Post by kasha on Nov 28, 2016 12:35:09 GMT -5
I'd like more milk!
I have this nice big milking shorthorn that I purchased in August. She is 5 years old and 4 months into her lactation. When I got her she was producing nine gallons a day TMR. She dropped to 6 a day, then 5 after I bought her. Then I went to OAD milking because of busy life. I loved that! She went to 4 gallons, and then 3. She stayed at three for several weeks until pasture was done, then started dropping again by about a pint each day. When it got to 2 1/4 gallons I started milking tad again. She jumped up to 3 1/2 pretty quickly. But over the last few weeks it's been declining again gradually even with tad milking. Right now she's holding pretty steady at 2 1/2 but I'd really like to have 3 to 3 1/2 gallons a day.
Her condition hasn't changed! She's keeping weight on nicely.
So, daily she gets 4-5 pounds of rolled barley, 4-5 pound chopped squash, 4 pounds 17% alfalfa pellets, 1/4 cup diamond v yeast, 1/2 acv, free choice loose mineral, kelp, salt. And free choice hay. I was feeding a variety of cuttings alfalfa/clover/grass hay that I harvested. Also some Timothy/alfalfa that I bought which they love, but it is mostly grass.
This past weekend I bought some third cutting alfalfa/brome hay that was cut in the early bud stage and put up very nicely. Very green and leafy. I thought that might add protein. They eat it, but are also picking through some of it ( maybe because the large square bale I opened first was one that had been sitting on the ground and it's dusty to them?)
It's only been a couple of days on that, but her production has not increased.
I'd rather not be buying alfalfa pellets. Do you think they are helping her at all in those amounts?
Also, I am thinking the last AI might have taken. It's been 22 days and no sign of heat yet.
Sorry to make it so lengthy, I just wanted to give as much info as possible.
I have this nice big milking shorthorn that I purchased in August. She is 5 years old and 4 months into her lactation. When I got her she was producing nine gallons a day TMR. She dropped to 6 a day, then 5 after I bought her. Then I went to OAD milking because of busy life. I loved that! She went to 4 gallons, and then 3. She stayed at three for several weeks until pasture was done, then started dropping again by about a pint each day. When it got to 2 1/4 gallons I started milking tad again. She jumped up to 3 1/2 pretty quickly. But over the last few weeks it's been declining again gradually even with tad milking. Right now she's holding pretty steady at 2 1/2 but I'd really like to have 3 to 3 1/2 gallons a day.
Her condition hasn't changed! She's keeping weight on nicely.
So, daily she gets 4-5 pounds of rolled barley, 4-5 pound chopped squash, 4 pounds 17% alfalfa pellets, 1/4 cup diamond v yeast, 1/2 acv, free choice loose mineral, kelp, salt. And free choice hay. I was feeding a variety of cuttings alfalfa/clover/grass hay that I harvested. Also some Timothy/alfalfa that I bought which they love, but it is mostly grass.
This past weekend I bought some third cutting alfalfa/brome hay that was cut in the early bud stage and put up very nicely. Very green and leafy. I thought that might add protein. They eat it, but are also picking through some of it ( maybe because the large square bale I opened first was one that had been sitting on the ground and it's dusty to them?)
It's only been a couple of days on that, but her production has not increased.
I'd rather not be buying alfalfa pellets. Do you think they are helping her at all in those amounts?
Also, I am thinking the last AI might have taken. It's been 22 days and no sign of heat yet.
Sorry to make it so lengthy, I just wanted to give as much info as possible.