Post by bluehour on Feb 15, 2024 12:41:00 GMT -5
My jersey (sally) was supposed to be bred (she came in heat, we did AI, she didn’t come in heat) so I got my vet out to check her and he said she wasn’t bred or cycling. I took her 4 month old calf off and doubled her grain like my vet told me to. Of course I did it gradually. She got diarrhea and I thought no big deal, it’s the change in feed, she’ll come around. Well, then my other cow and my yearling heifer got it too. Sally has not gained condition at all in the last month and her production has dropped from 3 gal oad with calf-sharing to 2-3 gal tad without her calf on.
What I’m feeding her:
Alfalfa & grass 2nd cut—excellent quality and she eats all of it.
Timothy late first cut—mid quality and she picks through it.
Corn silage from last fall (until today. They are closing up the bag and opening one of sorghum sedan grass. I might try giving some of it to my cows? The silage is mainly for the feedlot. I feed it because it’s handy, and less wasteful.)
15 lbs 16% dairy ration. 7.5 lbs at each milking.
She’s got a cow-calf mineral block, a pro-bloc transi-boeuf, and a salt block.
Today the LVMS8 I ordered came in, so I’m excited to try that. Hopefully it helps them come around.
I have probiotic boluses I could give.
Yesterday I bought alfalfa pellets and beet pulp pellets. I have not figured out how to use them yet (amounts, what exactly they are supposed to help with, etc). I read somewhere here that the beet pulp helps for diarrhea?
I wish someone could tell me what to change, and how to improve my cows condition. I know the cows setting also plays in a lot… we have an old hip roof barn that my cows are in the basement of. One end (the north one of course, bother) is open and there are quite a few windows. I wish they could have more natural light but I have not thought of a way to let them out without risking broken legs on our icy yard. The barn is drafty, and really damp on warm days when our snow melts. Not ideal at all, but I try to compensate with keeping the barn clean and well bedded. They are not crowded.
Sorry for the long post, here are my main questions.
Why did 3 of my cows get diarrhea?
What can I change to help my cow gain weight?
How can I bring Sally’s production up? (She gave up to 8 gallons a day after she freshened in late September. I don’t want it that high again, but surely I could get 5 gallons a day?)
Any advice at all on cow nutrition is welcomed, since it looks like I only get serious about learning when something is off.
Thanks in advance!
What I’m feeding her:
Alfalfa & grass 2nd cut—excellent quality and she eats all of it.
Timothy late first cut—mid quality and she picks through it.
Corn silage from last fall (until today. They are closing up the bag and opening one of sorghum sedan grass. I might try giving some of it to my cows? The silage is mainly for the feedlot. I feed it because it’s handy, and less wasteful.)
15 lbs 16% dairy ration. 7.5 lbs at each milking.
She’s got a cow-calf mineral block, a pro-bloc transi-boeuf, and a salt block.
Today the LVMS8 I ordered came in, so I’m excited to try that. Hopefully it helps them come around.
I have probiotic boluses I could give.
Yesterday I bought alfalfa pellets and beet pulp pellets. I have not figured out how to use them yet (amounts, what exactly they are supposed to help with, etc). I read somewhere here that the beet pulp helps for diarrhea?
I wish someone could tell me what to change, and how to improve my cows condition. I know the cows setting also plays in a lot… we have an old hip roof barn that my cows are in the basement of. One end (the north one of course, bother) is open and there are quite a few windows. I wish they could have more natural light but I have not thought of a way to let them out without risking broken legs on our icy yard. The barn is drafty, and really damp on warm days when our snow melts. Not ideal at all, but I try to compensate with keeping the barn clean and well bedded. They are not crowded.
Sorry for the long post, here are my main questions.
Why did 3 of my cows get diarrhea?
What can I change to help my cow gain weight?
How can I bring Sally’s production up? (She gave up to 8 gallons a day after she freshened in late September. I don’t want it that high again, but surely I could get 5 gallons a day?)
Any advice at all on cow nutrition is welcomed, since it looks like I only get serious about learning when something is off.
Thanks in advance!