Milking question

Jersey gestations are 9 months, ten days generally.
The different breeds have slightly differing gestational lengths..If you get a calender from one of the sire salesmen they generally have the varying lengths on the back..

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Roseanna
Morning Mist Herd
Journey's End Jerseys
Jerseys, Jersey/Norwegian Reds, Beef, Boers, Nubians & crossbreeds

Well she calved, I would guess at 12:00am, calling it midnight because I am not sure of the exact time. Calf was small which was good, has some white on its face, and a mottled color to its body. It is a heifer, she did get up and it was walking around when I went down around 1am.


Jeff

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"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" Patrick Henry, March 23rd, 1775

Well done, a good result by all accounts.

As Roseanna has said, the gestation period varies from breed to breed and from cow to cow. We tend to use 9 months as an average rather than the reality. I have a friend who runs an Angus stud and keeps meticulous records. It's interesting that she finds that some cows have consistently shorter gestation periods while others can vary by as much as 10 days.

The average gestation time is 9 months plus 9 days (282 days) with a range of 279 - 289 days. So play safe and count 279 days from known servicing.

Cheers,
Ronnie

I wonder if gestation time is heritable, as it is in chickens. With chickens if the eggs go beyond 21 days, the next time that one chic that lays, its eggs will hatch at 22 days etc. I wonder witha cow, if this can be the case, if the dam calves at a certain time, and is fairly timely, its calf will be as timely.


Jeff

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"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" Patrick Henry, March 23rd, 1775

Frida and Freya were twin heifers born in 2002. I'd have to go back and see just how early they were.
First year Freya calved in June, 6 days before her "due date" with a heifer calf. Frida calved the same year in August, 6 days before her "due date" with a heifer. This year Frida calved in June, 5 days before her "due date" with a heifer. Freya calved in August, 5 days before her "due date" with a heifer. We sold the twins for dairy this year so I am not going to be able to track them as easily. Both cows would settle first service. We didn't want Frida settled back that quick but our bull didn't really care what we thought.

I think that it is heritable..it varies by breed..wouldn't that indicate that it is genetic in some manner?

I've followed our cows calving a lot and try and figure how long it would be. They do tend to have trends.
One line normally settles young, first service, and will continue that trend throughout their life for the most part. That particular line is also on the shorter side as young heifers but during their first lactations they jump in size and come close to being the largest animals in the herd.

So yeah, I think it is inheritable.

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Roseanna
Morning Mist Herd
Journey's End Jerseys
Jerseys, Jersey/Norwegian Reds, Beef, Boers, Nubians & crossbreeds

Let's see here...I had a Brown Swiss in 1974 that calved in exactly 9 months to the day. Let's just say that the "servicing" event -- by an 18 month old shorter bull in his pen on rock-hard ground -- would've made great America's Funniest Videos footage and was the day after my birthday, so I'll never, EVER forget it, and have told and RETOLD the story of it many times. She had a beautiful heifer that had a heart-shaped blaze on her forehead, two days after Valentine's Day. One of those exciting times with my first husband!

My present cow, Ginger [3/4 Guernsey-Angus Cross] bred at 17 months [@ 800+#]to Jersey, first calving came 9 + 6 days, with a [dead, breach, upsidedown] bull. Her second was full Saler, that has a longer gestation [9.5 months I'm told by vet] and she went that long, with a bull that had to be pulled by the vet; third was Jersey again, and came at 9+4 days with a bull; fourth, Jersey again, is due on next July 5th. I expect it'll come about when the other Jersy crosses did, unless it's the heifer I'm hoping for, and comes early, as in Roseanna's posting.

Another something to add, with donkeys, their gestation is longer for jacks, and shorter for jennys from what I understand (I think it is that way). With the donkey we have here, she foaled at exactly 12 months, dead on the money. It was a jack.


Jeff

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"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" Patrick Henry, March 23rd, 1775

What a pain in the @%@@#$!$!!!! she is. Friggen won't stop kicking (likely the edema), nothing short of hobbling her legs, she then won't let her milk down. Had to use Oxytocin, gave her an injection this morning, but by the time we got the milker on, the effects wore off. Let me tell ya, I really wish I was milking a holstein right now, I know they could be as ----y, but they do give in. This Jersey has he mind set on NO NOT MY UDDER! She is on Lasics to get rid of the edema, so maybe after a couple days, and little withdrawl of milk here and there, she will feel better. But geeeze, here I have a good milk machine, something that is reliable. Yet the ---- host (cow) is a pain in the @ signs.


Jeff

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"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" Patrick Henry, March 23rd, 1775

There are some here who think I'm a bit loopy but now I know I'm not.

Have you left her with her calf? One of the best ways to deal with oedema is to let the calf suckle. Because it's hungry it will bunt and bunt until it gets sufficient milk going for it's needs and the bunting action help clear up the oedema. Also can help to foment the udder with warm water although she may not let you do this if she is very sore.

I've never had a cow that I can't milk because of oedema and by the time the calf is removed it has all but cleared up and the milk is starting to come in. I still milk the cow once a day and get very little out of her for the first couple of days plus it is a good opportunity to have a close up check on both the cow and the calf.

Cheers,
Ronnie

Well she did a little better this evening, gave 15lbs, then shut down. Leaned against her to keep her from kicking, edema is going down. Took the calf away around 3pm, so she will cooperate with us.



Jeff

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"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" Patrick Henry, March 23rd, 1775

Well Amber (jersey) milked 41-42lbs on Thursday, not bad considering she didn't let it all down Thursday morning, and night. But she is improving nicely, id bet on a 50lbs a day, maybe more if she resumes her piggish appetite she had.


Jeff

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"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" Patrick Henry, March 23rd, 1775