amount of milk and breeding back questions?

[Teacupliz]

__,_._,___ My cow exsperiance is not very much- My first Jersey cow I have been trying to get her bred back for 6 months no luck. Four months AI even having bred 5 days in a row, two months we went to visit my friends bull. Now my second cow calved June 30 and I have not seen a heat. Any advice I was thinking of trying the Lace and sisterellen route with second cow?

I am new to milking cows and am milking 4 jerseys, 1 is 5, 1 is far into lactation and 2 just freshened with in the last 3 wks. I holstein and one holstein/jersey and one ayrshire- all 1st fresheners, less then a month fresh. I am getting about about 500lbs every other day. This number seems low to me- They are getting 1st and second cutting hay, pasture is gone no rain in NY. They also get 16% dairy blend- any advice? I am rying to give a bale a day per milker but I need to be careful as there is no hay in NY Come March it will be a scary hay world.



Thanks for ideas- Liz

[Up North]

Originally Posted by Teacupliz

__,_._,___ My cow exsperiance is not very much- My first Jersey cow I have been trying to get her bred back for 6 months no luck. Four months AI even having bred 5 days in a row, two months we went to visit my friends bull. Now my second cow calved June 30 and I have not seen a heat. Any advice I was thinking of trying the Lace and sisterellen route with second cow?

I am new to milking cows and am milking 4 jerseys, 1 is 5, 1 is far into lactation and 2 just freshened with in the last 3 wks. I holstein and one holstein/jersey and one ayrshire- all 1st fresheners, less then a month fresh. I am getting about about 500lbs every other day. This number seems low to me- They are getting 1st and second cutting hay, pasture is gone no rain in NY. They also get 16% dairy blend- any advice? I am rying to give a bale a day per milker but I need to be careful as there is no hay in NY Come March it will be a scary hay world.



Thanks for ideas- Liz

So if I understand you a total of 7 cows. 500 pounds milk every other day breaks down to 36 pounds/cow /day average. Does the 500 pounds every other day take into account milk drawn off to feed calves, or drawn off for household use?
So let's look at some contributing factors:
Several first lactation heifers in the herd. First lactation heifers generally do not produce as much volume as second calf and beyond cows do.
One tail-ender(near end of lactation) Smaller daily production than a recently fresh cow.
Stage of lactation - Those "just fresh" cows will peak more in the 90-120 days in milk timeframe, so they should increase in daily production over next couple of months.

How many pounds/cow/day of the 16% dairy grain are you feeding?
Do cows have loose minerals available free choice?
Do cows have clean water available 24/7, or are they watered with a hose as part of other routine chores?
Have these cows been dewormed since you have taken ownership?

These are just the first things -some fundamentals one would check.

PS - Milk Production and Conception rates will both improve with the cooler fall weather

[SHELBY]

Liz,
All our jersey gets fed is I believe a 18% dairy, hay, and we throw some alfalfa pellets in there . Her hay is not free choice. Plenty of water, and she goes outside but in the yard, just like you the pasture is gone.
She is averaging 32 lbs a day, on 2 quarters.

Also She came into her first heat about 2 weeks after she freshened, I'm surprised you haven't seen anything yet.

[sammyd]

What sort of mineral are they getting?
Breedability can be affected by lack of certain minerals.