I milk Jersey cows and also bottle raise Jersey and Angus cross calves (7 Jerseys right now)
The calves are fed twice a day at approximately 12 hour intervals. Same with the cows, milked twice daily at approximately 12 hour intervals. (Some dairies do milk 3 times a day to maximize production, but such a regimen would require a very concentrated diet for the cow.)
The calves are not fed by amount of time spent nursing, they are fed 2 quarts at each feeding (very small calves, like the 25 lb twin I'm feeding now, only need 3 pints per feeding) I milk the cow and immediately pour the milk into bottles and feed the calves -- this cow gives over 7 gallons daily, so by milking her I can ensure that all 7 calves get their fair share.
The calves are given Calf Starter and hay after they are 4-5 days old and at 8-10 weeks they're weaned and another set of calves is started. Theoretically I could raise 4-5 sets of calves during a lactation, but I settle for 3.
Ann B
> How many times a day does a new
> born calf need to nurse and how
> long each time? How many times a
> day does a 2 month old calf need
> to nurse and how long? I am
> thinking of purchasing a milk cow.
> By that I mean a cow used as a wet
> nurse for calves with no mother to
> nurse from. How often does a
> "milk cow" need to nurse
> to maintain a good milk supply?
[email protected]
