Planning calving date question.

[whitewolf]

First of all I know NOTHING about this subject.I want to get a milk cow. The only thing stopping me is the following:
We take 1 trip a year for approx. 1 week in June. There is NO ONE to do the milking while we are gone. So.....can you plan approximately WHEN the cow will calve every time? My thinking is (no snickering please) if we can plan this, then we can set up our trips while there is no need for milking. Any and all input would be appreciated.

Whitewolf

[JulieLou42]

Your cow should be dry for 60 days of any year, so just plan for her to be dry for all of May and June...in other words, freshening in July works for that...get her pregnant in early October for a July delivery...I know, because my milk cow's due by July 10th...or early Nov for an August freshening.

The gestation chart I use shows a 9 month, 10 day timeframe, but she calved an average of 3 days earlier with her Jersey X's and was 12 days late with the Saler X. Needless to say, that Saler was huge, and had to have vet's help to get him out, so I won't cross her with that breed again!

Good luck! Hope your cow's noisey about her heat season so you'll know when she's to be bred...that'll help LOTS!!!

[whitewolf]

Thanks alot. I felt sure it could be done. We breed horses and can pretty much plan when the foals will be born, but wasn't sure about milk cows. Now for the research and getting a friend to teach me how to milk and then I can get that Jersey. Thanks again. I am soooo excited.

[john in la]

It may be a little harder than you would first anticipate.

Lets say you want a cow to calf on August 1 so you could take a vacation the first week of July right in the middle of her dry period.
You can breed a calf for the first time at 15 months old if you feed her right but for a first timer we will go with 21 months.
To have a cow calf on August 1 you will need to breed her on Oct 23 give or take a day or two. So you would want a calf born on or about Jan 23.

So every thing goes to plan and she calves on Aug 1. You will need to rebreed her again on Oct 23 for next year. But she had a hard birth last time; or you do not catch her heat cycle just right; or any of a dozen reasons she does not take when you breed her on Oct 23 and you wind up having to breed her again at a later date. Now you are behind. Then next year you may get even further behind.

Even modern dairies have problems having 100% of their cows to freshen every 12 months. The average is more like 13 or 14 months.

Since you are not into it for the money you could always do the best you can and then let her sit not breed till your breed date comes back around.
In other words you are suppose to milk 305 days; dry 60 days then calf again and start all over. But if you were at Dec 23 you would just pass it up and not breed her again to next Oct 23. You could also take a reduction in milk per day and milk her for 600 days straight to get your self back on track. I would dry her up a little early; say 90 to 100 days before she calves after a long milk period.

[JeffNY]

Planning a cow to be dry for your vacation can work. However you have to give yourself some leway if she didn't breed to calve, to dry off at the right time. You can dry them off sooner than 305 days, it can and has been done. Say you want her to calve in August, dry off by April or so. Remember, when you get her bred in October, she might not take the first time around, it does happen. So start trying to breed her to calve from late June to August, so you can get her dried off by June.



Jeff

[francismilker]

I always plan my vacations around dry off time. It can be done.

[springvalley]

Vacation, what the heck is a vacation. hehe. > Thanks Marc

[myersfarm]

I only milk 6 months of the year... want mine to calf in September and then I dry them up in April easy and i do that with 20 cows....I use 2 bulls to breed so the cows will calve close together