Post by moomaine on Sept 10, 2005 20:08:48 GMT -5
Hi, I don't post much but am always lurking. I bought a Jersey/Holstein cow about a month ago, about a week after calving. She was doing fine, milking about seven gallons a day, and eating about 10-15 pounds of dairy 16% grain a day. Our pasture is waning here in Maine and she started losing a little weight, so I decided to supplement her with a little cornmeal, black oil sunflower seeds and some molasses. Well, she wouldn't touch it! She would pick the grain out of the mixture, not even eat any of the molasses. So, I stopped feeding everything but the grain again, now she won't even eat any of the grain. It has been 24 hours since she has eaten any grain at all. Today I fenced off an area for the cows so they could "mow the lawn", she ate fine , and even ate the corn husks and gone by corn we gave her. Come milking time she came as normal, looking hungry but would not touch the grain again. The only thing that I did notice was that she looked around the barn cautiously when she came in but then settled down and milked without a movement. My thought would be that the grain was bad, but it smelled fine to me, I even changed her dish thinking a chicken might have pooped near it or something. Any thoughts? Oh, my husband was messing with her trying to get her to eat and he said her breath smelled of smoke or something odd like that. To me it smelled of fermentation. Anyway, other than not eating she is acting normal, no sign of fever, listlessness, bloat, coughing, mastitis , or anything odd , just refusing her grain, even curling her lip when you try to feed her out of your hand. Bad grain? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Cara