Using a nurse cow

Help Support CattleToday:

Hunny Do Ranch

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
0
Location
Prince George, BC, Canada
We have a Jersey nurse cow that we are going to put calves on. When should we wean the calves? She isn't bred just yet as we will put our bull in with her so she calves before the other girls. Should I or could I wean around 3 or 4 months and put some more calves on her and dry her up in the fall?
Thanks
 
Hunny Do Ranch":mvaob6f0 said:
We have a Jersey nurse cow that we are going to put calves on. When should we wean the calves? She isn't bred just yet as we will put our bull in with her so she calves before the other girls. Should I or could I wean around 3 or 4 months and put some more calves on her and dry her up in the fall?
Thanks
the way i read your post.the cow is open an doesnt have calves on her.an if thats the case she has already dryed up.but if she has a calf on her.you need to grain her so calf dont pull her down.you can let a calf stay on her 3 or 4 months then wean emm.
 
Hunny Do Ranch":1bsy3ly2 said:
Ok I should add more to clairify. We are buying her from a dairy. She is producing 65 pounds of milk per day.
Thanks
well i hate to say this but when i was milking theres no way id part with a cow giving 65lb a day.thats a $1500+ cow around heredont matter the breed.since she milking that heavy id put 4 calves on her.an even then you risk scouring the heck out of the calves.an youll still need to feed her atlest 10 or 12lbs of feed a day.you might put 5 calves her.let ea group nurse her 20 mins then pen calves off.an let next bunch in.
 
Find out what her grain ration is right now, and cut it down. 65lbs of milk a day translates to 6-8 gallons per day -- even if you put 4 newborn calves on, you'll likely lose them all with that kind of production. It's double what they need.

In your place, I'd take her down to about 6lbs of grain per day, and monitor the calves very very closely. In the beginning, esp if they've been on milk replacer, they should not get over a gallon per calf per day.

FWIW -- sometimes dairies have their herds on 30+ pounds of grain per day to get that much milk out of a Jersey. If that's the case, you need to be very careful in bringing her down to a lower amount of grain, or you'll upset her digestion and could potentially kill her.
 
Hunny Do...,

With that type of production(if she is good...I don't doubt the volume) with high BF..why are they selling her? She is what they breed and plan for in their dairy programs.
 
if this is a jersy milk cow and around 4 or 5 maybe they are selling her because she gets milk fever, i would watch that on her and any heifer calf that she has we were given a jersy angus x cow and we had to keep a close eye on her. so watch it.cindy
 

Latest posts

Top