Years spent working other peoples cows.......

[tinknal]

....yet I fret like an old woman over my own.

Born yesterday in the rain. Haven't seen her nurse yet. Every time I check on her she's trying to nurse moms briscuit. Pretty sure she has nursed. Her mouth is warm and moms once muddy teats are now clean.

I have a lot of beef experience but little dairy, at least as far as when the milk will be good to drink. When will this be? I am going to go buy a bull calf. I plan to keep the calves on the cow. I think I'll pen the calves up at night, milk the cow in the morning, and let the calves back at her after milking. Has anyone done this? How did it work out?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Don't forget there's a dairy board here, too.

From what I know about goats, it takes three days to two weeks for the colostrum taste to clear. Varies from critter to critter.

Hubby's family used to pen calves at night, milk in morning, let critters run together during the day. Yup, should work for you.

Rose

[Up North]

tinknal - If cow was dry cow treated withhold milk from human consumption for 8 milkings, or 4 days. If not dry cow treated, withhold milk from human consumption for 3 days.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by Up North

tinknal - If cow was dry cow treated withhold milk from human consumption for 8 milkings, or 4 days. If not dry cow treated, withhold milk from human consumption for 3 days.

OK, thanks. I dried her up when I bought her so she wasn't treated. Her last lactation was wayyyy long. I think she got sick at some point because she dropped 35 lbs between 60 and 120 days. She also bred back slow.

Any ideas on what I should breed her to? She is 1/2 holstein, 1/2 shorthorn. This calf is out of a brown swiss. Very large heifer. Her front feet are contracted but it looks like she will get them straightened out on her own. I would like to breed her to something smaller.

[ozark_jewels]

1/2 milking shorthorn or 1/2 beef shorthorn?? If you are looking for another dairy calf, I'd breed her milking shorthorn(I LOVE them!).

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

1/2 milking shorthorn or 1/2 beef shorthorn?? If you are looking for another dairy calf, I'd breed her milking shorthorn(I LOVE them!).

Milking shorthorn. She came from a commercial herd. I'm going to keep her bred dairy.

[DJ in WA]

Edit:

Just saw your response, after I posted, Tinknal. In which case, Jersey would of course make for a smaller cow. The first question is always how much milk you want or need. Don't forget the beef/dairy crosses.

I was talking to my AI guy who has a Holstein dairy and an Angus beef herd. Sometimes the angus bulls get in with the Holstein cows. I asked what he does with the resulting crossbred heifers, and he said he’s milking many of them. One is giving 70 pounds daily (nearly 9 gallons). That is more than most of us need for a milk cow – granted you could probably feed her less grain.

I have a Lowline angus/Jersey cross which works for me. Breed her to lowline angus and get a nice beefy calf.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by DJ in WA

Edit:

Just saw your response, after I posted, Tinknal. In which case, Jersey would of course make for a smaller cow. The first question is always how much milk you want or need. Don't forget the beef/dairy crosses.

I was talking to my AI guy who has a Holstein dairy and an Angus beef herd. Sometimes the angus bulls get in with the Holstein cows. I asked what he does with the resulting crossbred heifers, and he said he’s milking many of them. One is giving 70 pounds daily (nearly 9 gallons). That is more than most of us need for a milk cow – granted you could probably feed her less grain.

I have a Lowline angus/Jersey cross which works for me. Breed her to lowline angus and get a nice beefy calf.

We raised purebred angus when I was a kid. We sold most of our bulls to dairy farmers. They liked to breed their heifers to angus for the calving ease.

[tinknal]

It is getting tough to find AI people around here anymore. They used to be everywhere. I might just have to settle for whatever available bull I can find.

[DJ in WA]

The question is whether you want to breed dairy to sell any heifer to dairies, or to use as your future milk cow. If for your own use, or for selling as a family cow, lower production could be a good thing - easier to breed back, fewer health problems, less feed needed, etc.

I just sold a 3/4 Jersey/ 1/4 Lowline angus heifer to a guy who got burned out by a Holstein cow, even though he has 6 kids, he just didn't need 12 gallons a day. My brother went through the same thing, and sold his Holstein to the nearby dairy.

So, it's up to you whether you have a use for alot of milk, which I assume your cow can produce. If healthy, I assume she's a 10+ gallon a day cow?

As for AI, would a local dairy be interested in doing it? I just called my guy up at his dairy and he was happy to earn some extra cash. Four breedings on 3 different animals and all have stuck.

If you really want to downsize, and reduce some milk production, here's a lowline bull I like. (AI required). You'd probably still have over a 1000 pound cow out of him. Again, all depends on what you want.

http://agads.net/page-10254.html

[tinknal]

She is a rather unpleasant beast, so G-d willing I'll be milking her daughter in 2 years. I'm thinking that I'll try to market heifer calves as family cows. Thinking of trying a Jersey or Gurnsey. Of course I wish I had a 100 heifer calves right now, they are like gold here.......LOL

[Up North]

If you wish to keep her offspring dairy, I would either breed her to Milking Shorthorn or a good calving ease Holstein Bull.
When you get into a 3 way cross, they are generally *percieved* as just mutts. Only a select few individuals would appreciate the value of a planned 3-way cross breeding program and hence be willing to buy stock of that sort.
If you breed her to Holstien, you will have a black&white calf that is readily salable and command highest price.
If you wish to retain her calf for your own use, the MS would produce an intermediate frame size animal with a higher probability of a reasonable disposition and higher percentage Butterfat & Protien milk.

Neither choice is right or wrong. Just depends on your intended use of the offspring.

PS Black Angus Calves make fantastic beef and top the market prices.
Yet after just spending 90 minutes in ( and repeatedly out of) a corral and a 3 acre lot with a Lariat in hand trying to get a 200 pound Angus Bull Calf to join his mother on a stock trailer, I can tell you they can be wily devils to catch, LOL.
Dairy stock sure are easier to rope.

[tinknal]

I want to keep them dairy for the time being. I will keep and raise all the calves, maybe selling heifers when I have several of my own. Any idea of mothering ability? I don't plan on milking more than one at a time and I will graft bull calves on the others. Another thing I'd like to do is breed some decent hand milking teats on her. She's got them short little milk machine teats on her and I have big hands.

You ever put a flank rope on a cow? She is a kicking demon. I got one side milked out before getting rained out, and dodged her kicks more or less. She is much more skittish about her other side and I'm not looking forward to it. LOL

[DJ in WA]

If you’re after the family cow market, I wouldn’t think those people would mind a 3 way cross, though I could be wrong. Many are in love with pure Jerseys, not sure about pure Holsteins or Milking Shorthorns. They aren’t as cute. You could advertise the advantages of a “mutt” (health, fertility, etc), and sometimes you get more interesting color.

The problems I see in making family cows are that you mention small teats and a poor disposition. And again, a large cow with the potential for 10+ gallons daily – not attractive to many families. Yes, one with some work can find something to do with the milk, but many don’t like the work of milking to begin with. Grafting calves isn’t always easy, and there can be problems with many calves nursing, like chapped teats.

Up North, while it may be true that angus on average are wilder, I wonder if that calf you were chasing was bottle fed and handled like most dairy calves. I will say that now on her third lactation milking, my lowline angus/Jersey cow has never once even tried to kick me. Her daughter out of a Hereford (supposedly a more gentle breed) is a kicker.

You asked about mothering ability. Supposedly as docility increases, mothering ability decreases. So if this cow is wild, might make a good mother.

While breeding to dairy can give you high-priced heifers, make sure you figure in the loss when you get bulls, as compared to bull calves from a beef bull. Overall might come out ahead breeding dairy, but need to think of all the factors. Dairy bull calves need more milk or feed per pound of gain, and would sell for less per pound.

So, there’s some more thoughts. Most people are going to do what they had planned, regardless of input, so have fun.

[JulieLou42]

You want docility? Guernseys are known for that, and I can vouch for it, as mine's a 3/4's and very much that way.
Her only kicking is a rare fly swat on the non-milking side with her left rear. Only thing is, mine's a bit large...1400#...because of the 1/4 Red Angus in her.

She doesn't give huge quantities of milk, I suppose because of the Angus there, yet she has the size to carry beef calves if I so choose.

http://www.worldguernseys.org/advantages.html

http://www.usguernsey.com/home.html

[tinknal]

Dairy beef sells well here, and I will sell private treaty. I was raised with angus and I found them for the most part to be gentle, but hard on fences. Had more problems with cows and steers than with bulls. When I was a kid my dad and brother would use me as bait when they tagged the new calves. I ran, the cow chased me, I usually escaped..........

An angus or other beef breed would help with the teats and would lower milk production for family cows. Might be an option, and it would sure be easier to find a local bull.

[jerzeygurl]

have kept both angus and jersey bulls to breed to the jersey cows...

angus jersey cross can make an excellent cross

angus holstien cross sell very well at the barn ( beef producers love to have high produceing females)
\\

that being said, selling to individuals...they want the dairy LOOK...they want the tan or red not the black, from experience