Post by tabitha on Oct 24, 2008 8:08:51 GMT -5
i am struggling with Rori's supply. she is only a month and a half fresh. here are the factors, any of which seem possible but i am hoping to find a 'cure' and get plenty of milk.
thank you friends. you know how i fuss over my cows!
- first i will confess i am not miking every 12hrs on the dot. i have 4 small children, and i have found milking right at dark is best for night (almost 7pm) and i cant get out in the am to milk until 8am.is this a factor?
- we have had some fluctuation in hay quality. Rori has become incredibly picky at the same time. luckily, my father puts up hay from many fields, so we have found some she likes.
- she was sick, of course, from choking on that apple and them the emphysema (yes, it is getting better, at last!) and antibiotics, etc... banamine... but that was weeks ago and we did a long round of probios.
- because her calf was 'surprise' way earlier than we were told, she was only dry for 4 weeks. this was her second calf. i think i remember reading that if a second calf heifer isnt given a good dry period she wont milk as well. is this possible? i hate it that we didnt give her much rest. if you recall, we thought we were drying her off 'early'!
- i caught her eating walnut hulls from the field. we picked them all up a couple of days ago to put a stop to it. my insane cow!
- a week ago, i realized she was eating all the persimmons under a far tree. so i closed her off to that just in case. are persimmons ok?
- i have increased her grain. she gets two large coffee cans a day, one in the morning and one at night. i make sure she has just eaten hay, too. and she also gets soaked beet pulp and soaked alfalfa cubes, but it is hard to describe how much. about 4lbs dry weight alfalfa soaked, about 2lbs dry weight beet pulp i would guess. it is divided into two feedings. also free choice hay, some grazing, mineral salt and kelp plus one cup of corn oil on her feed daily. her grain is a nice dairy ration with yeast and mineral and molasses. it is very fresh. because it is made with distillers grains, it is heavy for its volume. i dont know how many pounds she is getting, i guess i should weigh a coffee can full. is this excessive? is it not enough? i am wanting her to gain weight as well.
thank you friends. you know how i fuss over my cows!