Jersey cow and calf

[Dixieangus]

so im a little confused .....is she supposed to be milking more regardless of diet are can i fix the milking problem

 

[backhoeboogie]

I disagree with some posts here. That's okay too.

If she's on good hay or grass in the spring, she needs enough feed to maintain herself and no more.

I run the calves with my nurse cow 24/7. Dad did it that way. Grandad did it that way. If there are 4 calves on her, I separate them.

Dixie if you are limiting your self to 2 calves, you are going to lose money.

Put three on her. Wean them at 3 months and cycle another group onto her. Dry her off and give her some recovery before she calves again.

 

[Dixieangus]

Put three on her. Wean them at 3 months and cycle another group onto her. Dry her off and give her some recovery before she calves again.[/quote]

this is what i have decided to do...... backhoeboogie where did you get your cows and do you think she will make more milk or is at her peak now??? thanks

 

[backhoeboogie]

She should make more.

The senior nurse cow I have now came from a dairy in '03. She's 1/2 jersey and 1/2 holstein.

I had a rejected twin. I brought her here to the house and managed to save her. It was touch a go for a week but she pulled through with a lot of TLC. That gave me a bottle baby with a twice a day comittment. It makes no sense to me to do one bottle baby only. It is about as easy to do ten as it is to do one. I rig chutes for them and put the bottles in racks. Go out before work and put them in the chutes and disberse the bottles. Go back and let them out and pick up the bottles. etc.

So I went and picked up a few more bottle babies and picked up this dairy heifer. I groomed her to be a nurse cow. Two of her heifers have turned out to be nurse cows as well. Two more have not. Bear in mind that the senior nurse cow has only been bred to a brangus bull her whole life.

This is a pic of her in a nurse crate when I was milking out colostrums a couple of years back. http://ranchers.net/photopost/showphoto ... puser/2144

When I graft a new set of calves onto her, I put her in the crate. IT just makes it easier. Once the calves have nursed three or so days, they all have her scent.

I have had beef heifers reject calves and crated them as well. This crate has been well worth the effort.

 

[Dixieangus]

is there anything keeping that cow from backing out?????

 

[backhoeboogie]

is there anything keeping that cow from backing out?????

There are gates on the front and back. The rear gate is on her rump only.

 

[bigbluegrass]

$850 is a bargain for a Jersey cow and a heifer calf IMO. You could probably sell the heifer calf, bred, for that next year. I don't see how you could go wrong.

1 1/2 gallons of milk a day while feeding a calf is a good milker for a Jerseys - depending on diet and other things. I don't think she is a poor milker. I think I would buy her and see what you can do. I bought a pair about like this last year for $1200, used the cow for a nurse cow, bred them both this spring and sold them this year. The heifer sold for $700, the cow went for $1000 after using her for a nurse cow for 7 months. Probably one of the better livestock choices I have made in my long history of poor ones :lol: Actually made money on that deal :lol2: