Post by sweetiepie on Jun 24, 2014 20:59:04 GMT -5
I was told in November that Delight was over conditioned. So after she dried up on her own at Thanksgiving I did not grain her. Last year she maxed at 3 gallons but soon started dropping off production. At her milking I fed only whole oats and corn to get her through the milking. I realize whole isn't the best but since she didn't actually need the nutrient value but a distraction I was ok with this. (I am trying to save up for a decent grinder, just hasn't happened yet.) These are grains that I have in abundance at the farm.
This year she calved on May 24th, her second calf. She started at 4 gallons and has increased to 5 gallons a day. But she had some ketosis about a week after calving, went off her grain and had the breath and milk smell. I did not have strips at that time. About 10 days ago she went off her grain again and her ketosis strip read about 150 which puts her at questionable to positive. She is now back on her grain and is 50 which is negative and smell is gone. Now I am up for telling me all that I have just done wrong so please feel free. Since she has been un-well, I did splurge and got her cracked corn, calf mana, and alfalfa pellets. In order to get her to eat her grain and stay on it, I have been feeding her two cups of whole wheat, two cups of cracked corn, two cups of the calf mana, and two cups of alfalfa pellets with the 8 cups of oats. I apologize for it not being in poundage but I have no scale in the barn and since I really haven't been worried about weight just getting her through the milking and better, I haven't weighed it. She still goes through a bit of molasses and I did try a different loose mineral and she eats a little of it but basically has no interest in it. She is in the pasture full time but will find her eating hay from the hay stack.
So my question is, is she still fat? If so what kind of a diet should I be going towards that will keep her not fat but not bring back the ketosis.
URL=http://s1008.photobucket.com/user/sweetiepie1313/media/Mobile%20Uploads/Delight2014017_zps641b1aa8.jpg.html][/URL]
Of course there has to be one of the baby. Well I make her fat on 2 gallons of milk a day?
This year she calved on May 24th, her second calf. She started at 4 gallons and has increased to 5 gallons a day. But she had some ketosis about a week after calving, went off her grain and had the breath and milk smell. I did not have strips at that time. About 10 days ago she went off her grain again and her ketosis strip read about 150 which puts her at questionable to positive. She is now back on her grain and is 50 which is negative and smell is gone. Now I am up for telling me all that I have just done wrong so please feel free. Since she has been un-well, I did splurge and got her cracked corn, calf mana, and alfalfa pellets. In order to get her to eat her grain and stay on it, I have been feeding her two cups of whole wheat, two cups of cracked corn, two cups of the calf mana, and two cups of alfalfa pellets with the 8 cups of oats. I apologize for it not being in poundage but I have no scale in the barn and since I really haven't been worried about weight just getting her through the milking and better, I haven't weighed it. She still goes through a bit of molasses and I did try a different loose mineral and she eats a little of it but basically has no interest in it. She is in the pasture full time but will find her eating hay from the hay stack.
So my question is, is she still fat? If so what kind of a diet should I be going towards that will keep her not fat but not bring back the ketosis.
URL=http://s1008.photobucket.com/user/sweetiepie1313/media/Mobile%20Uploads/Delight2014017_zps641b1aa8.jpg.html][/URL]
Of course there has to be one of the baby. Well I make her fat on 2 gallons of milk a day?