Strange aftertaste in milk

DJ in WA · #21 02/18/07, 08:06 PM

This is interesting. I asked on another thread about the “cowy” taste I’ve never experienced. Reading my Merck manual about ketosis, it says “There may be an acetone odor to the breath, urine, or milk.” Maybe this is the "cowy" thing.

The problem of ketosis is the cow putting out more energy in the milk than she is consuming, especially in the 6 weeks after calving. Blood sugar drops and she mobilizes fat, which are broken down to acetone, etc when not enough carbohydrates. Again to quote, “Ketosis occurs worldwide whenever dairy cows are selected and fed for high milk production.” Also can “occur when a cow goes off feed for any reason.”

I’m curious when your Jersey calved, how much she was producing and how much grain you were feeding. High producing cows have to be fed just right in the dry period and during early lactation to prevent ketosis. Some here recommend with family dairy cows to just reduce the feed or grain if you don’t want much milk. But with genetics that are too “good”, that can cause problems.

jerzeygurl · #22 02/19/07, 08:01 PM

ketosis can show up before calving as well, just as they start to make a bag

lugrad1988 · #23 02/21/07, 12:50 PM

We got her while she was dried up. In her dry period, we were told to give her 8 lbs daily of grain. Then after she calved, we started increasing her grains up to 12 lbs, and about 1 week ago, the dairy farmer told me to increase her grains, slowly up to 18 lbs. I really don't like giving her this much grain. She gets all the hay she wants, and whatever grass that is left in the pasture. I really don't need 6 gallons of milk a day. I just don't know what to do. The dairy farmer we got her from, gave us her lactation records, and she was giving up to 8 gallons a day at some time. I am not sure what she was used to getting from the dairy as in the amount of grain, but I thought when they were dried off, they didn't really need grains.

jerzeygurl · #24 02/21/07, 01:00 PM

typically dried up for a milk cow means a month dry before the new lactations starts for the new little one which takes a month to 6 weeks, so thier nutritional requirments are about the same.

that is why feed is often recomended to ward of ketosis, mine started show ketosis before her bag had actually milk, it was just starting to make bag.
we gave her mineral and small ammounts of feed and it got better, llamma chased her off feed she got worse, had to put her up and give her calcium treatment.

all the feed can cause bag edema as well so its somewhat a catch 22

i agree that sounds like a lot of feed.

reduce what you take over a period of time, is one solution, but runs the risk of mastitis. I have one that i dry up the back quarters entirely.

and gradually reduce feed, allow free choice minerals.

get pigs make cheese, get bottle babies