Jersey Heifer Too Skinny?

[WilliamlDarby]

Could you please look at my 15 month Jersey Heifer and see if you think she is too skinny. I am feeder her a good grain supplement around 18% protein.

 

[Dave]

Well we would need a picture to look at.

 

[A.J.]

Could you please look at my 15 month Jersey Heifer and see if you think she is too skinny. I am feeder her a good grain supplement around 18% protein.

We will take a look once you are able to upload a picture. Are you feeding her for beef or For breeding?

 

[WilliamlDarby]

I'm having an issue posting images. I keep getting this response. I am clicking the add image to post button below.

You can’t post image, email or url links that are external to this domain. Please remove https:

 

[WilliamlDarby]

Having an issue posting a photo

 

[76 Bar]

Could you please look at my 15 month Jersey Heifer and see if you think she is too skinny. I am feeder her a good grain supplement around 18% protein.

In the meantime how much does she weigh and how many pounds of grain per day is she getting? I'm assuming she also has access to decent pasture and supplemented with quality hay. Looking forward to seeing pics of her.

 

[WilliamlDarby]

 

[WilliamlDarby]

Not sure on the weight but i'm feeding her 5lb of feed twice a day and she has free choice hay.

postimg.cc/ZC25DMqP

 

[WilliamlDarby]

postimg.cc/jWxbV7FR

 

[farmerjan]

She might be a little thin, the picture is not at a good angle. But Jerseys are not supposed to look like a beef heifer. One thing, her coat looks rough. Have you wormed her? That would be my first thing to do. She does not have a slick coat, although coming out of winter they tend to be a little rough.
Also need answers to the questions posed. How much are you feeding her? Is the quality of the hay good. Any dairy animal requires a better quality of hay than most average beef animals because they have been bred for too many years to be "fed" as opposed to having to rustle their own grub. It has made the dairy animals in general dependent on more concentrated feed. Not necessarily a higher protein, but a better all around feed that will supply their overall needs. I feed an average 16% protein feed, but they also get real good orchard grass hay and I often supplement with alfalfa. Sometimes it is in the trace elements that they lack.
But first off, WORM HER, and see if that doesn't help improve her ability to utilize the feed that you are feeding.

 

[farmerjan]

If she is 18 months she ought to be in the 6-700 lb range at least. 2% of her body weight is 12-14 lbs feed a day. I would still worm her first then maybe up her feed a little but you could go to a little lower protein. You can cause some gut problems with too much protein, they will often get "loose" and go off feed. I am thinking that she might need a little better hay quality so that the quantity she is eating is doing more benefit to her rumen.

 

[farmerjan]

Also, welcome to CT. One of the reasons that you couldn't post a picture is it takes at least 5 or more posts before they seem to allow that. Guess it has to do with making sure you are legit....

 

[WilliamlDarby]

I Just wormed her today with SafeGuard Pellets. I can have the COOP mix up a lighter protein feed for her and up her intake to 12-14lbs and see how she dose. She eats feed great and is very docile. Would love to make her a nurse cow but want to put some more meat on her bones before I send her out to the pasture with the LBW Angus bull.
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[greggy]

I had a Jersey cross, they are thin esp at the rear end and pin bones, but if that is a 4ft fence and she is 18 months, she is not tall as well as a bit thin it seems...

She may continue to grow, but she may not have had best nutrition and start, but does that matter ? are you looking to use her for meat, milk or production of calves ?

 

[WilliamlDarby]

I will get a height measurement on her. I'm not sure how high the fence is I use 6.5 ft t posts but my goal was to use her for a nurse cow. Hopefully she can still produce well even if she had a bad start.

 

[76 Bar]

Yes she looks "rough" likely due to a parasite load as well as not enough proper feed. FarmerJan is savvy & especially regarding dairy cattle so pay heed to her suggestions. I'd repeat the worming at an appropriate interval with an injectable or drench based on her weight to ensure maximum efficacy.

 

[farmerjan]

Yes she looks "rough" likely due to a parasite load as well as not enough proper feed. FarmerJan is savvy & especially regarding dairy cattle so pay heed to her suggestions. I'd repeat the worming at an appropriate interval with an injectable or drench based on her weight to ensure maximum efficacy.

Thanks 76 Bar for the vote of confidence....

I agree to reworm her at about 30-45 days. Then decide when you want her to calve.... probably spring? Put her out with the bull mid June or July for a late Mar-to May calf? If she is wormy, and gets cleaned up inside, she should shed out better and slick up. If she has grass that will help.
One thing, is there any chance she has any "mini" jersey in her? That would make her smaller in general.
How big is the bull? Easy calving is great, but if he is a big one, then he could hurt her. We have 2 easy calving bulls that are now in the 8-9 yr old range. Both have good size but are still under 1800 lbs I would say. Both are EASY BREEDERS. They are "gentle " with mounting, don't slam into the heifers. I put them in with my jersey/holstein/beef crosses at 18-22 months and some of these heifers are only 600+ lbs due to their build. Have never (KNOCK ON WOOD) had them hurt a heifer. We use them on all our beef heifers too. Since we seldom keep a heifer calf out of our heifers, only occasionally have to worry about them breeding back their daughters.... that is why we have 2 different bulls. I will switch them back and forth, so they seldom ever see their own daughter to breed.... on the off chance we do decide to keep any ensuing heifer calf. One of the reasons we have kept them this long.... they do their job and don't get rammy or mean.
Over the years we have bought 5 bulls from this one farm. 3 are "cow bulls" and the 2 are easy calving. Still have 4 of the 5 because they are easy going, very fertile, and do their job without trying to tear down fences or do stupid stuff.

 

[farmerjan]

One other thing, if you are looking at her and then looking at a beef breed, she is going to look skinny. Just the nature of the breed. Some jerseys are thinner behind than others too.
I use a 16 % "calf feed" non-medicated, it is a sweet feed, that is standard at our feed mill. Mix with our 15 or 17% commodity pellets that we get delivered in bulk for our weaned beef calves and actually for everyone we feed "feed" to . It slows my jerseys down eating a little so that is why I mix it. Usually we get the 17% commodity pellets, but it depends on if they have any kind of a special going. This mill does not put alot of filler junk in their commodity pellets. They cost more than some of the other feed mills, but the animals seem to do better and I can get the DE and Tasco in the feed I want.

 

[76 Bar]

Thanks 76 Bar for the vote of confidence....

You're welcome. :nod:

 

[darcelina4]

My jerseys are smaller even as adults. I have a 4 year old that is 45 inches tall. She weighs about 800. She has had 2 calves by beef shorthorn bulls. 78 and 67 pound calves that she spit out and got nursing within 30 minutes. She was about 475 pounds when we bred her. On the flipside I have a show bred Jersey that is my tallest cow. She rivals my beef cows for the biggest cow. You need to know what frame size your jersey is before deciding if she is 55-60 percent of her adult weight and appropriate breeding weight. I think she looks ok in the pictures. With dairy cows you either want to use cydectin or epirnex to deworm as those are the only dewormers approved for them. As for the feed, 14-16 % protein is appropriate. 6 pounds a day should be good. A round bale of good grass has would be great.