Vet said they are too fat

[lancemart]

The state vet was out today to test the cows. I have Herford cow, a Holstein heiffer, a 9 month old Holstein calf, and a 7 month old Herford calf. I feed them only 5-6 lbs of feed daily and they have free choice to hay and water. The Vet said they are too fat. The Holstein is ready to give birth. I don't want her having trouble. I stopped feeding her grain and then I read on line that she needs to pass on the vitamins. I was concerned about the weight of the calf, that is why I stopped for a month. She has free choice to minerals also. What am I doing wrong.

 

[rockridgecattle]

do they get exercise? that is as important as their feed. Cattle should walk between a mile or two a day. Exercise also helps with calving.

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

Rule of thumb we use... if you feed twice a day, enough hay that it takes about 45 minutes to clean up, no more and no less. They have access to fresh water and grazing all day (granted the pasture they are on right now is the sacrificial "winter" pasture)... now that the bulls are out, they will start the pasture rotation (as soon as I finish walking fence lines).

Rockridge is correct... exercise is important as well, no good to keep them in a small pen.

 

[milkmaid]

do they get exercise? that is as important as their feed. Cattle should walk between a mile or two a day. Exercise also helps with calving.

What? a mile or two???

depends whether we're talking about range cows that are stocked at 1 pair/40 acres, or a hobby farmer's place where they might only have 20 acres total - including what the house and barn sit on.

With the insane amount of snow I have at home, I'm positive my herd doesn't walk a mile a day and I can't say as it hurts them.

Lance, can you post a pic? or if you have one... email it to me and I'll post it.

 

[rockridgecattle]

do they get exercise? that is as important as their feed. Cattle should walk between a mile or two a day. Exercise also helps with calving.

What? a mile or two???

depends whether we're talking about range cows that are stocked at 1 pair/40 acres, or a hobby farmer's place where they might only have 20 acres total - including what the house and barn sit on.

With the insane amount of snow I have at home, I'm positive my herd doesn't walk a mile a day and I can't say as it hurts them.

Lance, can you post a pic? or if you have one... email it to me and I'll post it.

I'm not sure where you live, but i'm sure i'm farther north than you and livelier weather than you have. Right now our snow in the bush measures mid thigh and i'm 5'4". We've just come out of a month of record wind chills ranging from -25 to -48 mostly in the around -38 to -45.
Our cows walk about a mile and a half each day.
Their winter area and their calving area are both close to 1/2 mile away and most days they come home 2x a day for water.
Winter weather we have as well, blizzards, winds high wind chills and on those days they make it home at least once.
If you only have 20 acres and a pile of snow plow a path for them to follow. Make it so they have to walk to get exercises. A mile is not that much. Not when they have to do a return trip.
Our calving area and walk way are about 10 -15 acres in total. and i am problably over estimating
Our winter area probably the same thing

IT"S WHAT YOU MAKE IT NO MATTER WHAT ACRE SIZE YOU'VE GOT

RR

 

[milkmaid]

My feed bunks are right next to the sheds, but I do make it so they have to go out to get water. About 150 yards. They have a water tank since the canal is shut off from Oct-April. The pen they're in is about 4 acres but they won't go off the trail without a really good reason. (And not like most of us hobby folks have a tractor to plow our driveway with, let alone the pasture... we haven't been able to get the truck to the sheds since the beginning of January. I do what I can with what I have. Not everyone has enough acres and cows to justify buying owning a tractor.)

--edited to remove pic of snow at home, lol--

 

[rockridgecattle]

I'll say it again, It's what you make of it. If you have 20 acres so be it. Cows will make their own trail. they usually do. Or get creative in ways to make them walk.
In our winter area they make their own trail. It does not get plowed out.
The calving area is different. they then take the same path as the tractor.
If you only give them 150 yards that is your choice. If you do not have a tractor that is your choice.
It's my choice our cows walk that distance. Keeps them healthy and strong.

Do not call me out just because i suggest a mile or two.
You might have different ideas so be it. Be grown up enough to state your ideas without coming off as a condesending, challenging, smart alec who looks down at other peoples ideas.
I don't have expensive equipment. Our everyday tractor is a 1960 3020 JD with a loader that is on it's last legs, and a baler that has probalby seen 10000 bales or more. Our newest tractor is some where in the '70's
You really ticked me off Milkmaid.

 

[Wewild]

We let our heifers eat grass and hay but we do live in GA.

 

[Victoria]

Quit feeding grain. Unless you are going to eat an animal why feed grain? If your hay has proper nutrients and you have a good mineral program that is all the cows will need.

I'm sorry for being obtuse but I don't understand what you mean by this:
"that she needs to pass on the vitamins"
Are you saying she needs the grain for vitamins to pass on to her calf? Get a good mineral supplement instead. Maybe ask your vet for recommendations, he's seen the hay and set up.

 

[milkmaid]

RR, perhaps your pastures are set up so you can make your cows walk. My farthest hydrant is 150 yards from my sheds. The water tank ain't gettin' any further away that that. Food, water, and shelter are about the only things that will persuade a cow to travel, and if one's facilities were designed by the previous owner to facilitate easy care and feeding, not cow travel, then that's what one has to work with. Personally, I have no complaints about it.

Don't put us hobby folks down because we cannot do things like you do.

Cow doesn't have to travel miles in deep snow and intense wind and cold in order to be in condition to calve without problems.

 

[Wewild]

Our everyday tractor is a 1960 3020 JD with a loader that is on it's last legs, .

I didn't think they started making them until 1964???? We got one but it is a late model.

 

[rockridgecattle]

No where did i put hobby farmers down. I believe i said

[

IT"S WHAT YOU MAKE IT NO MATTER WHAT ACRE SIZE YOU'VE GOT

RR

by the standards around here we are considered hobbiest as well...

 

[rockridgecattle]

Our everyday tractor is a 1960 3020 JD with a loader that is on it's last legs, .

I didn't think they started making them until 1964???? We got one but it is a late model.

I am of the female gender and all i know is it's in the sixties. Husband just came home from work and asked him and he said he though '64...all i know is it's old and had many costly quirks

 

[Wewild]

Our everyday tractor is a 1960 3020 JD with a loader that is on it's last legs, .

I didn't think they started making them until 1964???? We got one but it is a late model.

I am of the female gender and all i know is it's in the sixties. Husband just came home from work and asked him and he said he though '64...all i know is it's old and had many costly quirks

Are the hydrualic levers beside the steering wheel or to the right of your seat?

 

[rockridgecattle]

we wild, sitting in the seat, on the left for the loader and on the right for the tractor hyd for impliments.
We converted the hydraulics from an outside pto pump to using the internal pumps...ohhhh what a mess until the problem was found out. cost JD alot of money

 

[Wewild]

we wild, sitting in the seat, on the left for the loader and on the right for the tractor hyd for impliments.

I've never seen the loader on the left. Are the others beside the steering wheel or beside the seat?

 

[rockridgecattle]

beside the steering wheel...loader is a du-al loader (orange)

 

[Wewild]

beside the steering wheel...loader is a du-al loader (orange)

I would think that would be an early model. Pre 70 or there about.

 

[rockridgecattle]

i think we hijacked this person's thread.
Humblist apologies

 

[Tod Dague]

The state vet was out today to test the cows. I have Herford cow, a Holstein heiffer, a 9 month old Holstein calf, and a 7 month old Herford calf. I feed them only 5-6 lbs of feed daily and they have free choice to hay and water. The Vet said they are too fat. The Holstein is ready to give birth. I don't want her having trouble. I stopped feeding her grain and then I read on line that she needs to pass on the vitamins. I was concerned about the weight of the calf, that is why I stopped for a month. She has free choice to minerals also. What am I doing wrong.

What kind of feed are you giving them? You could probably just stop feeding the feed and just feed hay and be ok. The last trimester is not the time to try to pull weight off of a cow but you don't want them getting any fatter either.