Post by chinoiseriefarmer on Sept 17, 2020 16:24:35 GMT -5
Hi there! I'm so glad to have found this forum. So I finally have my girl. I' ve been working towards my dream of having a Jersey cow for quite a few years now. I bought her from a beef cattle rancher who's owned her for about 4 years. She is 6 years old, and had twins in April. He weaned them on September 1, because she was getting so thin. I called him, looking for a dairy cow (I had known he had her), on Sept 12, and he said he would sell her to me. So.....she IS very thin, but otherwise is very sweet and and gentle, and halter broke. (He didn't even know that). I was hoping to try to start milking her again. However, we got her home this past weekend, and she immediately started to bloat. Oh my goodness, I am so glad I recognized the bloating (I have never had a cow, but I do have 2 goats in milk), but I had NO idea what to do.. No vets available, called about 12 that night. We got through the night by walking, and gave her some baking soda, about a cup in 32 ounces of water, and more walking. Finally got to town to get some Therabloat the next day. She is good now, but I'm a mess, I keep checking on her constantly. I went and found some bermuda grass hay on the advice of a goat keeping friend.
So, I'm thinking it must have been one of two things: she was brought in from the pasture (I'm not sure what was growing out there), and then fed alfalfa and the rancher kept saying he had been giving her zucchini. I'm thinking it was the zucchini? However, when we got her home that day I did give her alfalfa hay and about 2 pounds of 3-way that I had in the shed. What happened?
This morning, I gave her the grass hay, and some alfalfa hay, and she went for the alfalfa first. But I keep checking her every couple of hours, because I have a fear the bloat will return. I know I need to get her on some grain, which I've been researching, but I'm thinking I should wait a couple more days? Would dry cob work? Sweet cob, or is that too sweet? Should I feed an alfalfa/bermuda mix hay? or just alfalfa hay? or just grass hay?
Also, is it too late to try to get her back into milk? The rancher said she'd been running with the angus bulls for 40 days, and he thinks she might be pregnant, but of course I haven't gotten to that test yet.
I appreciate any advice y'all might have. I'm so happy to have her, and that scare about did me in, to where I'm afraid to make a mistake.
So, I'm thinking it must have been one of two things: she was brought in from the pasture (I'm not sure what was growing out there), and then fed alfalfa and the rancher kept saying he had been giving her zucchini. I'm thinking it was the zucchini? However, when we got her home that day I did give her alfalfa hay and about 2 pounds of 3-way that I had in the shed. What happened?
This morning, I gave her the grass hay, and some alfalfa hay, and she went for the alfalfa first. But I keep checking her every couple of hours, because I have a fear the bloat will return. I know I need to get her on some grain, which I've been researching, but I'm thinking I should wait a couple more days? Would dry cob work? Sweet cob, or is that too sweet? Should I feed an alfalfa/bermuda mix hay? or just alfalfa hay? or just grass hay?
Also, is it too late to try to get her back into milk? The rancher said she'd been running with the angus bulls for 40 days, and he thinks she might be pregnant, but of course I haven't gotten to that test yet.
I appreciate any advice y'all might have. I'm so happy to have her, and that scare about did me in, to where I'm afraid to make a mistake.