Post by Lannie on Feb 11, 2010 12:49:12 GMT -5
I'm having a very frustrating time here lately. I'm at my wits' end and about this close to panicking, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!
And if I'm just being a worry-wart for no reason, you can tell me that, too. I don't mind.
I weaned Seven on 1/29. That morning's milking was the last time he was SUPPOSED to nurse. That evening, Bandit gave me just less than a gallon. I figured as much, because I knew she'd be holding his milk back. The next morning, I got two gallons. That night, I got nothing. Not a drop.
The next morning (1/31) I got two gallons again (boy, was she FULL!), but that afternoon, Seven jumped the fence and took my evening milk, so nothing that night.
Then on 2/1, I got 1.5 gallons in the morning and about 3 quarts that night. Her udder was obviously still hard-ish up high, and I knew she was holding up milk. But the next day, I got well OVER two gallons, with a really good cream line and that night I got a gallon and a third, with an excellent cream line. I thought we were over the hump.
On 2/3, I only got a quart and a half in the morning, and then Seven promptly jumped the fence and took the rest (after I had given up). That night there was no letdown again. That's the day we finally put the weaning ring in Seven's nose, but because I wasn't sure if it would work on him, I was still keeping him separated.
On 2/4 I got two gallons again in the morning, and over a gallon in the evening, with lots of cream. OK, I thought, we're back on track. The next day it was a little over 2 gallons in the morning and a gallon and a half in the evening. That's when I told Jackie, our mail person, that she could start getting milk from me. (Maybe that was my mistake!)
The next morning, 2/6, she only gave me a gallon and 3 quarts, and an average (calf-sharing type) cream line, so she was holding up again. That afternoon, Seven jumped the fence again and tried to nurse, but couldn't, so I went ahead and just left him with her, but she held her milk up completely that night, so I got nothing.
Ever since then, the milk has been decreasing, although her letdowns seem to be faster and I can't feel any hardness up high in her udder, so I don't think she's holding up on me. Yesterday's milk had nearly a quart of cream on the gallon (I only got a gallon and a half total yesterday, though).
This morning, she was let down fully, but her udder didn't feel very full, and I got a whopping half gallon from her. At this rate, I can't give Jackie any more milk, or I won't have enough for us, not to mention Julia, or any for cheese or clabber.
Rich and I were talking yesterday and thought that maybe it was this crappy hay we've been feeding her, but she's been eating it for a while now, and less than a week ago, she was giving me 3 and a half gallons a day. Now it's looking like I'll be lucky to get 1 gallon a day. Anyway, I've been scrooging a bit on the hay because we might not have enough and Rich told me to stop worrying about it and just feed her what she needs (and NOT that garbage alfalfa) and see if that helps. If we have to go get more hay, then we'll have to go get more hay.
Do you think that might be the problem? Or do you think she might still be trying to hold milk back for Seven? Her udder feels totally empty, though, so I don't know if that's it.
Oh, the other weird thing is that there's been more milk from the right side than the left. The left side was Seven's side to nurse from. This morning, when I got my half gallon, I only got about 2 or 3 cups TOTAL from both the left quarters. The rest came from the right quarters. Is it possible that she might be trying to dry herself off, starting with the side that Seven usually nursed?
When I weaned Cricket, she was 8 months old, so I only milked for two more months afterward before I dried her off, but that first month I had so much milk I was making cheese every day, remember? I complained that I was a slave to my cheesepot! Last year, she only peaked out at about 4 gallons a day, and this year, she was giving 6 at peak, and she didn't try to dry herself off last year after Cricket was weaned, so I can't figure out what's going on here. I really don't want to have to put Seven back on her, but if she's drying herself off, I'd have to in order to get her production back up, wouldn't I?
Sorry for the long post and all the details, but I'm hoping that someone might have an idea for me. I started increasing her hay yesterday, and I'm only putting a little bit of the alfalfa in there, the bulk of it being the good grass mix hay. I'm giving the alfalfa to the horses now, and they don't like it, either, but I'm not trying to milk them, so they can just get over it.
I'm SO CONFUSED!!!!!!
~Lannie
And if I'm just being a worry-wart for no reason, you can tell me that, too. I don't mind.
I weaned Seven on 1/29. That morning's milking was the last time he was SUPPOSED to nurse. That evening, Bandit gave me just less than a gallon. I figured as much, because I knew she'd be holding his milk back. The next morning, I got two gallons. That night, I got nothing. Not a drop.
The next morning (1/31) I got two gallons again (boy, was she FULL!), but that afternoon, Seven jumped the fence and took my evening milk, so nothing that night.
Then on 2/1, I got 1.5 gallons in the morning and about 3 quarts that night. Her udder was obviously still hard-ish up high, and I knew she was holding up milk. But the next day, I got well OVER two gallons, with a really good cream line and that night I got a gallon and a third, with an excellent cream line. I thought we were over the hump.
On 2/3, I only got a quart and a half in the morning, and then Seven promptly jumped the fence and took the rest (after I had given up). That night there was no letdown again. That's the day we finally put the weaning ring in Seven's nose, but because I wasn't sure if it would work on him, I was still keeping him separated.
On 2/4 I got two gallons again in the morning, and over a gallon in the evening, with lots of cream. OK, I thought, we're back on track. The next day it was a little over 2 gallons in the morning and a gallon and a half in the evening. That's when I told Jackie, our mail person, that she could start getting milk from me. (Maybe that was my mistake!)
The next morning, 2/6, she only gave me a gallon and 3 quarts, and an average (calf-sharing type) cream line, so she was holding up again. That afternoon, Seven jumped the fence again and tried to nurse, but couldn't, so I went ahead and just left him with her, but she held her milk up completely that night, so I got nothing.
Ever since then, the milk has been decreasing, although her letdowns seem to be faster and I can't feel any hardness up high in her udder, so I don't think she's holding up on me. Yesterday's milk had nearly a quart of cream on the gallon (I only got a gallon and a half total yesterday, though).
This morning, she was let down fully, but her udder didn't feel very full, and I got a whopping half gallon from her. At this rate, I can't give Jackie any more milk, or I won't have enough for us, not to mention Julia, or any for cheese or clabber.
Rich and I were talking yesterday and thought that maybe it was this crappy hay we've been feeding her, but she's been eating it for a while now, and less than a week ago, she was giving me 3 and a half gallons a day. Now it's looking like I'll be lucky to get 1 gallon a day. Anyway, I've been scrooging a bit on the hay because we might not have enough and Rich told me to stop worrying about it and just feed her what she needs (and NOT that garbage alfalfa) and see if that helps. If we have to go get more hay, then we'll have to go get more hay.
Do you think that might be the problem? Or do you think she might still be trying to hold milk back for Seven? Her udder feels totally empty, though, so I don't know if that's it.
Oh, the other weird thing is that there's been more milk from the right side than the left. The left side was Seven's side to nurse from. This morning, when I got my half gallon, I only got about 2 or 3 cups TOTAL from both the left quarters. The rest came from the right quarters. Is it possible that she might be trying to dry herself off, starting with the side that Seven usually nursed?
When I weaned Cricket, she was 8 months old, so I only milked for two more months afterward before I dried her off, but that first month I had so much milk I was making cheese every day, remember? I complained that I was a slave to my cheesepot! Last year, she only peaked out at about 4 gallons a day, and this year, she was giving 6 at peak, and she didn't try to dry herself off last year after Cricket was weaned, so I can't figure out what's going on here. I really don't want to have to put Seven back on her, but if she's drying herself off, I'd have to in order to get her production back up, wouldn't I?
Sorry for the long post and all the details, but I'm hoping that someone might have an idea for me. I started increasing her hay yesterday, and I'm only putting a little bit of the alfalfa in there, the bulk of it being the good grass mix hay. I'm giving the alfalfa to the horses now, and they don't like it, either, but I'm not trying to milk them, so they can just get over it.
I'm SO CONFUSED!!!!!!
~Lannie