Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2008 9:50:49 GMT -5
Okay, I'll try to make this long story as short as I can. Being fairly new to cows in general (we got Marigold last May, and she is the first we've ever had) and dealing with a cow that is not just a straightforward easy grass-fed keeper, I'm finding myself with a plethora of nutritional questions.
Marigold is 3, coming 4 years old, and is still nursing her 6 month old heifer calf. She is not bred back, but I'm hoping to send her to a bull in June or July. I'm hoping to wean the calf within the next month and start milking TAD (there are many reasons why I've waited so long to do this, which I won't bore you with now). Marigold did fairly well weight-wise over the summer on nothing but low quality pasture and a small amount of alfalfa pellets. Nursing and going into the winter, she started dropping weight on just low-quality grass hay and alfalfa pellets, so I started her on Beet Pulp. She seemed to be doing well for a while, but I have recently noticed that she has dropped A LOT of weight, to the point where I'm pretty concerned about her (backbone protruding, ribs easily felt, hollows behind her hip bones). She's currently eating 3-5 pounds of soaked beet pulp TAD and 1-2 lbs of soaked alfalfa cubes TAD, topped with about 1/3 cup of liquid molasses. She doesn't always finish her meals completely. She shares about 30 lbs of marginal quality grass hay TAD with her calf.
We live in Northeast PA, and have had some VERY cold weather lately...ground hasn't thawed in over a month. She has free access to plenty of heated water, and loose mineral salt with Vit E & Selenium (local soil is deficient).
Here's what I'm considering: deworm with diatomaceous earth (she has NEVER been dewormed), start her on better quality hay in round bale form so she has constant access (she's currently being fed square bales), and possibly start her on rice bran or a simple grain (which I hate to do, but hate to see her skinny even more). I'm collecting as much information and advice as I can get right now, so any input would be appreciated! Just as a note, I know that a lot of people on here feed grain and are totally okay with it, which I respect. However, I'd really like to preserve the Omega 3 benefits of forage fed milk if at all possible since we're just starting to milk her soon. Thanks in advance for the assistance.
Nikki
Marigold is 3, coming 4 years old, and is still nursing her 6 month old heifer calf. She is not bred back, but I'm hoping to send her to a bull in June or July. I'm hoping to wean the calf within the next month and start milking TAD (there are many reasons why I've waited so long to do this, which I won't bore you with now). Marigold did fairly well weight-wise over the summer on nothing but low quality pasture and a small amount of alfalfa pellets. Nursing and going into the winter, she started dropping weight on just low-quality grass hay and alfalfa pellets, so I started her on Beet Pulp. She seemed to be doing well for a while, but I have recently noticed that she has dropped A LOT of weight, to the point where I'm pretty concerned about her (backbone protruding, ribs easily felt, hollows behind her hip bones). She's currently eating 3-5 pounds of soaked beet pulp TAD and 1-2 lbs of soaked alfalfa cubes TAD, topped with about 1/3 cup of liquid molasses. She doesn't always finish her meals completely. She shares about 30 lbs of marginal quality grass hay TAD with her calf.
We live in Northeast PA, and have had some VERY cold weather lately...ground hasn't thawed in over a month. She has free access to plenty of heated water, and loose mineral salt with Vit E & Selenium (local soil is deficient).
Here's what I'm considering: deworm with diatomaceous earth (she has NEVER been dewormed), start her on better quality hay in round bale form so she has constant access (she's currently being fed square bales), and possibly start her on rice bran or a simple grain (which I hate to do, but hate to see her skinny even more). I'm collecting as much information and advice as I can get right now, so any input would be appreciated! Just as a note, I know that a lot of people on here feed grain and are totally okay with it, which I respect. However, I'd really like to preserve the Omega 3 benefits of forage fed milk if at all possible since we're just starting to milk her soon. Thanks in advance for the assistance.
Nikki