new calf and milking

[Guest guest]

My cow finally had her calf – 1 wk overdue. I

want to milk her, but I was thinking of leaving the calf on for a couple days

to get the colostrum and then milking in the morning and letting the calf have

the rest. If I just leave the calf on the first couple of days and don’t

milk her, will that decrease the quantity? How do others handle new

calves and keeping production up? I’m new to calving and milking,

and I wanted to see if there was some experience that I was maybe missing out

on. Thanks

[Guest guest]

You may have your best results if you separate them in the evening, milk

mom in the morning and then let the calf have her the rest of the day.

Mom will ramp up to meet the added demand. Just don't forget about it

and leave them separated all day. Mom would then be uncomfortable and

the calf would weaken.

Try to be consistent in the routine, but if life pulls you away, the

calf will cover you.

Langlois

john.langlois@...

www.foggybottomwebdesign.com

www.foggybottomfarms.com

J

[Guest guest]

Talking strictly about Jerseys as that's all I have ever fooled with

as a milk cow. And, you have to understand that this is about value

of milk versus value of calf versus value of your time??? A bull

calf isn't worth much as a steer and milk, if you have a market for

sale, is worth a lot more. A heifer is worth more, if she's full

dairy. Our Jersey steers are our beef, so I figure it worth my time

and the milk they consume to get a nice one grown out. And, I have

other things I want to do at certain times of the year- garden, hay,

etc.... and being tied to milking twice a day puts a real dent in my

day. Plus, I also have 30 does that I will freshen as well as about a

dozen Angus cows.

We have always left the calf on the cow. That's how it's been done

around here for as many generations backwards as I had living contact

with- my granmother (born in 1890s and lived to almost a hundred), and

her mother (born in 1870s and also lived to almost a hundred), and

they attested to fact that as far back as THEY knew, that's what was

always done. Makes is a whole lot easier on everyone, too, if you

need to be late about milking. Generally I have found that a calf can

take pretty much all the milk a cow can produce when it's about two

months old.

The first two weeks I just leave cow and calf together and milk the

cow out twice a day. Never have had any problems with milk let down

after she's been milked about two to four weeks. Yes, that first

couple of weeks she won't let down real well, but neither will they at

a dairy when you take the calf off them at three days to milk them

twice a day. I have my own personal cows I hand milk at home and I

work as a relief milker for friends who milk 42 head commercial

dairy.

If I need more milk, at about two weeks fresh, I'll put the calf up

for about six hours and then milk out the cow. If the cow has calved

in spring or summer with grass available I will let her out to pick,

but keep the calf up so I don't have to worry about cow coming back in

at evening. If the calf has been off the cow four hours or less, you

are probably OK and it won't overeat when you turn it back in with

momma.

If it's been more than four hours, it's important to NEVER let the

calf back in with the cow until you have milked out at least 3/4 out (

I just save a quarter for the calf and milk out other three teats) so

calf won't have a chance to over eat. When the calf is always with

it's momma it will nurse often, but not a lot at one time, so risk of

overeating and getting sick is minimal.

How much milk a cow gives is regulated by hormonal influences that are

triggered by how tight her udder becomes. As udder tightens full of

milk production will drop off so cow won't literally 'blow up.'

Because calf is always nursing every few hours the pressure never

builds so more milk is produced. Studies on commercial dairy

operations have shown that milking cow 3 or 4 times a day for first 30

to 90 days of lactation will overall increase milk production

throughout that lactation. This increase is enough to offset the

extra feed/labor involved so that more actual profit per cow is made.

A cow nursing a calf will give you more milk, so you are going to have

to feed her more to compensate or you'll milk her to skin and bones.

Don't let her over udder (get too much milk in her udder) when you do

shut the calf away from her. So, you need to start checking about how

much milk she's making by judging udder texture at about six hours.

Generally, at about eight to ten hours they are going to be about as

full as you safely want them to be.

My own Jersey, Buttercup, freshened back in May and her heifer is

still nursing her. When I want milk, I put Butterbean up (at least 8

hours) and milk out Buttercup. On grass and hay with about five

pounds of 16% pellet a day she is giving 2 gallons a milking on just

front two teats. I leave the rear two teats which are shorter and

harder for me to milk for Butterbean. Yes, it looks kind of funny to

see Butterbean nurse now as she is almost as big as her momma. Since

Buttercup was a first freshener we didn't foster any other calves on

her. But, in past with older cows I have fostered as many as three

other calves (plus one she has herself) on a cow and still had all the

milk I could use.

If your calf is a bull calf, get him castrated NOW!!!!! Don't mess

about with this as he'll get big faster than you think and if you

don't get it done young, you will regret it. Generally I do calves

at 7 to 45 days of age with a knife. Using a knife, I know for sure

that I got both testicles. Other methods can fail.

Donna

Safehaven Nubians

Dandridge, TN

>

> My cow finally had her calf - 1 wk overdue. I want to milk her, but

I was

> thinking of leaving the calf on for a couple days to get the

colostrum and

> then milking in the morning and letting the calf have the rest. If

I just

> leave the calf on the first couple of days and don't milk her, will

that

> decrease the quantity? How do others handle new calves and keeping

> production up? I'm new to calving and milking, and I wanted to see

if there

> was some experience that I was maybe missing out on. Thanks

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the responses! Another question…When I went out to

check on them this afternoon, I noticed that both of the front quarters were

very full and one looked like it could bust. I tried milking it out by hand,

but couldn’t get the teat shut off at the top. The teat was swollen to

almost twice the width of my hand and the milk was not coming out very easily.

Which is probably why the calf is sucking more on the others. Should I

continue to try to milk it out even though it seems like milk is going back up

into her udder since I can’t shut it off? Or am I just getting too antsy

to intervene. I just don’t want to lose a quarter. I know the lady I

bought her from was machine milking all 4 quadrants.

Donna responded:

“How much milk a cow gives is regulated by hormonal influences

that are

triggered by how tight her udder becomes. As udder tightens full of

milk production will drop off so cow won't literally 'blow up.'

Because calf is always nursing every few hours the pressure never

builds so more milk is produced. Studies on commercial dairy

operations have shown that milking cow 3 or 4 times a day for first 30

to 90 days of lactation will overall increase milk production

throughout that lactation. This increase is enough to offset the

extra feed/labor involved so that more actual profit per cow is made. “

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