more holstein pictures =)

[TexasBred]

TB -- yes. We've milked over 100 before but right now it's around 60-70 head. He's always felt it's simplest to run everything together and over the years I've decided I agree completely. The percentage of cows with ketosis, milk fever, dystocia, etc is very low so there's never been a reason to do things differently.

The herd is basically run like an organic operation; in fact, the entire heifer herd and most of the hay fields are certified organic. Nowdays he rarely dry-treats unless there's a nice cow with a clinical case of mastitis prior to dry off. Before I left for college it was relatively common to dry treat everything, culture fresh cows, culture any new cases of mastitis before and after treatment, etc. I took care of all that and the records. After I left it was just his boys and later a neighbor kid, and so he didn't dare put anything on antibiotics. Boss does spend a lot of time in the barn, but not enough to be comfortable leaving kids and hot cows in the same milking barn.

Wow...I hear that. Hope one of the ladies doesn't lose a "HOT" leg band and end up getting milked into the tank. And he feeds everything the same ration? I've seen operations like that. Didn't do anything like the "experts" say you should do it but for whatever reason "it worked for them". Just can't imagine now dry treating and feeding a dry cow ration along with dry cow mineral and keeping 2 fences between them and the milking herd. I'd be a nervous wreck. :help:

 

[milkmaid]

TB -- everything gets run together. One ration for all cows. Drys come through the barn same as the milking cows (since they're fed grain in the barn). Milkers get used to it; and really, with so few cows you get to know who the drys are. I worked for him for several years and it got to the point that I could tell him who a cow was just by looking at her udder, when she'd last calved (and usually what she had), when I'd last seen her in heat or how many days bred she was. Now I've been away for so long I have to learn them all over again. LOL.

To a certain extent I think he's been unconciously been selecting for cows that fit in his program. I bring his culls to my place and turn them into nurse cows, and they don't need much, if any grain, and I can get away with feeding drys and lactating cows the same. Makes for some pretty nice nurse cows, to be honest.

 

[TexasBred]

TB -- everything gets run together. One ration for all cows. Drys come through the barn same as the milking cows (since they're fed grain in the barn). Milkers get used to it; and really, with so few cows you get to know who the drys are. I worked for him for several years and it got to the point that I could tell him who a cow was just by looking at her udder, when she'd last calved (and usually what she had), when I'd last seen her in heat or how many days bred she was. Now I've been away for so long I have to learn them all over again. LOL.

To a certain extent I think he's been unconciously been selecting for cows that fit in his program. I bring his culls to my place and turn them into nurse cows, and they don't need much, if any grain, and I can get away with feeding drys and lactating cows the same. Makes for some pretty nice nurse cows, to be honest.

Learning your cows is rule # 1....eartags get lost but spots don't change. And yes you do learn to recognize them from behind. Just had to beleive he feeds dry cows 26-30 lbs. of grain per day like the lactating cows. How do you ever get her to actually "dry off" :?:

 

[milkmaid]

Cows aren't fed more than 15lbs/hd/day. The grain bins in the barn are supposedly set to give 8lbs per milking, but I don't think they do quite that. Maybe 6lbs per milking. They're fed some high quality alfalfa silage (usually 3rd and 4th cutting) and that makes up the extra that they need. Some dry cows come through the barn their entire lactation, others decide they don't want to and so they don't. We usually have one or two that won't even get locked in the holding pen when it's milking time.

Occasionally we'll have a few cows that don't dry off well (there's one top cow coming to my mind right now) and we'll usually milk them once a day or every other day for awhile.

Apparently grain just went up to $15/cwt in bulk and I told him maybe we ought to select for cows that can milk well and don't need grain. :lol2: (Part of what sparked my interest in the r/w holstein crosses I mentioned to you the other day, LOL.)

 

[TexasBred]

Cows aren't fed more than 15lbs/hd/day. The grain bins in the barn are supposedly set to give 8lbs per milking, but I don't think they do quite that. Maybe 6lbs per milking. They're fed some high quality alfalfa silage (usually 3rd and 4th cutting) and that makes up the extra that they need. Some dry cows come through the barn their entire lactation, others decide they don't want to and so they don't. We usually have one or two that won't even get locked in the holding pen when it's milking time.

Occasionally we'll have a few cows that don't dry off well (there's one top cow coming to my mind right now) and we'll usually milk them once a day or every other day for awhile.

Apparently grain just went up to $15/cwt in bulk and I told him maybe we ought to select for cows that can milk well and don't need grain. :lol2: (Part of what sparked my interest in the r/w holstein crosses I mentioned to you the other day, LOL.)

Well there are some intensive grazing down here that have their fields divided up into many pastures. All they do is fertilize and irrigate. Grazing has always been the least expensive way to make milk, but doesn't produce nearly as much as feeding added grain. Most dairies down here will feed from 26-32 lbs. of an 18% grain mix per head per day along with silage/hay, whole cottonseed, wet brewers grain, etc. etc. etc. Too hot and humid in late spring and summer for dairy cattle to graze much except at night.

 

[hrbelgians]

Very nice group of cows!!! :nod: :nod: Also, nice open sky country! :tiphat:

 

[milkmaid]

There's a dairy south of us that feeds some 30-odd lbs/day in their TMR ration... I asked them once about picking up a nurse cow, but when I realized how much grain a cull was already on, that was the end of THAT idea. LOL.

I'm sure boss would have much higher production if he increased the amount of grain, but when grain is $15/cwt in bulk... how much does one feed before you're not having an increase in profit?

 

[bigbull338]

MM how can he breakeven with a $4.50 a day in feed pre cow.that means she has to give 50lb a day just to pay the operating expenses.an thats not including paying her own way an making a profit.how much do the cows give in a day.

 

[TexasBred]

There's a dairy south of us that feeds some 30-odd lbs/day in their TMR ration... I asked them once about picking up a nurse cow, but when I realized how much grain a cull was already on, that was the end of THAT idea. LOL.

I'm sure boss would have much higher production if he increased the amount of grain, but when grain is $15/cwt in bulk... how much does one feed before you're not having an increase in profit?

That's where management comes in. Determining the point of diminishing return. "More milk" is not always the most profitable as your operation has already learned. :clap: :clap:

 

[milkmaid]

MM how can he breakeven with a $4.50 a day in feed pre cow.that means she has to give 50lb a day just to pay the operating expenses.an thats not including paying her own way an making a profit.how much do the cows give in a day.

I kinda doubt his cows cost $4.50/day. My nurse cows don't even cost that when I feed them out of a sack.

 

[TexasBred]

BigBull dairy cost have really changed since "we" dairied. A good 18% feed is now around $270 a ton. You know what hay cost. Whole cottonseed is over $300 a ton...Probably cost closer to $6.00 a day on most dairies to feed a cow.

 

[bigbull338]

BigBull dairy cost have really changed since "we" dairied. A good 18% feed is now around $270 a ton. You know what hay cost. Whole cottonseed is over $300 a ton...Probably cost closer to $6.00 a day on most dairies to feed a cow.

i know thats the reason i asked her how much her bosses cows was giving in milk a day.when we quit milking the feed alone was costing use $1.80 a day.an now the the feed cost alone is $3 a cow a day.

 

[brightspark]

MM , how can the boss aford to pay milkers , only milking 60-70 cows , i did every thing with 130 and it was a fine line .bs.

 

[milkmaid]

BB-- I'm not sure what the herd average is right now. Kinda related to my not knowing exactly how many cows we're milking.

brightspark-- I wouldn't know. Course, it does help when he employs people like me, who are perfectly content to take 90% of their pay in calves and cull cows. :lol2:

 

[TexasBred]

BB-- I'm not sure what the herd average is right now. Kinda related to my not knowing exactly how many cows we're milking.

brightspark-- I wouldn't know. Course, it does help when he employs people like me, who are perfectly content to take 90% of their pay in calves and cull cows. :lol2:

The secret is out....give me a call when you finish this job. I'll put you on the payroll for the same pay and throw in lunch with the wife once a week at a fast food joint of your choice. :lol: :lol: Number of cows has nothing to do with profitability. Just increases the amount of the milk check AND all the other expenses in most cases.