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There's better ways than this to start calving
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<blockquote data-quote="regolith" data-source="post: 1197220" data-attributes="member: 9267"><p>Milkmaid: I've heard a few farmers say they'd never get their cows to 'optimum' condition score for calving because of the milk fever problems resulting the only time they did it.</p><p>It's a real pros and cons issue, in my case I think I'm getting a lot of production benefit from maintaining the cows at about 1/2 score higher than the average grassfed farmer, if nothing else. I've also learned over the years that any cow underfed on the day she calves is certain to drop with MF, so the transition group gets as much as it's practical to feed them. Even so, a lot of the milk fever I got this year came in batches on the days they'd been asked to clean up the pasture or rain has caused the trampling of most of it.</p><p></p><p>At a bit of a standstill on the issue. I've never gone down the DCAD route but do use sulphate and chloride minerals as part of the supplementation pre-calving. I've asked for help from industry professionals & will be discussing options in the autumn but it has to be practical for a one-man grass only operation.</p><p>Checking urine pH should be easy enough - I've never done it. I'm presuming you want it acidic pre-calving, is that right? It stings enough any time of year if you get it on damaged skin...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="regolith, post: 1197220, member: 9267"] Milkmaid: I've heard a few farmers say they'd never get their cows to 'optimum' condition score for calving because of the milk fever problems resulting the only time they did it. It's a real pros and cons issue, in my case I think I'm getting a lot of production benefit from maintaining the cows at about 1/2 score higher than the average grassfed farmer, if nothing else. I've also learned over the years that any cow underfed on the day she calves is certain to drop with MF, so the transition group gets as much as it's practical to feed them. Even so, a lot of the milk fever I got this year came in batches on the days they'd been asked to clean up the pasture or rain has caused the trampling of most of it. At a bit of a standstill on the issue. I've never gone down the DCAD route but do use sulphate and chloride minerals as part of the supplementation pre-calving. I've asked for help from industry professionals & will be discussing options in the autumn but it has to be practical for a one-man grass only operation. Checking urine pH should be easy enough - I've never done it. I'm presuming you want it acidic pre-calving, is that right? It stings enough any time of year if you get it on damaged skin... [/QUOTE]
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