Post by FlipFlopFarmer on Jun 10, 2005 22:47:48 GMT -5
Okay - I've misplaced my KFC....this isn't funny! I can't live without it! So many questions!!!
I have some questions about feed during the dry period and just prior to calving to help avoid milk fever.
I called the lady that I bought Teensie from and she gave me some suggestions for feeding her and my head is spinning. Where's the smiley for the head spinning???
First and foremost she said....get her off the pasture right away. The way she described it milk fever is basically the body going into shock from the surge of needed calcium just after calving. She suggested that we alter her feed to a very, very low calcium diet, hence forcing her body to produce calcium or store calcium (it's all a little foggy in the notes I scribbled down) She suggested putting her in the stall with only grass hay - no alfalfa and no fresh pasture until after the baby! She suggested 1 lb Dry Cow Vigor and 1lb Sweet Lac Transitions (per day) which is mostly beet pulp and some other vitamins (?). Then 2 wks prior to calving she suggested adding rolled barley & corn at a 50/50 ratio and also adding in about 1/4 of the ratio of soybean meal.
I remember reading the section on nutrition in KFC but I don't know how these different things factor in to the big picture.
Also, our pastures appear to be mostly fescue according to my husband and right now it isn't really all that lush. I just hate keeping her locked up without exercise but will do it if it's what's best for her.
She's due July 20th and although we weaned her down off of the twice a day milking she still lets down and leaks a lot whenever we are near her. Do they really dry off completely during this period?
Finally - what do you all use in your stalls? Oregon is fairly nice all year round and Teensie is very rarely kept inside unless the weather is bad. You never know just how much a cow poo's until you put her in a 12 x 12 stall!!! I have pea gravel as a base and then a ton of straw on top of that. Do you use stall mats and saw dust? Straw? I've heard of something called hog's fuel but I don't know what that is?
Sorry for all the questions. I just wish I could go and work on the dairy farm that we got Teensie from for a few days....not that I could ever learn all there is to know in such a short time.
Carla
I have some questions about feed during the dry period and just prior to calving to help avoid milk fever.
I called the lady that I bought Teensie from and she gave me some suggestions for feeding her and my head is spinning. Where's the smiley for the head spinning???
First and foremost she said....get her off the pasture right away. The way she described it milk fever is basically the body going into shock from the surge of needed calcium just after calving. She suggested that we alter her feed to a very, very low calcium diet, hence forcing her body to produce calcium or store calcium (it's all a little foggy in the notes I scribbled down) She suggested putting her in the stall with only grass hay - no alfalfa and no fresh pasture until after the baby! She suggested 1 lb Dry Cow Vigor and 1lb Sweet Lac Transitions (per day) which is mostly beet pulp and some other vitamins (?). Then 2 wks prior to calving she suggested adding rolled barley & corn at a 50/50 ratio and also adding in about 1/4 of the ratio of soybean meal.
I remember reading the section on nutrition in KFC but I don't know how these different things factor in to the big picture.
Also, our pastures appear to be mostly fescue according to my husband and right now it isn't really all that lush. I just hate keeping her locked up without exercise but will do it if it's what's best for her.
She's due July 20th and although we weaned her down off of the twice a day milking she still lets down and leaks a lot whenever we are near her. Do they really dry off completely during this period?
Finally - what do you all use in your stalls? Oregon is fairly nice all year round and Teensie is very rarely kept inside unless the weather is bad. You never know just how much a cow poo's until you put her in a 12 x 12 stall!!! I have pea gravel as a base and then a ton of straw on top of that. Do you use stall mats and saw dust? Straw? I've heard of something called hog's fuel but I don't know what that is?
Sorry for all the questions. I just wish I could go and work on the dairy farm that we got Teensie from for a few days....not that I could ever learn all there is to know in such a short time.
Carla