Going to the auction

[auctionboy]

I am going to the auction today to try and buy a few cows out of a registered holstein herd. I was looking to get a few nurse cows, but a dry registered bred cow may be in a good price range. After always reading all of the post on illness I admit I am a little affraid of putting calves on a high producing cow. This herd is averaging #72, but I am looking to get something at the back end of its lactation and bred. I am very nervous.

 

[bigbull338]

better have a pocket full of money.round here you wouldnt be able to touch reg cows pumping out 72lb a day for less than $3500.an dry cows would be $2000 an over.an besides youd ruin a how dollar cow/by putting nurse calves on her.

 

[auctionboy]

The price never gets that high that I have seen, maybe the dairy sales I have seen have been lesser cows. I am looking for 3 quarter cows, but if the price is right i may buy anything. There is also a jersey herd going up for sale and I am thinking about getting a nurse cow or two out of that bunch. If I buy a higher dollar cow dry I will probobly sell it fresh instead of let it get nursed. I always get nervous before a sale.

 

[milkmaid]

I wouldn't buy anything that didn't have four good quarters. A nursing calf can easily transfer mastitis from one quarter to another. Not a good situation.

 

[auctionboy]

I think I am going to learn a great deal about mastitis in the next few months. It is one of the things that has me worried. I guess I have some more reading to do in the next few hours.

 

[auctionboy]

That sucked!!!!!

 

[skyline]

Well, what happened?

 

[bigbull338]

sounds like they didnt sell cheap enough.

 

[auctionboy]

A large turn out of buyers, prices driven up by high registered cow prices, spring prices, a very nice day after a bad spring, high milk prices, tax refunds. Prices were to high. I didn't want to wreck some high priced cow by using them as nurse cows. It will have to be beef cows at the monthly Saturday auction. Usualy after the auction I regret not bidding on a few animals, but not today. Top registered holsteins sold at $2500, some large 3 quartered fell to $975. The poor herd of jerseys that was very under fed sold up to $1500.

 

[milkmaid]

I haven't yet "wrecked" a nice cow by putting calves on her... think you've got the wrong impression about nurse cows.

 

[auctionboy]

I haven't yet "wrecked" a nice cow by putting calves on her... think you've got the wrong impression about nurse cows.

I have read that a few calves bunting at her utter can cause mastitis. Someone also said they will wreck them earlier this post, I don't have first hand knowledge, but that is what I hear. I am still not in a good mood about not buying anything. There is always next Wednesday, i guess.

 

[milkmaid]

You got some bad info. It's no different than a beef cow raising a calf... just in this case the cow has more than one calf on her. Mastitis is defined as an infection in the udder/mammary glands; infections are not caused by the natural action of a calf butting a cow.

Here's a nurse cow that's raised some 18+ calves... she's 7y/o in the picture, been back and forth between being a nurse cow and running with the milking herd at the dairy.

I don't see anything wrong with that udder, do you?

 

[TexasBred]

Actually a calf or multiple calves will help prevent mastitis and you'll not see inearly as much in a cow being nursed period as apposed to dairy cows being milked by machines. These cases are often caused by overmilking, improperly adjusted equipment and failure to follow preventive procedures. Do keep an eye on your nurse cow and make sure all four quarters are being nursed everyday or you could possibly end up with a problem with a quarter.

 

[bigbull338]

MM im the 1 that said it would ruin a high producing holstein cow.an i firmly beleave that.i would not make a nurse cow out of high dollar milk cow.the cows you make nurse cows out of are headed for slaughter unless you take them.

 

[milkmaid]

Bigbull, mind giving me your reasons for thinking that way? As of right now I'd sure beg to differ with you on that. If a cow isn't good enough to run with the milking herd I'd likely not be interested in her as a nurse cow. I no longer have time for messing with cows that need extra TLC, and any cow that would have been headed to slaughter needs plenty of TLC.

I have a heifer calving in June that I'll be using as a nurse cow, and there's not a thing wrong with her now -- and putting calves on her sure isn't going to hurt her. That cow I posted the picture of is a 90lb cow when she's fresh, and she'll hold it for 90 some days. She may not be the highest priced cow you'll ever run across, but she's certainly no cull either.

 

[bigbull338]

sure i can explain.if you have a cow that will give over 80lbs at peak an hold it 150 days is waste.an she should never be turned into a nurse cow at all.i have a friend that sold out of the dairy.an he kept 3 or 4 blemish cows an 3 heifers.an his cull cows was giving 60 to 80lbs a day.bso thats 20 gal that had tobe used.he drinks 3 gal of milk a day so the rest went to the kids hoggs an chickens.so the best thing with a cow that can milk like is milk her out with milkers/an then feed the 10 bottle babies.that way you keep her production up.

 

[milkmaid]

So if I understand you right, you feel a high producing cow shouldn't be a nurse cow because she might possibly produce more milk if she were milked by a milking machine than if she were raising calves?

and putting calves on that high producing cow will ruin her how???

I would agree that economically it might make more $en$e to bottle feed twice as many calves with the milk, but it's also going to take a lot more time. However, that's neither here nor there because that's not the point. Just because some dairyman would much rather have that high producing cow in his milking herd doesn't mean she's ruined because someone else would rather use her as a nurse cow.

 

[bigbull338]

everyone has their own opions on nurse cows.if i was using them it would be cows that get kicked out of the dairy.meaning 3 teated cows kickers mastitis cows.i knew a dairymen that never bottled a calf.when his cows had heifer calves.he would get them up an milk the cow.an leave her calf with her as she was going through the barn 2x a day.an wean his heifer calves at 6wks old.said he would rather loose milk than bottle feed heifer calves.

 

[TexasBred]

Bigbull, mind giving me your reasons for thinking that way? As of right now I'd sure beg to differ with you on that. If a cow isn't good enough to run with the milking herd I'd likely not be interested in her as a nurse cow. I no longer have time for messing with cows that need extra TLC, and any cow that would have been headed to slaughter needs plenty of TLC.

I have a heifer calving in June that I'll be using as a nurse cow, and there's not a thing wrong with her now -- and putting calves on her sure isn't going to hurt her. That cow I posted the picture of is a 90lb cow when she's fresh, and she'll hold it for 90 some days. She may not be the highest priced cow you'll ever run across, but she's certainly no cull either.

MM I think BB is just wondering why someone would use a dairy cow of that high quality to raise a calf or even 4 calves especially when fresh. At 90 lb. per day you'll be throwing away or storing over 70 lbs. per day assuming each calf drinks a gallon per day or more than 50 lbs. per day if she's nursing 4 calves. I've raised a lot of calves on good dairy cattle but would always pick cows that were long in days only short bred, keep them on feed, put 4 calves on each cow and wean them at about 8 weeks then start over. After raising a couple of sets of calves they were far enough along bred to dry off and give a rest.

 

[milkmaid]

TB -- I understood what BB was getting at; my issue wasn't so much with the fact that a good dairy cow does produce more than 4 calves need, but rather with the statement that putting calves on a good dairy cow will ruin her. That last statement I definitely disagree with.

I treat my nurse cows a little different than some people do... my cows will take 2-4 calves and raise them anywhere from 2 to 8 months. Calves stay on pasture with the nurse cow 24/7 and I generally let them have every bit of milk the cow produces. The only exception is if I want a bit of milk myself as well.