS still being passed along. A lot of people especially novices want to believe it, and why wouldn't they, because it sounds too good to be true. I don't think that even any of the breed clubs are still promoting the dual purpose fairy tale. Maybe Dexters, but I can't think of many others.
I've accepted that a lot of people won't pick up a book and read it any more, but they won't even do the slightest bit of research on the internet now either? Are there really people who are content with only the level of knowledge which they receive by word of mouth? It's understandable that Charolais could be easily mispelled by going that route, but one should quickly realize the error if he made even a small attempt to educate himself. I guess "sic" in the thread title was appropriate, even if unintentional.

Now that you have showed your ass do you have any suggestions for the "sic" cow??? BTW quite a few cross bred cattle are milked for "family" use. It's not like you're milking for a living. A couple gallons of milk per day should be more than enough to feed a sizeable family and a holstein crossed with dam near anything will give that much milk. Now go get some exposure to the real world prick.

 

[Luca Brasi]

I realize that this is recently resurrected and not part of the original question, but I'm tired of still seeing the dual and even triple purpose BS still being passed along. A lot of people especially novices want to believe it, and why wouldn't they, because it sounds too good to be true. I don't think that even any of the breed clubs are still promoting the dual purpose fairy tale. Maybe Dexters, but I can't think of many others.
I've accepted that a lot of people won't pick up a book and read it any more, but they won't even do the slightest bit of research on the internet now either? Are there really people who are content with only the level of knowledge which they receive by word of mouth? It's understandable that Charolais could be easily mispelled by going that route, but one should quickly realize the error if he made even a small attempt to educate himself. I guess "sic" in the thread title was appropriate, even if unintentional.

Now that you have showed your ass do you have any suggestions for the "sic" cow??? BTW quite a few cross bred cattle are milked for "family" use. It's not like you're milking for a living. A couple gallons of milk per day should be more than enough to feed a sizeable family and a holstein crossed with dam near anything will give that much milk. Now go get some exposure to the real world prick.

Classy.
Crossbred animals are not breeds. I think that you misunderstand the difference between the two.