nurse cows vs calves

[cowspider]

Hey, I bought 3 holstein nurse cows. 1 had 6 calves on her and the other 2 had 4 each. is this too many? I have About 15 calves - ages 4 weeks to 4 months but only 9-10 are nursing now.

Cowspider :cboy:

 

[milkmaid]

Just depends on the cow's production. I had one fresh cow feeding 7 calves for the first 30 days or so. By the time I left for college in August, I had 5 calves on one cow and 3 calves on the other.

Make sure you feed those cows really well. Nurse cows need a bit of pampering, can't treat them like beef cows.

 

[bigbull338]

if your gonna have 4 to 6 calves on each cow.id feed the cow 15 to 20lbs of grain a day.that way she can maintain her weight an feed the calves.an id put calves on feed as well.so i could wean them at 3 months old.

 

[cowspider]

Thanks, MM, Big Bull.
I have been feeding About 80 lb. of barley mixed with corn meal each day with hay, I switched to haylage last week. I am told by a dairyman this what they need. :hat:

 

[TexasBred]

Thanks, MM, Big Bull.
I have been feeding About 80 lb. of barley mixed with corn meal each day with hay, I switched to haylage last week. I am told by a dairyman this what they need. :hat:

You really need a good protein source mixed in with that grain to get better milk production. I'd check on some cottonseed meal, soybean meal, canola or whatever you have access to. Your cows or getting more than enough grain but not much protein.