Post by ropergirl2006 on Oct 23, 2015 7:54:56 GMT -5
Hi all- Sell fell thru on the cow I was supposed to be getting here last week from my cousin and it looks like all my praying paid off because we are planning to be bringing a Jersey home this weekend, ha! So.... I'm back to looking at feed options. The cow I was getting from my cousin was on 20 lb day non-GMO grain and grass pasture and had been told by my cousin she wouldn't maintain her condition without grain, so I had been looking for options for dairy rations. This Jersey we will be getting on the other hand, is only on pasture with hay at milking time, no grain. I know that I don't want to rapidly change her feeding routine but we do not have near the pasture condition of that which she is coming from so I am going to need to supplement, but here I am again back at the "with what?" question. I will be giving her oat hay and possibly some alfalfa at milking time, but what are your ideas for supplements/grains/etc? I would avoid grains if I could find supplements to keep her condition without them but I am in a rural area and my choices are very limited. I do know that in a neighboring town they have beet pulp. I have asked about kelp and everyone looks at me like I'm crazy so I don't think that's an option. Other than that I have access to oats, barley, the standard Purina feeds dairy ration from tractor supply. I can check into other things if you guys suggest I look for specific things, but so far have just inquired about the basics. I wanted to avoid corn/soy because of the GMO issues and have read (correct me if I misinterpreted) that you can feed beet pulp with other supplements as an alternative to grain. If I did this can someone guide me as to how much I should at least start with feeding and what else I should feed with it? Keep in mind this will be my first cow and I am completely inexperienced so dumb it down as much as possible lol!