Grassfed only milk cow?

Ronney · #21 09/13/10, 06:52 AM

Believe it or not, she is a Jersey/Belgian Blue cross. Her mother is the lighter Jersey walking next to her. Would not have been my choice of bull but was all I could get at the time and I haven't regretted it. She's a cracker milker, never loses condition and produces chunky calves to an Angus bull.
Here's a better picture of her except that she decided to poke her tongue out to have a lick just as I snapped!
Grassfed only milk cow? - Cattle

Cheers,
Ronnie

Creamers · #22 09/13/10, 12:11 PM

well, she is a cool looking cow, that is for sure!

Ernie · #23 09/13/10, 12:22 PM

Yeah, those are some great and unique markings. At the end of her life she'd become a cowhide around here. Beautiful!

With that parentage, how is her temperament? She sort of looks like in this photo that she has a lot of personality.

francismilker · #24 09/13/10, 12:52 PM

With the double muscling of the Belgian Blue, and being 1/2 jersey, she's really taken on the traits of having great body condition. (Especially being grass fed) I've a mind to toy with that cross in the future. I've just always heard Belgian Blues produce some awful high birthweight calves.

ozark_jewels · #25 09/13/10, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Up North

In our experience, to make no grain work, you need excellent quality forages, the right genetics and once a day milking. I've got the once a day milking down pretty good

but we're working on the other two. Throughout the spring and summer we can easily go 100% no grain. The pastures have dried up quite a bit and I've got some really heavy milkers (wrong genetics) that have skinnied down too much so I have been feeding the milk herd 3-4 lbs of grain a day. I'll probably feed this through the winter. We did plant some winter grazing so I may be able to cut out the grain again when we run the cows across it. We planted a perennial crop of fescue, different clovers and alfalfa with a cover crop of (which we'll be able to graze off this winter) of winter rye, globe turnips, forage turnips, mustard and rape. Going no grain has been a process for us. As we work on improving pastures, planting for winter grazing, buying in better hay, and culling and breeding for the right genetics I know we will be able to cut out fall/winter time grain.

Well said! It can be done, but it takes a good grasp of everything involved and you need excellent grazing, not just average pasture.
Serious attention to mineral levels also.......so much more than most people even think of when deciding to go "all grass". The shame of it is, the idealists jump right in and the cattle suffer.
Not aimed at you, Creamers, just a personal peeve of mine.

Creamers · #26 09/13/10, 09:46 PM

I understand. All grass is NEVER anything I'd try with goats, but I was under the assumption dairy cows could do all grass easier than it seems it is. I will stick with some level of grain. I do not have lush pasture or amazing hay, and I have a heifer with high production lines.

willow_girl · #27 09/14/10, 07:05 AM

Or you could take a cow who's been dry for years, and give her a big ol' bucket of grain every day "just because," and end up with something like THIS:
Grassfed only milk cow? - Cattle

OK, they're not thrifty, but they sure are happy!

BeeDaisyRabbit · #28 09/16/10, 07:06 PM

http://www.michiganlivestock.com/

it can be done, but requires great husbandry and choice of breed/genetics.